Overnight in Minnesota

My inbox is filling up with pictures and articles from yesterday’s protests. Isn’t that a sweet-ass picture above? Nothing like a bunch of tiny-brained imbeciles laying face down on the pavement in flex cuffs to start your day, is there?

Twin Cites.com is reporting over three hundred arrests yesterday;

Events ranged from attacks on police to peaceful civil disobedience as 150 National Guard soldiers were called in to assist law enforcement.

In the early evening, about 30 people were arrested at a confrontation on Shepard Road for felony assault on a peace officer and another approximately 75 people were arrested on suspicion of felony riot, said St. Paul Police Cmdr. Doug Holtz.

Officers encountered an “organized group” of people who had shields and gas masks and were throwing rocks, bottles and bags of feces at officers, Holtz said. Police shot bean bags at the group, Holtz said.

I guess law enforcement decided to use the GUE principal (Go Ugly Early).

Twin Cities.com also reports that some journalists are among the arrestees;

Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Democracy Now! TV and radio show host Amy Goodman were among those arrested Monday at an anti-war march coinciding with the first day of the Republican National Convention.

Rourke was swept up as police moved in on a group of protesters in downtown St. Paul, the scene of scattered violence and vandalism by protesters, some of whom described themselves as anarchists.

Goodman was arrested as she tried to prevent two colleagues from being arrested, a producer for her show said.

David Ake, an AP assistant chief of bureau in Washington, said he was concerned by the arrest of Rourke, a Philadelphia-based photographer.

“Covering news is a constitutionally protected activity, and covering a riot is part of that coverage,” Ake said. “Photographers should not be detained for covering breaking news.”

Here’s a video of Goodman’s arrest;

Whine about the Constitution all you want, but journalists aren’t protected from disobeying the police. I’ve been in several cases that are similar and I’ve always been sure to say “Yes, sir”, “Sorry, officer” and “Anything you want, officer”. If journalists impede law enforcement, they shoudl join the crowd face down on the pavement.

Here’s some more photos Rurik sent me;

You can keep scrolling, but remember, once you look at this picture, you can’t “un-see” it;

Kate sends along this link (from Politico) about an 83-year-old delegate being attacked by anarchists;

Heath Fahle… said the delegation of more than 100 got off their chartered buses near the Xcel Energy Center. As they walked on the sidewalk, a group of masked protestors chanting anti-war slogans appeared in front of them.

They linked arms, attempting to create a human barricade. As police on horseback arrived, Fahle and other members of the group tried to push through.

Most of them escaped unscathed, but the protesters splattered the last group of delegates with the liquid.

“Two got doused, and several more got sprayed with it,” said Fahle. Former Rep. Rob Simmons was hit on the face with the liquid.

Delegate Rob Simmons was outraged. “We were attacked by a mob,” he said. “We were subjected to violent and anarchist behavior by a bunch of thugs.”

Fahle said two people were spat upon: Lila Healy, the mother of Connecticut party chairman Chris Healy; and 83-year-old Fred Biebel.

Beibel was reportedly shoved, and his credentials were torn off. One protester grabbed the purse of the state party finance director, who tussled with the protester to save it.

So that’s what freedom looks like in this group’s vision of America. I’d say 300 arrests aren’t nearly enough. From a post I wrote yesterday;

As demonstrators passed by a fenced-in area near the Xcel, 10 helmeted riot police holding long wooden batons stood at attention on the other side.

“What country do we live in?” said Patrick Swinehart, 20, a protester from Plymouth. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It looks a hell of a lot like a police state.”

And like I said yesterday, you clowns created it, live with it. Freedom doesn’t include the right to act like two-year-olds.

On the upside, Washington Post reports that Donna Brazile was hit with pepper spray on her way into the Excel Center yesterday, so I guess every cloud has a silver lining.

Category: Politics