Police State Methods: Preemptive Strikes Against Protest at the Republican National Convention

Prof. Marjorie Cohn
Global Research
Tuesday, Sept 3, 2008

In the months leading up to the Republican National Convention, the FBI-led Minneapolis Joint Terrorist Task Force actively recruited people to infiltrate vegan groups and other leftist organizations and report back about their activities. On May 21, the Minneapolis City Pages ran a recruiting story called “Moles Wanted.” Law enforcement sought to preempt lawful protest against the policies of the Bush administration during the convention.

Since Friday, local police and sheriffs, working with the FBI, conducted preemptive searches, seizures and arrests. Glenn Greenwald described the targeting of protestors by “teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets.” Journalists were detained at gunpoint and lawyers representing detainees were handcuffed at the scene.

“I was personally present and saw officers with riot gear and assault rifles, pump action shotguns,” said Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, who is representing several of the protestors. “The neighbor of one of the houses had a gun pointed in her face when she walked out on her back porch to see what was going on. There were children in all of these houses, and children were held at gunpoint.”

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The raids targeted members of “Food Not Bombs,” an anti-war, anti-authoritarian protest group that provides free vegetarian meals every week in hundreds of cities all over the world. They served meals to rescue workers at the World Trade Center after 9/11 and to nearly 20 communities in the Gulf region following Hurricane Katrina.

Also targeted were members of I-Witness Video, a media watchdog group that monitors the police to protect civil liberties. The group worked with the National Lawyers Guild to gain the dismissal of charges or acquittals of about 400 of the 1,800 who were arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York . Preemptive policing was used at that time as well. Police infiltrated protest groups in advance of the convention.

Nestor said that no violence or illegality has taken place to justify the arrests. “Seizing boxes of political literature shows the motive of these raids was political,” he said.

Further evidence the political nature of the police action was the boarding up of the Convergence Center , where protestors had gathered, for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member David Thune said, “Normally we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle.” Thune and fellow City Council member Elizabeth Glidden decried “actions that appear excessive and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for those who wish to exercise their first amendment rights.”

“So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protestors who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do,” Greenwald wrote on Salon.

Preventive detention violates the Fourth Amendment, which requires that warrants be supported by probable cause. Protestors were charged with “conspiracy to commit riot,” a rarely-used statute that is so vague, it is probably unconstitutional. Nestor said it “basically criminalizes political advocacy.”

On Sunday, the National Lawyers Guild and Communities United Against Police Brutality filed an emergency motion requesting an injunction to prevent police from seizing video equipment and cellular phones used to document their conduct.

During Monday’s demonstration, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. At least 50 people were arrested, including Amy Goodman, the prominent host of Democracy Now!, as well as the show’s producers, Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. “St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city to be,” Greenwald wrote, “with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations.”

During Monday’s demonstration, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. At least 284 people were arrested, including Amy Goodman, the prominent host of Democracy Now!, as well as the show’s producers, Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. “St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city to be,” Greenwald wrote, “with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations.”

Bruce Nestor said the timing of the arrests was intended to stop protest activity, “to make people fearful of the protests, but also to discourage people from protesting,” he told Amy Goodman. Nevertheless, 10,000 people, many opposed to the Iraq war, turned out to demonstrate on Monday. A legal team from the National Lawyers Guild has been working diligently to protect the constitutional rights of protestors.

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4 Responses to “Police State Methods: Preemptive Strikes Against Protest at the Republican National Convention”

jonny Says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
the police will be first to fall when the USA falls the police will be hunted for war crimes
Current resident Says:
September 4th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Most police want only what we all want a safe place to be freely pursue our own enlightened self interested happiness. Most protestors are petitioning governement to bring attention to things that impair that right. Most of us want for the same thing and that is a peacefull life.
Many have been conditioned to be passive and others have been conditioned to be aggressive. Sheep and wolves. This is by design ! The NWO took behavorial psych, trust me on that. To win the NWO must pit us against ourselves, because of this design flaw the revolution must include those who are garrisoned near to our villages and towns those police and national guard who know the citizens by name. They have the arms and the weapons and the plans the NWO would use against us. Turning the good police is essential to the revolution. It must be done before the NWO brings in troops from outside our villages and towns.
Holding those who remain loyal to the NWO accountable should bring noone pleasure.
Manifest Says:
September 5th, 2008 at 3:21 am
America in general has become a Police State. MN is not isolated. When peaceful protests of dissent are stifled. When bullying tactics are used to intimidate & physically injure peaceful people, we are in a full blown Police State. Just as Iowa Police wouldnt allow people to go to their OWN homes after flooding; the name of the game is complete control. Americans are too worried about losing their precious posessions & watching the NFL to bother with freedom. We all know the famous quote from Ben Franklin regarding liberty for security….these Americans deserve neither.

I CHALLENGE true patriots to loose their posessions, stop struggling with the bullshit mortgage, stop desperatey trying to keep up with the Jones’. Rent, rent cheap as you can. Spend money on essentials, food, shelter, clothing. Save.

WHY? All of your credit cards, mortgages, & car payments are a form of slavery. It is what keeps you from fighting back. You are so afraid to lose everything & you are shackled.
In America the wealthy, you have been braiwashed that posessions are what defines you. The bigger house, the nicer car, the cooler cell phone, the great clothes, etc.. etc..

The biggest fear our Government has is someone with nothing to lose. NOTHING TO LOSE. No mortgage, no credit card debt, no 2 year cell phone contract, no 5 year car payment means you are essentially MOBILE & FREE! Which translates to no control for them. You can find a great running car that looks nice for $3000-$7000, pay cash. Lose the cards, but keep your credit. Lose the GPS tracking cell phone. Use pay phones, friends phones, company phones, etc.. Nobody needs to be reached that bad. We lived for a million years before cell phones were invented. Home school your kids. Save your money, but dont use a bank. Get a gun & ammo. Avoid anything you can with an audit trail. Rent from private owners, not corporate housing conglomerates. Get the least amount of utilities hooked up.
Mobile, Invisible…..you can pick up & move on a whim. Clothes, car, laptop, rifle, essentials. Avoid really really small towns – too much attention to the newcomer. Avoid really large metro areas – too much crime & corruption (road blocks, etc..). Medium sized towns are best to blend.

When the time comes….and it is coming soon. You can move to a safe area easily. You may have alot of cash you’ve saved. If its still good your set, if not try to trade it in for the Amero or whats being bartered. TRUST ME – You will thank your higher power if read this & follow it. Trapped in the coming debacle will result in your death or imprisonment in labor camp. You are going to lose everything anyway, do it on your terms. Very Important, be careful about interstate gun transport – know the laws for those states. Never use your gun or SHOW your gun unless its life threatening or survival situation. Remain dilligent in being low profile & do not draw attention to yourself ever.

You are ready for revolution when the time comes.
300 million Americans. 5 million people like this could align to form a resistance movement in pockets across the USA. I never advocate violence, but we know the elitists are in the beginning stages of stripping you of everything you ever thought you knew. America is in the beginning stages of complete tyranny.

FACT: Our forefathers fought against this tyranny with only 5% of the population of 1770’s.

Not all Police Officers are your enemy, eventually there will be a dropping off of the good officers who wake up & are fighting mad at this hijacking of America. Likewise, there will be returning soldiers from Iraq/Iran? who are also pissed.
God bless your judgement in who to trust. There will be moles.
Likewise when you join some true patriots you will need to earn trust, expect it. Keep spreading the word by any means necessary, but when the cops come WE ALL KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, so avoid the arrest for today. You may lose that battle, but the war is just starting.

This is a very sad day for all of us. America is no longer a democracy, your rights no longer exist. Sadly, you will be labled an extremist, a radical, a terror threat. Hell, Amy Goodman from “Discovery Now” is labled – and shes practically a tree hugger. You know whats coming – their fucking you by every menas necessary. Its time to fight back by any means necessary.

REVOLUTION CALLING!
Manifesto Says:
September 5th, 2008 at 3:22 am
America in general has become a Police State. MN is not isolated. When peaceful protests of dissent are stifled. When bullying tactics are used to intimidate & physically injure peaceful people, we are in a full blown Police State. Just as Iowa Police wouldnt allow people to go to their OWN homes after flooding; the name of the game is complete control. Americans are too worried about losing their precious posessions & watching the NFL to bother with freedom. We all know the famous quote from Ben Franklin regarding liberty for security….these Americans deserve neither.

I CHALLENGE true patriots to loose their posessions, stop struggling with the bullshit mortgage, stop desperatey trying to keep up with the Jones’. Rent, rent cheap as you can. Spend money on essentials, food, shelter, clothing. Save.

WHY? All of your credit cards, mortgages, & car payments are a form of slavery. It is what keeps you from fighting back. You are so afraid to lose everything & you are shackled.
In America the wealthy, you have been braiwashed that posessions are what defines you. The bigger house, the nicer car, the cooler cell phone, the great clothes, etc.. etc..

The biggest fear our Government has is someone with nothing to lose. NOTHING TO LOSE. No mortgage, no credit card debt, no 2 year cell phone contract, no 5 year car payment means you are essentially MOBILE & FREE! Which translates to no control for them. You can find a great running car that looks nice for $3000-$7000, pay cash. Lose the cards, but keep your credit. Lose the GPS tracking cell phone. Use pay phones, friends phones, company phones, etc.. Nobody needs to be reached that bad. We lived for a million years before cell phones were invented. Home school your kids. Save your money, but dont use a bank. Get a gun & ammo. Avoid anything you can with an audit trail. Rent from private owners, not corporate housing conglomerates. Get the least amount of utilities hooked up.
Mobile, Invisible…..you can pick up & move on a whim. Clothes, car, laptop, rifle, essentials. Avoid really really small towns – too much attention to the newcomer. Avoid really large metro areas – too much crime & corruption (road blocks, etc..). Medium sized towns are best to blend.

When the time comes….and it is coming soon. You can move to a safe area easily. You may have alot of cash you’ve saved. If its still good your set, if not try to trade it in for the Amero or whats being bartered. TRUST ME – You will thank your higher power if read this & follow it. Trapped in the coming debacle will result in your death or imprisonment in labor camp. You are going to lose everything anyway, do it on your terms. Very Important, be careful about interstate gun transport – know the laws for those states. Never use your gun or SHOW your gun unless its life threatening or survival situation. Remain dilligent in being low profile & do not draw attention to yourself ever.

You are ready for revolution when the time comes.
300 million Americans. 5 million people like this could align to form a resistance movement in pockets across the USA. I never advocate violence, but we know the elitists are in the beginning stages of stripping you of everything you ever thought you knew. America is in the beginning stages of complete tyranny.

FACT: Our forefathers fought against this tyranny with only 5% of the population of 1770’s.

Not all Police Officers are your enemy, eventually there will be a dropping off of the good officers who wake up & are fighting mad at this hijacking of America. Likewise, there will be returning soldiers from Iraq/Iran? who are also pissed.
God bless your judgement in who to trust. There will be moles.
Likewise when you join some true patriots you will need to earn trust, expect it. Keep spreading the word by any means necessary, but when the cops come WE ALL KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, so avoid the arrest for today. You may lose that battle, but the war is just starting.

This is a very sad day for all of us. America is no longer a democracy, your rights no longer exist. Sadly, you will be labled an extremist, a radical, a terror threat. Hell, Amy Goodman from “Discovery Now” is labled – and shes practically a tree hugger. You know whats coming – their fucking you by every menas necessary. Its time to fight back by any means necessary.

REVOLUTION CALLING!