Convention cops

Brandon Darby, Texas activist-turned-FBI informant for RNC, pleads his case

Brandon Darby, a Texas activist who it turns out was working for the FBI as an informant from within groups that protested the 2008 Republican National Convention, pleads his case in the Pioneer Press today and in a statement he released earlier this week. He is “CHS1″ (Confidential Human Source 1) in an FBI affidavit [...]

Roughly half of RNC arrests have resulted in criminal charges

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has so far reviewed 241 potential criminal cases stemming from activities during the Republican National Convention. Nearly half of the reviews didn’t result in charges being filed owing to a lack of sufficient evidence. Of the remaining incidents, 48 have been resolved by either a guilty plea or payment of a fine, while 81 have been formally charged and are headed towards trial.

Former agent Coleen Rowley seeking FBI data on RNC policing

I was killing time on a back bench of an 8th floor Ramsey County courtroom Wednesday, waiting with about 50 others for something to happen (all the action in the RNC8 case that day took place behind closed doors, as it turned out), when a person with a familiar face took a seat in the next row. Could it be Coleen Rowley, famed FBI whistleblower, TIME magazine 2002 person of the year and the DFL Party’s 2006 candidate in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District? Indeed it was.

Judge to RNC8: See you next year

In a closed-door meeting with attorneys today, Ramsey County District Judge Salvador Rosas set a pre-trial hearing date of Jan. 26 for the eight activists known as the RNC8 who are charged with felony-level terrorism charges related the Republican National Convention in September. Prosecutors added three new charges over the weekend to the original count of conspiracy to riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism.

Protests planned for RNC protester trials starting today

Trials beginning today for protesters at September’s Republican National Convention will themselves be protested in a variety of ways over the next few days. A new coalition called Community RNC Arrestee Support Structure  — or CRASS – plans to pack courtrooms with supporters and rally against St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman today. CRASS has also called for [...]

Just in time for the holidays, protest greeting cards

Looking for a different way to say “Happy Holidays,” “Peace on Earth” or “Happy New Year”? How about sending your friends and loved ones greeting cards with photos from protests that show people carrying signs reading “War on Morons,” “Cure Erectile Dysfunction” and “One Nation Under Debt.” They’re “greeting cards for people who are pissed off” by Al Crespo, a photographer based in Miami who’s been covering protests across the country for a dozen years, but who may be best known for the legal case from the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles that bears his name: Al Crespo v. City of Los Angeles. “I’m the guy that got shot in the head in 2000,” he says.

Terrorizing Dissent: New documentary highlights police and protesters at RNC

The Republican National Convention. For many, that week in September brings back memories of the acidic smell of tear gas and pepper spray, police in riot gear on every corner and thousands of protesters in the streets. A two hour documentary by the Glass Bead Collective and Twin Cities Indymedia, features disturbing, never-before-seen footage of the RNC and police actions against protesters in the streets of St. Paul. The entire documentary is available on the Terrorizing Dissent website.

A clever trailer puts Sen. John McCain accepting the Republican party nomination in front of images of tear gas and protester arrests.

RNC8 supporters urged to phone in protests to officials today

With several members of the RNC8 — the people charged with felonies in conjunction with planned protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last month — heading to court today for hearings in their cases, the Friends of the RNC8 are asking supporters to phone three local officials today to urge that charges [...]

St. Paul won’t prosecute journalists facing ‘unlawful assembly’ charges from the RNC

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s office issued a statement this morning announcing that the city attorney won’t prosecute journalists who were cited by authorities at the Republican National Convention (RNC) with “presence at an unlawful assembly,” a misdemeanor charge.

That pertains specifically to the journalists who were swept up in the massive arrests during protests in St. Paul on the convention’s first and last days (including MnIndy’s Paul Demko, who was arrested on the last night of the RNC). How many people that might include is unclear, but nearly 50 of the over 800 people arrested or detained were on-site to cover the RNC for professional media or citizen-journalism organizations.

New video of mass arrest at Shepard Road during RNC

The Glass Bead Collective released video on Thursday of the mass arrests of protesters, media and bystanders at Shepard Road on day one of the Republican National Convention. A number of those arrested were heading to or from the SEIU Labor Day concert on Harriet Island. (Three members of the Glass Bead Collective were among [...]