Sad news, MPLS PD harassing, and arresting on Tour de Fletcher

[annm4peace]

I guess Chief Dolan and MPLS PD feel the have the right to continue to harass those who organized and spoke out during the RNC, and the people who continue to support them.

I think there are lot of other things the Mpls PD could be doign with their time. If they have so much money to pay for over times to harass those on a bike ride and to sit outside a church. Then please give us back our tax dollars. Or give it to those who are losing their homes.

If you live in Minneapolis, please call Mayor Rybak and your City Council member to speak out against this waste of tax dollars.
The RNC's fund for lawsuits isn't going to cover abuses happening after the RNC.

http://twincities.indymedia.org/2009/mar/letter-minneapolis-police-chief-tim-dolan-about-continuing-post-rnc-harassment

Chief of Police
350 South 5th Street
Room 130
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1389
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

28 March 2009

Dear Chief Dolan,

I am writing to you as a resident of the Steven's Square neighborhood in Minneapolis.

Today, the so-called "RNC 8"—charged with organizing direct action during the 2008 RNC—held a bike tour of the sites of the pre-RNC house raids in Minneapolis, before planning to cycle on to the sites of similar raids in St. Paul. The two parts of the day were organized to be split with a community lunch at the Walker Church. The participants were a wide range of people including local quakers, community activists, journalists, lawyers, educators, etc.—basically a cross-section of the city.

At 3:00pm today (Saturday March 28th), there were 6 bike police, a police van, a squad car, and a creepy-looking dark sedan stationed outside the Walker Church during the lunch.

The planned ride to St. Paul was cancelled because of this climate of intimidation. Nonetheless, the police continued to deploy in great numbers on the Marshall St. Bridge, where the ride had been scheduled to cross. And in St. Paul, several patrol cars were observed at the RNC raid sites that the ride had planned to visit, including 3 cars blocking the intersection at Iglehart and Chatsworth, next to Mike Whalen's house which was raided.

You may recall that Mr. Whalen's house was raided as the FBI believed that he was "collecting weapons" for the RNC. It turned out to be boxes of vegan literature for his room mate that had in fact been arriving at the house for a year and a half prior to the event. A video crew from New York was raided at gunpoint and handcuffed. Haven't you all already done enough to Mr. Whalen? This is blatant police thuggery.

It is estimated that 20-30 police officers and federal law enforcement officials took part in this apparently joint powers operation to harass a few dozen people on bicycles eating a community lunch in a church. Is the City's budget not already in trouble enough without this wanton waste of public funds?

Despite all road rules being obeyed and respected, there was one arrest for "disorderly conduct" of someone attempting to leave the event earlier. From what I understand, he was picked off as he left the main group, which continued on the Greenway. The Greenway, for heaven's sakes, an official city bike route with only pedestrian and bike traffic! Is there no sense of proportion left in in the Cities?

My question to you is very simple: What exactly is going on in the Twin Cities these days, when the police feel that it is acceptable to harass people peacefully gathering for political/community events and taking a casual bike ride around the cities—a group of no more than a few dozen people?

Enough is enough. We are supposed to be living in a free society. It is the job of government officials to guard those freedoms jealously. It is therefore totally unacceptable that police deploy in such large numbers for small events or—frankly—even at all if no crime is being committed.

The job of the police is not to intimidate citizens, yet this is exactly what is going on these days. It is completely disgusting to see this in America. Something needs to be done. A clear message needs to be sent to end—for once and all—such intimidation of the community.

The RNC has left the Cities, apparently the Cities cannot let go of the RNC overkill mentality of policing. I urge you to take immediate, unambiguous action.

You are making the Cities a scary place to live. We should be able to go about our Constitutionally-guaranteed business, our political associations, and our vegan potlucks without this kind of—frankly—pervasive and fascist intervention.

Sincerely,

Nigel Parry
Minneapolis, MN 55404

cc.
RT Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis
Chris Coleman, Mayor of St. Paul
Robert Lilligren, Ward 4, Minneapolis City Council.
Cam Gordon, Minneapolis City Council.
Patricia Lindgren, Dave Thune's assistant, St. Paul City Council
Coleen Rowley, FBI (retired)
Bruce Nestor, National Lawyers Guild
Michelle Gross, Communities United Against Police Brutality
and 400 local media contacts BCCed

[annm4peace]

1. Letter ro City Council person

Dear Mr Lilligren,

I am writing to you as a resident of Steven's Square in Ward 6.

Today, the so-called "RNC 8"—charged with organizing direct action during the 2008 RNC—held a bike tour of the sites of the pre-RNC house raids in Minneapolis, before planning to cycle on to the sites of similar raids in St. Paul. The two parts of the day were organized to be split with a community lunch at the Walker Church. The participants were a wide range of people including local quakers, community activists, journalists, educators, etc.—basically a cross-section of your constituents.

At 3:00pm today (Saturday March 28th), there were 6 bike police, a police van, a squad car, and a creepy-looking dark sedan stationed outside the Walker Church during the lunch. One arrest was already made of someone leaving the event earlier. The planned ride to St. Paul was cancelled because of this climate of intimidation.

Nonetheless, the police deployed in great numbers on the Marshall St. Bridge, where the ride was scheduled to cross. And in St. Paul, several patrol cars were seen at the RNC raid sites that the ride had planned to visit.

My question to you is very simple: What exactly is going on in the Twin Cities these days, when the police believe it is acceptable to harass people peacefully gathering for political/community events and taking a casual bike ride around the cities of no more than a couple of dozen people?

Enough is enough. We are supposed to be living in a free society. It is the job of elected officials to guard those freedoms jealously. It is therefore totally unacceptable that police deploy in such large numbers for small events or—frankly—even at all, if no crime is being committed.

The job of the police is not to intimidate citizens, yet this is exactly what is going on these days. It is completely disgusting to see this in America. Something needs to be done.

The City Council needs to take action and send a clear message to stop such intimidation of the community.

Sincerely,

Nigel Parry
Minneapolis, MN 55404

[Bjorn Against]

2. This absolutely disgusts me

The police in the Twin Cities are totally out of control, it is time for a serious investigation into police misconduct and abuse of power. I am going to be meeting with Susan Gaertner on Thursday and I am going to make my thoughts on this very clear to her, the police are violating our Constitutional rights and she is assisting them in doing so. We need to hold the people in power accountable for their actions, and we can not allow them to do these kinds of things without answering for it.

[annm4peace]

3. that is awesome Bjorn Against

thanks for taking action. It is such a waste of our tax dollars.
She is just using this as away to get votes and probably campaign funds from Conservatives