MY open letter to Minneapolis Mayor Rybak, 1yr after RNC police state

[annm4peace]

Dear Mayor Rybak,

I’m hoping you remember me, well at least meeting me.
I met you the day after Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 first showing in Minneapolis. I had on a “Peace Fresno” T-shirt and I came up to shake your hand and thanked you for being a Mayor for the people, unlike the Mayor of Fresno, Good ol’ boy Alan Autry. I think I had tears in my eyes, because I came from such a conservative area, and at the 1st peace march I went to you were there in the crowd walking with the people, and the fact I was still emotional from seeing “Fahrenheit 911” the night before.
You asked if I knew about Peace Fresno in Moore’s movie and I told you yes, I was a founding member and you called your family over to meet me. You seemed in disbelief that we were real, in fact you told me it was hard to believe that really happened to us, and that the Sheriff could get away with spying on a peace group. I told you that was only part of what happened to us and that the Mayor (Alan Autry) would often condemn us and would often shake hands with counter protesters who protested us.
I couldn’t wait to write to my Peace Fresno friends what an incredible Mayor you were and that the local DFL was so progressive. I ended up working on two of your campaigns, even though I really can’t stand door knocking or phone calling.

So imagine my surprise (horror), when you were silent on what went on before and during the RNC. It was flashbacks of Peace Fresno. I thought for sure you would speak out when a Sheriff from another County raided your city with help from the neo-con’s Homeland Security and Secret Service. Then I though you would join the peace march on Sept 1st march like you usually marched with us for peace. I then thought for sure you would join us at the Poor People’s March for our Lives. Especially after all the violence that happened to us on the 1st. And after Amnesty International called for release of journalists and protesters, and then later called for Independent investigation of abuse of human rights. But you and other DFL leaders were silent... so silent I wanted to throw up. So many of us who worked on your campaign, Ellison’s campaign, and other DFL candidate’s campaigns had been tear gassed and peppered sprayed. I helped a young 16 year old girl wash pepper spray out of her eyes as she screamed in pain, her eyes swelling shut and her skin blistering. You can see her in the documentary “Terrorizing Dissent”. I’m sure you have seen that documentary that had hours and hours of video from those 5 days, and I’m sure much worse is on the police tapes that still haven’t been released. Some say there our 6000 hours when you combine all the still cameras, and hand held ones by the riot cops downtown.

Again I was sickened when you congratulated the Minneapolis police force for a job well done. And then remained silent on the law-enforcement abuse, even after the documentaries came out showing the out of control law-enforcement. I know if you zoom in you can see some of the badges are from Minneapolis Police. I know I saw them as I marched by them. A week or so after the RNC I saw you at a DFL fund raiser at Riverside Theater and I couldn’t even stomach coming up to you to tell you how disappointed I was in you. I really wanted to but thought why bother, you probably wouldn’t even care if you if told me some lies I probably would have thrown up.

I hope you change from being silent, and I hope it is soon. Day after day there is another trial of a “protester”. For what? For speaking out? For doing their patriotic duty?
Or maybe for being a bystander caught in the crowd as law-enforcement lost their minds, and their ethics.

And now we are learning more and more of just how corrupt many of them are.

Besides helping Vets for Peace, I joined WAMM and found out that even WAMM, like Peace Fresno was under surveillance and reported on after it was announced the RNC was to be in St. Paul. I thought that would get you to speak out but again you where silent.

Just like the Sheriff of Fresno County; Sheriff Fletcher will probably never be held accountable. So which group will be the next target, which Sheriff will get to be a tool for the neo-con’s and create terror in the peace and social justice community?
I can understand how Fresno’s Neo-Con Tool Alan Autry didn’t speak out, but I can’t understand why you don’t speak out.
History (and documentaries) will remember. And we remember. Do you?

[peacetalksforall]

1. I am so happy I was able to read your thread! I was just thinking about this again this

morning! Minnesota's reputation of level headed, reasonable people was destroyed one year ago. He allowed it (he was one of several to allow it.)