Before The Melee?
By Mitch Berg
The ACLU and the St. Paul/Ramsey County authorities have duelling predictions about arrests at the RNC next month:
With thousands of protesters expected on the streets facing thousands of police officers, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is predicting that 800 people will be arrested during the week of the Republican National Convention and will have 75 lawyers on call to defend them.
The St. Paul police forecast far fewer arrests, but Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher indicated this week that the ACLU’s numbers may be in the ballpark.
Hm. Why would the ACLU predict so many more arrests than the cops? Perhaps because they want a melee publicity bonanza?
Ramsey County Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin said this week that she had heard those kinds of estimates. “I really don’t believe that it is going to reach 1,800, with the information I have now,” she said. “It could be closer to 800 and maybe less.”
She said that during the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston, the number of people arrested was in the teens.
One reason for New York’s high arrest total was a decision by police to arrest a large number of people during one of the demonstrations. Most charges were later dropped. Gearin said she was hopeful that things will work differently here.
“The St. Paul police are telling us they will be doing things more thoughtfully than New York,” she said. “They are being trained to avoid some of the arrest situations.”
I am, if nothing else, generally confident in the Saint Paul Police.
Next Tuesday, with support from the ACLU, about three dozen lawyers will attend a continuing legal education course at the offices of Fredrikson & Byron law firm in Minneapolis for training on how to represent people arrested in demonstrations, said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the Minnesota ACLU.
Must be all the lawyers released from helping defend civil liberties in the Heller case.
(Cough cough).
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said her office had developed a “tiered plan” to deal with arrested protesters. The first tier involves minimal felony arrests with only certain personnel assigned, she said.
“If the felony arrests go higher, we have a second tier approach, more volume and more attorneys,” she said.
Gaertner said that there is also “a third tier, where all heck breaks loose, with more lawyers involved in the charging.”
She added: “We are ready for everything.”
I see no mention of (checks list of leftybot paranoid predictions) Blackwater, attack dogs, water cannon or the military.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:11 am
No it was all the lawyers released from working on Gitmo – which was MANY MANY more lawyers because it’s MANY MANY MANY more cases and a much MUCH larger violation of the foundational ideas of this country.
Cough Cough.
BTW – nice deficit in July (102B) – almost triple the prior record of $36B – sure am glad Bush has only made a few mistakes (Hamdi, NSA domestic spying, DOJ, Gitmo).
August 13th, 2008 at 8:15 am
The foundation ideas of this country include granting habeous corpus to non-American citizens who’ve never been in the US?
Better check your constitution again, peev.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
The looney left lawyers have already decided that any violent protestors that get arrested with accuse the police of brutality.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Don Preciado’s (peev) neighbor (whom he can’t name) is a constitutional law expert and he categorically states that you’re wrong Terry, moreover an unnamed supreme court justice that Don Preciado met in a hotel bar in Winnipeg agrees.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:46 am
When peev hits the ‘Submit Comment’ button after composing a 1,000 word essay, for a second or two the amount of entropy on the internet spikes. Its worse than random noise. The amount of information the internet is capable of carrying actually drops while the bits are transmitted. I bet Mitch’s wordpress database actually has more unused capacity after it records peev’s comment than it did before.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Interestingly enough, a couple of young women were canvassing my neighborhood last night, handing out flyers informing us that a protest group will be operating out of 627 Smith Avenue, which is an old dance hall a few blocks south of the high bridge. Many of them who will be operating out of this hall, says the handbill, are anarchists.
The flyer tells us that they intend to be respectful of the neighborhood, etc.
Some of those of us who live nearby will keep an eye on ’em and hold them to their word.
I’m always amazed at how these people operate – I answer the door and they tell me they’re coming to protest the Republicans, as if, of course I’d be all for that, right? Their jaws dropped when I said they were talking to Republican. It’s like they don’t even think it’s possible that they’d run into one in St. Paul.
Anyway – this group is even hosting an open house there on Saturday from noon to 5 pm! Will I be stopping by? Yes indeed.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:37 am
At least they get a preview in Denver. If the Anarkids and Recreate 68 get really out of control we’ll know what to expect. I hope Repya puts those signs on extra sturdy lumber.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Denver is at least preparing for the protestors. Chain link fence to hold the anarkids about 500 yards away and a warehouse to hold the arrested anarkids. They are calling the warehouse Gitmo on the Platte.
We will get a glimpse from Denver. Here it will be worse. We will be less prepared for a bigger problem.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:49 am
PaulC, send me the info on the open house would you? bhedrick101 -at-gmail -dot-com If I come I will try to wear my “peace through superior firepower t shirt”
August 13th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Mitch! Don’t forget the Brown Wave generator the cops will have!
August 13th, 2008 at 11:53 am
peev your right mistakes were made at Gitmo, with hamdi, and bringing the DOJ in. We should have invoked the Geneva convention immediately.
That is we should have had military tribunals for those caught out of uniform and had them shot on the spot.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
“a protest group will be operating out of 627 Smith Avenue”
That’s about five blocks from my house!
LOL!! Who ever picked that venue is going to have some ‘splainin’ to do to his fellow asshats, trust me here.
Can you shoot me any info (seb addresses, phone numbers, etc., from the flyer, Paul?
tjswift@yahoo.com
Thanks.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Thats web addresses..
August 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Hey – when the convo happens, I’ll duly appreciate any info you can send me.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I’ll get whomever wants it the particulars from the flyer by e-mail/web site, fo’ sho’. It will have to be a little later in the day, though.
I’m going to send the info to the proper officials, as well – just so we don’t get taken “by surprise” by larger-than-expected numbers of squatters. That dance hall isn’t gigantic by any means – but it could shelter an awful lot of people who only require floor space.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Good point, Paul.
I’m confident that the lease agreement doesn’t include the right to reside in the hall for any length of time. If I show up on Saturday, I think I’ll be playing the part of “mole”…so icksnay on the iHay ifteeSway!
August 13th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Who ever picked that venue is going to have some ’splainin’ to do to his fellow asshats, trust me here.
Now, now, swiftee, just remember that they’re just like us except in whom they love.