unusualmusic_lj_archive

today its worse...

Official policy of arrestiong journalists at the RNC

St. Paul police chief John Harrington outlined his policy towards reporters covering demonstrations in a September 3 press conference. Arrest first, ask questions later: Harrington told Amy Goodman that the police can't possibly be expected to differentiate between protesters and credentialed journalists covering protests. He added, generously, that the police would do their best to identify journalists after the fact and expedite their release.
Dozens of journalists were arrested while covering demonstrations on the final night of the Republican National Convention, according to a statement by the Committee to Protect Journalists. When police blocked off both ends of the Marion Bridge on Thursday, approximately two dozen journalists were trapped along with demonstrators, legal observers, medics, and bystanders. Among working press arrested on the bridge were photographer Boyd Huppert of KARE 11, reporter Paul Demko of the Minnesota Independent.
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Quite. Its not like journalists are wearing press passes after all. Its too hard to tell 'em apart form protesters! Oh wait...

Hundreds of demonstrators detained on last night of RNC

Police detained hundreds demonstrators on the final night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Approximately 250 people were arrested shortly before John McCain took to the stage to accept the presidential nomination. That's in addition to the 422 people who had already been arrested earlier in the week.
Riot police held approximate 300 people, including journalists and observers for nearly an hour on an overpass spanning Interstate 94. Police instructed the crowd to get on the bridge, then announced that everyone on the bridge was under arrest.
The Joint Information Center offered conflicting accounts about the status of the assembly permits for last night's gatherings. When I called at 4pm, a spokesman told me that the organizers of the March were slated to march from the capitol, through downtown, around the xCel Center and back to the capitol and that the protest was set to go until 7pm.

By 5pm, CNN was reporting that the cops on the ground were telling protesters that their permit had expired. According to some reports, Sheriff Bob Fletcher announced that he was rescinding permits at news conference late Thursday afternoon, but when I called to confirm, the Joint Information Center told me that no permits had been revoked.
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And, since the RNC paid the city 10 million dollars to buy insurance against lawsuits, there are no no deterents (I like the way this story coaches this shit in terms of no harm to the taxpayer)

Taxpayers should be off the hook for any damages stemming from claims of police misconduct related to the Republican National Convention under a first-of-its-kind agreement.

The deal required the Republican Party's host committee to buy insurance covering up to $10 million in damages and unlimited legal costs for law enforcement officials accused of brutality, violating civil rights and other misconduct.

...

In St. Paul, some critics say the agreement has only encouraged police to use aggressive tactics knowing they won't have to pay damages.

"It's an extraordinary agreement. Now the police have nothing to hold them back from egregious behavior," said Michelle Gross, who leads Communities United Against Police Brutality. She is considering filing suit after being handcuffed and searched last week during a raid of the St. Paul hub of an anarchist group.

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Police brutality? Fucking the constitution? Oh don't worry, the police won't face any consequences and the taxpayer won't have to pay for it, so all the more incentive to keep on being fascist. And we all look down our noses at China, frankly, we are closer to teh abyss than we think...