With the leading lights of the GOP hanging back to see what aid they can render to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf coast, protesters from about 180 diverse groups gathered in St. Paul on Monday to express their dissatisfaction with the Republican party, global capitalism, meat eaters, big oil, washing regularly, neocons, corporate coffee, the military industrial complex, Jews, immunization, working for a living and of course "the man" in all his forms. The protesters included a lot of the usual hippies and peaceniks plus a surprisingly large contingent of several hundred black-uniformed hardcore anarchists who had brought their own gas masks and riot gear. Unlike the bulk of the protesters and in a way contrary to their ideology, the black-shirts were organized and far from peaceful.
The protest march had been billed by the organizers (Coalition to March on the RNC and End the War) as likely to attract 50,000 participants. Estimates from observers suggest the actual turnout was more like 5,000 to 10,000. A good thing, considering the unpleasant turn which the gathering took very quickly. The mainstream media has largely downplayed the level of violence which took place on Monday, hesitant to admit that it was a full-blown riot. But reports from bloggers and other sources paint a very ugly picture.
Everything started out as planned, with participants marching and waving signs in the 90 degree heat through downtown St. Paul. As the march began to wind down the violence began, with one group setting up a human chain in the middle of the highway off-ramp servicing the downtown area around the convention center. As buses bearing delegates were brought to a standstill, protesters threw bricks, rocks, bottles and bags of concrete on them from an overpass, breaking windows and terrorizing the passengers, including prominent blogger Gateway Pundit. A video interview with some of the victims is available.
Some protesters set up roadblocks to keep the police from interfering, while about 200 black-clad and masked anarchists smashed windows in local stores and a bank, tipped over newspaper boxes, lit a dumpster on fire and pushed it into a police car and flipped heavy concrete garbage bins onto the sidewalk, and scattered bent nails and other makeshift caltrops to puncture the tires of cars entering the area. Some of these actions were attributed to Funk the War, a militant offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Glen Boyd
If it was really this bad, why isn't the media all over this? This is the sort of huge story that you'd think the media would be salivating for...especially if you subscribe to the notion of the same media having a left leaning bias.
I mean this sounds like the Dems in Chicago in 1968 to hear the way the story is told here. The fact that it happened during the GOP convention -- well, again if it was that bad I'm just frankly astonished it isn't a round the clock story at CNN. Especially since the hurricane proved to be less devastating than originaly feared.
Very curious.
-Glen
2 - Dave Nalle
I've got links in the article to two of the local papers and to the AP report. The story IS getting picked up by the local media, but the hurricane coverage has pretty much killed coverage of this story nationwide.
It's not on the scale of Chicago in 1968. The cops are better organized and know what they're doing and the numbers of protesters are lower. If they had actually had 50K people there that they had hoped and if the cops hadn't arrested the anarchist ringleaders in advance, we would have seen serious casualties and really widespread violence.
But we've got 4 more days to go. Certain types of protesters will be attracted just because the cops are cracking down on these protesters, so the level of violence could get escalated.
Dave
3 - afewbadseeds
Is that an AP photo of anarcists or blackwater? Clean jeans and new black turtleneck, posing for the camera?!? Not like the punk rock anarcists of old...something smells..
4 - Dave Nalle
It's pretty much what I wore when I was an anarchist/libertarian in the 70s. Thankfully I grew out of it, though I do have a nice pair of black jeans still.
And yes, those guys just smashed a police car window with a metal rod.
Dave
5 - Ruvy
Funny, Dave. Why am I not surprised to find an article condemning the protesters in St. Paul here at BC? And why am I not surprised to see your name attached to it? It turns out that having lived in St. Paul for two decades is turning out to give me sources of information that would never be available to someone like you.
Last night, I received an e-mail from a fellow community activist in St. Paul, one filled with alarm - not at what the demonstrators were doing there - the demonstrations were still going on when I received the e-mail - but at something that happened the Saturday night previous to the convention's beginning. It was addressed to a couple of state senators and members of the Minnesota house of representatives, as well as some prominent journalists in the Twin Cities.
From my inbox from my friend, Dori:
I am sending out this letter in order to illustrate what has been happening in the Twin Cities since last Friday.
Several facilities and homes were raided by the St. Paul, Minneapolis Police, the Ramsey County Sheriffs, and Federal officers last Friday and Saturday. They seemed to think there were weapons, etc. in each of these localities because of their "superior intelligence gathering". The fools were in actuality raiding these places -- battering rams for the doors, rushing in with drawn weapons and putting everyone there on the floor and intimidating and questioning everyone -- that were peace people. These were those who didn't want any violence during the protest marches and they had spent months working on plans to be in the marches to put a quick halt to anything they saw that might mean trouble for either the police or the marchers.
One facility here in St. Paul was the 'Convergence Center'. This was the group that were training people how to reply to police when being detained and advised to put up on resistance to officers and to go to jail quietly, if arrested. In this facility also were lawyers from the Nation Lawyers Guild who had volunteered their time and
skills to assist anyone arrested and to stay with each case through the court appearances.
The police dragged out phony "weapons" such as bottles of urine that were supposedly there to be thrown at police. Nails to flatten tires of the buses that were carrying Republican Convention goers. I can only tell you that these are false accusations.
Does this seem to anyone reading this that we have entered into a police state? One in which there will be no defense against our militarily armed and trained police? One in which lies and phony evidence can send people to jail because of police corruption and courts following through with jail sentences? If those of you who are older remember the Fascist Police States of Hitler and Mussolini, please tell younger people all about it. The administers of our nation are leading us down that same path of horror and destruction. Those of you who are too young to remember, read about it and you will find the similarities unnerving.
What is truly bothering me is the fact that our City Councils, County Boards and State Legislators are doing nothing to stop it. Obviously supporting it. They should know better and perhaps they do. If so, it's time they show their loyalties.
There were no anarchists found and arrested in those raids. There really aren't any organized anarchists in the Twin Cities. I suppose the police have to justify and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been spent on their newly acquired equipment in some way -- even to raiding peace groups.
Think hard about it. And then do something. Because to sit still and say it doesn't affect you and yours is wishful thinking.
She attached an e-mail about the Permaculture Education Bus Seized by Twin Cities Police at RNC by the "peace officers" of Ramsey County and others I found the link to the story here.
The bus was teaching self-sufficiency for poor people. Why is this a security threat to the Republican National Convention? Why is this a security threat at all?
Apparently, my friemd Dori was not the only person to catch on to the activities of the "peace officers" with the "serve and protect (the rich and powerful)" inscribed on their cars. Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com also found out about these events on 30 August.
In my own letter to others I linked on to this article found at Global Research by Dr. Michel Chossudovsky on The National Emergency Sets the Stage for the McCain Election Campaign about the militarization of humanitarian aid. But that sets the stage for the future.
Has it dawned on you that the violent demonstrations in St. Paul were as violent as they were because the folks who were supposed to keep the peace had been jailed? Given that little datum, could you ask yourself why?
The Chossudovsky article, as I noted, sets the stage for the future. But the yesterday you reported on was set up on Saturday by the police in the Twin Cities.
6 - Arch Conservative
Nothing says "our goal is peace" like throwing concrete and bricks at a busful of people from an overpass.
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported that 150 National Guard troops were actually dispatched to help the police. It's kind of ironic watching a bunch of masked idiots screaming "troops out now" throwing things at and assaulting national guard members. The article link is below. It states that 284 people were arrested 130 of which will face felony charges.
Serously, the ones that were arrested need to be made examples of. Dave, do you know what they were specifically charged with and what the maximum prison time for those penalties is if convicted? Whatever it is they should get it.
7 - Dave Nalle
Ruvy, I don't mean to be harsh, but your friends in St. Paul are feeding you a line of bull.
I have my contacts too, and as a former protester/activist I know exactly what kind of resources and organization we're talking about here.
Many of my sources for this information came from WITHIN the protest community. Libertarian anti-war protesters were there too, and they are the ones who are now raising an alarm about these anarchists.
Follow the links in the article. They include a link to a libertarian site with photos of the makeshift weapons seized by the police. One of them also has a secondary link to videos from the protesters about their plans. One also has a link to the protesters claims that they are buying enough tasers to use on the police for every protester to have one.
I realize you want to fight the 'man' Ruvy, but these are not the good guys. These are not the people you and I marched against the draft with. They're a lot nastier and a lot more dangerous.
As for the raids in advance of the riots, they were carried out on information from informants planted within the groups and the leads seem to have been pretty legit based on the mass of weapons (including guns) which were seized.
Your correspondents claim that the weapons seized were irrelevant is nonsense, because we have numerous eyewitness reports of them being used at the riot.
The police HAVE been overzealous. They've arrested some harmless bloggers and journalists and some protesters who probably didn't deserve it. But that doesn't excuse the truly dangerous and violent element within the protest groups.
Your friend sees only the parts of the protest community she chooses to see. Those people are there too, and many of them are the ones most outraged by the way that the violent protesters are screwing things up for the peaceful protesters. Look at the links. You'll find quotes from peace activists condemning the anarchists.
And Arch, I haven't heard what anyone is being charged with yet, but lawyers are already deployed on behalf of the protesters and I imagine most will not be charged and the worst will end up getting charged with felonies from inciting a riot to possibly some sort of terrorism related charge.
Dave
8 - Christopher Rose
Dave, surely these "anarchists" aren't actually anarchists at all are they?
Do they actually have any coherent political agenda/platform or is it just that they like smashing things up?
9 - Ruvy
Evidently you looked up the Salon article on your own - my link to it bounced right back to this article. Anyway, I looked at the article again and saw not one mention of weapons seized or searched for. I looked up the Starhawk link and saw not one word about weapons.
Obviously weapons were seized - the folks who were supposed to keep the demonstrations peaceful were in jail on Monday. Weapons were not seized from them. My friend Dori did not talk about weapons at the convergence center. THERE WERE NONE.
And yes, there are violent people out there, Dave. America is a violent country - kids get shot at and killed for throwing eggs at cars - not large rocks that break windshields and skulls like Arabs throw here - EGGS!! And there are folks who want very much to kill the leaders of your government - for damned good reason - they have been screwing over Americans for years and deserve to die.
The same is true here. Olmert, Livni, Netanyahu, Peres, Barak, Mazuz - the lot of them deserve to die for the crimes they have committed against the Jewish people they allegedly serve. They have committed treason against the State, the lot of them, and in this country, the penalty for treason is hanging by the neck until you are dead.
10 - Dave Nalle
Ruvy. I haven't read the Salon article. I'm using more direct sources.
Take a look at this link for some details on the weapons. And see the link above to the RNC Welcoming Committee for an article in which members of the group are interviewed and detail the weapons they are creating and stockpiling.
I know nothing about the Convergence Center. Sounds like a happening place. I don't believe it is one of the five locations I'm referring to in the article.
Dave
11 - Clavos
Chris,
The latter...
12 - Ruvy
Unfortunately, Dave I've seen Israeli police plant evidence and lie about it, and it is no surprise that Pam Geller (she's not a bad kid, but she'd buy this kind of thing if it made those who don't like Republicans look bad) believes American police who plant evidence and lie about it.
And cops do plant evidence and lie about it. It is not merely a phenomenon found in Israel's politicized police department - it's world wide. And yes, I did see shit like that go down in the States. Cops in America get paid well for doing their jobs - and they do their jobs, no matter how disgusting those jobs may be at times.
13 - bliffle
What a laugh!
"With the leading lights of the GOP hanging back to see what aid they can render to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf coast..."
Aid? All that press-mad politicians do is interfere when they go to a disaster area. Helicopters fly, rescue operations are interrupted, workers are diverted from their work.
Photo-op greedy politicians are the last ones needed or wanted at a disaster.
The "aid they can render" is BEFORE disaster strikes. They might, for example, divert a couple hundred million from the 10 billion per month that goes to the Iraq Invasion.
But nooooo! That might diminish the vigor of our campaign to bomb remote mountain villages even further back into the stone age.
So, instead, they cause a big commotion (and waste a lot of taxpayer money that could be better spent on the victims of their malevolent oversights) and strut in front of the TV cameras.
Pretty disgusting.
14 - Dave Nalle
Yes Ruvy. Misbehavior by cops is a given. But there's been so much scrutiny and oversight in this situation PLUS we have public statements from the organizers about the weapons they were gathering, so I'm inclined to believe the Sheriff's summary of what they found.
Dave
15 - bliffle
Unconstitutional police action:
"...raiding the houses of protest organizers, pre-emptively arresting some protesters ..."
16 - Lisa Solod Warren
Check out today's New York Times on police over reaction and use of force and really shocking story in HuffPo on the arrest of respected journalists who were just trying to cover the protests. Here's a You tube video, too. Your story is really very one-sided, Dave. It's okay in opinions pieces to state an opinion. But in news pieces, try to be fair and slightly balanced.
17 - Ruvy
Dave,
Lisa was kind enough to provide links to her claims. I may not be impressed by the Huffington Post, but at least it is a link Can you provide links?
18 - bliffle
I chased some of Daves links (I should have known better, they are always some halfass rightist advocates) and they are, as usual, bogus. Except, maybe for salon, which doesn't support his argument.
So, once again I'll go on hiatus with Daves citations, and not chase one for, say, a year.
Similarly, I will assume that he's distorting things.
19 - Pablo
I think Dave has been taking lessons from FAUX News, as to being fair and balanced. I love how the great libertarian invariably comes up on the side of the establishment and police every time. Good going Davey.
20 - Dave Nalle
Lisa was kind enough to provide links to her claims. I may not be impressed by the Huffington Post, but at least it is a link Can you provide links?
Links to what, Ruvy? My article is full of links. Lisa's claims don't contradict what I reported in the article. They're another aspect of the situation. I mention in the article that journalists were arrested at the protests and that some were arrested in advance as well.
Bliffle, as usual you're full of crap. I have links in the article to the AP and the Star-Tribune. Are those 'halfass rightist advocates'? Before you make a fool of yourself you ought to read what you're responding to.
And Lisa, my article is purely factual and about the riots. It's not primarily about the issues of police and government crackdowns. That's another issue and largely unrelated, except in the limited context in which I mention those actions as perhaps lessening the extent of violence which took place.
You should write an article about some of the repressive measures engaged in by the police. They did arrest several bloggers in advance, including some of those performance-art style protest journalists like the guys who got arrested in Beijing who I covered in a previous article.
Dave
21 - Arch Conservative
Oh come on people. Dave was referring to the people getting violent and damaging public property in the streets and not the people whose residences were invaded.
You're all acting as if there aren't countless examples of these scumbag protesters going out there with no other intention than provoking the police, causing damage to public property, creating violence, and in general behaving like insolent, purile jackasses with no real message or point.
These losers don't care about anything but themselves. They possesse extremely damaged and unhealthy psyches and they never have and never will do anything that's of any real benefit to anyone. Their little temper tantrums in the street are seemingly the only way that they can bring a little bit of pleasure into their miserable little lives.
Normal people that are against the war don't do so in such a flambouyant and ultimately futile manner.
In the grand scheme of thinsg these morons are the most insignificant people on the planet. it's stupidity for stupidity's sake.
I for one would like to see a little more police brutality. It would certainly be justified in dealing with these cretins. After having given ten warnings, having rocks and bottles thrown at him, and actually being pushed and assaulted by these freaks, a cop shooting rubber bullets at some 22 year old middle-upper class white kid in a black bandanna and t-shirt whose daddy is a corporate lawyer, who grew up comfortably and had everything handed to him, who went two college and was brainwashed into thinking that he at twenty two, having never done fuck all in his life or had any real responsibility, has all the answers and the right to lecture the rest of us as to how the world really works......well damn that brings tears of joy to my eyes folks! Hell I'd like to see that cop cut his fucking balls off so that that loser cannot spread his brand of extra special stupid DNA!
There is nothing wrong with civil disobedience if the cause is just and the the actions are not violence and stupidty for violence and stupidity's sake. But these people we saw in MN have absolutely nothing good to offer the world.
Fuck em!
22 - Lisa Solod Warren
Gosh, Arch. Why are you always do darned angry? You have chosen a stereotype of a protester, a real stretch, and then used it to the max to justify policy brutality. How on earth can you expect anyone to take your arguments seriously?
You are far too young to remember the sixties or the seventies, but there were actually a lot of people who thought that the kids who planted flowers in the guns of the guards at Kent State deserved to be shot and killed.
Normal people that are against the war do all sorts of things in protest. Cinday Sheehan was repeatedly made fun of and belittled before she was finally, and only by some people, taken seriously.
Anti-war protesters during the Viet Nam war were often beaten and manhandled by police for no reason other than the fact that they were protesting.
I certainly agree that if protesters get violent against police they should be held accountable, but for the police, who have far more resources available to them, to use violence as a first resort, seems to reduce the US to a police state more like some fellow countries I do not think we wish to emulate.
You are so young to be so angry all the time. To damn all protesters with the indictment of damaged and unhealthy psyches, to call them all white rich kids with nothing else to do. It speaks of an unhealthy lack of self image and a deep-seated anger that you seem to wish to direct at anyone who disagrees with you on any issue.
I realize, of course, that I am continually one of those people, but I remain convinced that some day you may at the very least take a deep breath before sitting down and typing out screed after screed that in the future may embarrass you.
Thoughtful dissent is always better than name calling, yelling and generally rolling everyone you don't like or agree with into one huge big ball that it seems like you would really like to explode with a grenade. There is always such violence in your comments.
23 - Pablo
RE comment 21
My oh my how I love it when one of you right wingers really loses his cool, and calls a spade a spade and puts their real cards on the table. I just must quote because it is almost poetry.
"I for one would like to see a little more police brutality."
"In the grand scheme of thinsg these morons are the most insignificant people on the planet."
"Hell I'd like to see that cop cut his fucking balls off so that that loser cannot spread his brand of extra special stupid DNA!"
For all the grandiose talk about politics and the virtues of conservatism, it all boils down to hate, and if given a chance murder for riot.
I thank you Arch for this post, and am frequently amazed how you put such stuff in writing, for all time, and for all the world to see, that you represent nothing more than tyranny, and the savage use of das boot to quell unrest, then have the audacity to claim that you have ANY idea of politics, particularly with reference to the republic.
Even more amazing is that I know you weren't being facetious, but quite literal in your rage.
Even of more interest to me, is that you think you are politically awake. If the slumber was any more deep, you would be in in total stupor.
Thanks again for a great post Arch.
24 - Dave Nalle
With friends like arch, who needs enemies?
Let's just pretend he wasn't here and go on with sensible discussion. He hardly speaks for most on the right and certainly not for me.
I think the key point here is that the people who lose out because of this behavior are the legitimate protesters who want to make a reasonable political point and get their voices heard. They either get ignored or they get written off as dangerous nuts too. That's not really fair to them, but the more radical and anarchistic sorts likely despise the old hippy types and the peaceniks just as much as the Republicans.
Dave
25 - Jet
Let's pretend who wasn't here?