You wanna make it to downtown Saint Paul for the big counteprotest.

I’m here to help.

Here are some simple directions and recommendations from a Saint Paul guy. They should get you into the city – close by the West 7th Street counterprotest site – and back home again. Best of all – they’re fairly cheap.

Getting To Triangle Park

• Southwest/Southern Subs – I recommend parking at the 28th Avenue Park and Ride (it’s a big, free ramp) or at the Mall of America (or, if they’re full, the Fort Snelling Park and Ride), and taking the 54 bus to downtown Saint Paul (it leaves 4-5 times an hour from both the Mall and the 28th Avenue Park and Ride), or taking the Hiawatha Light Rail train north to the 46th Street Station, and taking the 74 bus to Saint Paul (it comes every 10-15 minutes). Both buses run up West Seventh Street; they’re rerouted around the Excel Center, but both should drop you in easy walking distance of the counterprotest location.
• West/Northwest Subs – if it were me, I’d park at one of the Target Center ramps (right off 394 and 94 in downtown Minneapolis), hiking down to the Fifth Street Bus Garage, and taking either the 94 Express, the limited-stop 50 bus (during rush hour only) or as a last resort the 16 bus to downtown Saint Paul. I recommend getting off at 7th and Cedar – it’s a 2-3 block walk to the west (to your right) to get to the counterprotest site. If you’re in a hurry, you can also take the Hiawatha Light Rail south to Lake Street Station and, again, take the 21 bus east to Saint Paul. It’ll be about a half-hour bus ride, but it’ll take you to within easy walking distance of the counterprotest site. Again – , plus parking at the Target (or wherever).
• North/Northeast Suburbs – Seriously – park at Rosedale and take the 65 bus. It’s about a 20 minute ride to Cathedral Hill, and drops you right at Triangle Park (Summit/John Ireland and Marshall).
• East Suburbs – I’d go to the Sunray Transit Center (I94 at McKnight, just west of 3M), park, and take the 63 Bus. It actually runs down Seventh Street (during the convention to Jackson, I think) and should drop you within a block or so of the counterprotest site.
• Southeast Suburbs – Honestly, I’d drive to Signal Hills shopping center on South Robert and take the 67 bus. It’ll drop you at 7th and Wabasha Robert, right by the counterprotest.

If you insist on driving – good luck. You’re on your own. Saint Paulites know a few secret hideaways for parking; sometimes if you get to an event early enough, you can find free parking on Cathedral Hill, on or about Summit Avenue south/west of the Cathedral. If it’s a big event, that can mean the far reaches of Cathedral Hill – like, Summit and Dale. No kidding. Patience is a virtue, unless you’re there very early in the day. As to parking ramps downtown – vaya con Dios.

Bus And Train Fares: Buses are $1.50 – $2.00 during rush hour (5-9, 3-7). Trains are always $2. Express buses (the 94 Express) are $2.75. Get and save your transfers.

CORRECTION: I was in error, and confused “Vets for Freedom” wtih Joe Repya. They are completely different. Vets for Freedom is in no way affiliated with this action.

I regret any confusion.

Saint Paul; it’s not a city for the faint of heart. It defeated Jesse Ventura. It could beat you. Seriously, I suspect that Minneapolis will see plenty of protest activity from “demonstrators” who are afraid to look for Saint Paul.

But you love your country, so you want to be at the Vets for Freedom counterprotest on Monday, 9/1. You’re worried (justifiably) about parking.

I’ve had quite a number of people ask “how do I get to the counterprotest?”

Here are some simple directions and recommendations from a Saint Paul guy. They should get you into the city and back home again. Best of all – they’re fairly cheap.

Getting To Triangle Park

• Southwest/Southern Subs – I recommend parking at the 28th Avenue Park and Ride (it’s a big, free ramp) or at the Mall of America (or, if they’re full, the Fort Snelling Park and Ride), taking the Hiawatha Light Rail train north to the Lake Street Station, and taking the 21 bus east to Saint Paul (it comes every 10-15 minutes). Triangle Park is across the street from the Cathedral, overlooking downtown! Hang onto your transfers – they’re good for three hours.
• West/Northwest Subs – if it were me, I’d park at one of the Target Center ramps (right off 394 and 94 in downtown Minneapolis) and take the Hiawatha Light Rail south to Lake Street Station and, again, take the 21 bus east to Saint Paul. It’ll be about a half-hour bus ride, but it’ll drop you right at Triangle Park. The Target Center ramps cost money, but they’re cheaper than most decent ramps in Minneapolis.
• North/Northeast Suburbs – Seriously – park at Rosedale and take the 65 bus. It’s about a 20 minute ride to Cathedral Hill, and drops you right at Triangle Park (Summit/John Ireland and Marshall).
• East Suburbs – I’d go to the Sunray Transit Center (I94 at McKnight, just west of 3M), park, and take the 63 Bus. It actually runs down Seventh Street, and doesn’t actually go up Cathedral Hill to Triangle Park. Best option; jump off the 63 on Sixth Street (in downtown Saint Paul) at Jackson, Robert or Minnesota streets and transfer to a 21 Westbound (at the same stop) which will take you straight up the hill to Triangle Park, which’ll be on your left across from the Cathedral.

If you insist on driving – good luck. You’re on your own. Saint Paulites know a few secret hideaways for parking; sometimes if you get to an event early enough, you can find free parking on Cathedral Hill, on or about Summit Avenue south/west of the Cathedral. If it’s a big event, that can mean the far reaches of Cathedral Hill – like, Summit and Dale. No kidding. Patience is a virtue, unless you’re there very early in the day. As to parking ramps downtown – vaya con Dios.

Bus And Train Fares: Buses are $1.50 – $2.00 during rush hour (5-9AM, 3-7PM). Express buses (the 94 Express) are $2.75. Trains are always $2. Get and save your transfers.

This message is aimed at you if you…:

• want to participate in the alternative media coverage of the biggest story in Minnesota in recent years, and…
• …are going to be somewhere near the convention, or, alternatively
• …you are going to be nowhere near the convention at all.

Here’s the deal: if you have a video cam, a still cam, or even just a cell phone, we want you to keep your eyes open. While some of them strenuously deny it, others among the protesters, out of adolescent posturing or out of malice, plan on trying to disrupt the convention and making life that week a very difficult for Twin Citians; “we want to make poeple in the Twin Cities understand what life’s like in Baghdad”, said my co-panelist on MPR’s “In The Loop” past year. We want to keep an eye on our city, so it looks the same as it did before they turned up. Which, if you live and pay taxes and send your kids to school here, should be a non-partisan thing.

So if you’re in the Twin Cities the week of the convention, here’s what we’d like you to do: Watch for:

• People gathering on off ramps or overpasses. Word has it that, since the venue itself is going to be pretty secure, they’re going to be aiming to shut down traffic to keep delegates from getting to the convention.
• People walking away from cars.
• People wearing green hats [they’re part of the ACLU legal team, and they can be expected at all protester “events”, looking for lawsuit fodder]
• Guys with purple armbands who have videos cameras.
• Piles of bikes. Bike thefts in the Twin Cities are way up in recent weeks; there’s evidence that “protest” groups are gathering bikes to use as cheap, traffic-proof transportation.
• Groups of people away from parade routes.
• Piles of stuff that could be used to block traffic.

With that in mind – as we get closer to the convention, we at True North will be publishing some contact information; if you see any of the above (and, in a perfect world, if you get pictures), we’ll be looking for your input.

Think about it.

More later.

…who has not the faintest clue about driving trucks or navigating Saint Paul, take a look at the route.

How many times can you say “Oh, My Gawd”.

• Squeezing semis around the corner of Annapolis and Smith? I don’t know if they’re pulling trailers or not, but even without a trailer…
• Squeezing hundreds of trucks across 7th at Smith? It’ll be like The Who at Riverfront Colisseum. And then…
• Up Summit Hill? Straight up the steepest road grade in the Twin Cities? Sure, the semis’ll make it, but it’s gonna sound like the Russians finally charged through the Fulda Gap with a thousand T72s! And then…
• A turn onto Dale at Summit? That is one narrow street, especially if they’re talking about hauling trailers.

Of course, I suppose anyone who could plan that could plan what Minnesoros Independent reporter Paul Schmelzer says they’re going to do (emphases added):

The drive will begin at 11 and make its way north through West St. Paul, crossing the Mississippi on the High Bridge at Smith Street. It’ll continue down Summit Avenue, north on Dale, east on University and then past the Capitol, before leaving on Robert Street — the closest the convoy will get to the RNC venue itself. By 4 pm, the truckers will join the “March for Our Lives” with the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, which starts at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at the United Nations, 45th Street and 1st Avenue.

Three hours to get to New York?

Formidable.

Paul Schmelzer at the Minnesoros “Independent” asks:

Which raises a question: If St. Paul police are still struggling to find enough officers to patrol the RNC, will there be enough cops to keep the peace in downtown Minneapolis, the myriad and likely far-flung RNC protests and neighborhoods, like North Minneapolis, that continue to grapple with summer crime?

Hm.  Good question.

Maybe if the Twin Cities’ left would do something to abjure and condemn the groups that are preparing to wreak mayhem in the Twin Cities, it’d be less of a problem?

Instead, say, of playing the coy peek-a-boo they’re playing with violent groups –  making solemn noises about wanting a peaceful week, but essentially doing anything possible to avoid condemning them?

Just a thought.

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.