The Minneapolis and St. Paul police are running amok on journalists and activists this week. The most excellent Uptake is on to it.
A trio of journalists who have a track record of documenting police abuse at political conventions were stopped and searched during the early morning hours in Minneapolis. Police took their video equipment, cell phones, hard drive and notes about protests planned for next week's Republican National Convention.
No charges have been filed against the three, according to Mineapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer.
Amy Goodman jumps Fence to Question Cops
They're breaking into peoples' houses, with warrants to search and seize in the wee hours of the morning -- JOURNALISTS? Excuse me?
Yah. There's a lot more. Here.
I can't believe HuffPo and DKos are not all over this. Please get on it!
Here are some really sweet kids that have been raided:
So, after having some time to digest, here is my one original thought on the matter.
The MSM is characterizing these people as "enraged" and "upset" -- but when you look at the victims' attitudes and responses, mere hours after they've been threatened, incarcerated, handcuffed, had walls of their own houses busted down by cops, verbally abused by men with automatic weapons...they all seem still really sweet and bemused and, well, peaceful. There's a hint of arch cynicism in one, and a bit of amused condescension in another -- and highly articulate rationality in another.
But...enraged? The rage is at a minimum, considering the degree of provocation these people have been subjected to.
I am impressed with the calm courage and peace skills of these young people, quite frankly. And of the homeowner, still cuffed, shrugging and chuckling, "I haven't been in cuffs since 1972."
The big excuse for all these crackdowns on just about every vaguely leftish person with a cellphone and a laptop from Duluth to Fargo? Someone at the Welcoming Committee said something on their website about "disrupting traffic."
Hats off to some truly superior snark on the topic from Bluegal at C&L
updates here:
http://twincities.indymedia.org/
http://twitter.com/...
Glen Greenwald is on the job too:
http://www.salon.com/...
I suspect we're not going to see these stories on Fixed News.
But perhaps some coverage here: http://www.democracynow.org
And...Labor Day indeed:
http://twincities.indymedia.org/...