Posted on 09/03/2008 12:22:17 PM PDT by MplsSteve
A year ago, the Ramsey County sheriff's office began looking closely at a group called the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee.
What it found, according to an 18-page search warrant application and affidavit, led to weekend raids on two Minneapolis homes and a temporary St. Paul office for the self-described anarchist group.
According to the document, investigation learned:
The self-described anarchist group — whose main goal was to "crash" the Republican National Convention," according to its Web site — traveled to or communicated with affinity groups in 67 cities to recruit members and raise money.
Group members discussed the possibility of kidnapping delegates, blockading bridges, using liquid sprayers filled with urine or chemicals on police and throwing marbles to trip police and their horses.
At an "action camp" held from July 31 to Aug. 3 in Lake Geneva, Minn., one member talked of concealing inside giant puppets "materials" that could be used on the street. Others discussed the need for Molotov cocktails, paint, caltrops (devices used to puncture tires), bricks and lockboxes for protesters to lock themselves together.
Erik Oseland, one of the six group members arrested here, produced a video called "Video Map of the St. Paul Points of Interest." It included such major companies as Travelers Insurance and Qwest, hotels such as the Embassy Suites and the Crowne Plaza. Also included: the Pioneer Press building.
The main sources for the information were "regular surveillance" of the group and three people who posed as members — two informants and an undercover investigator. The informants monitored e-mails and conversations.
Geneva Finn of the National Lawyers Guild, which represents many of those arrested, said it was hard for her to weigh the evidence in the affidavit because "it's all based on the testimony of people who are not identified, and that's a real problem."
Police and the Sheriff's Department characterized the anarchists as troublemakers who had come from other cities and states to disrupt the convention.
"Yesterday, there was a group of people, not the protesters ... but a group of criminals who came here with a very express goal and intent," St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said Tuesday. "They came here to try to stop the convention, to crash the gates, to stop the buses and the delegates. ... They failed"
I think that many of you ought there ought to read the entire article and then forward it on to anyone who thinks that the raids were a "police over-reaction".
Comments or opinions - anyone?
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“They came here to try to stop the convention, to crash the gates, to stop the buses and the delegates. ... They failed”
Sounds like they came to stop democracy.
If you read DU (and can stand the slime) all of the people protesting are peaceful and we have nothing more than a police state.
People in this country need to wake up to the “agents of change” within the current democratic party.
Scary times indeed for the future of our Republic.
I have a feeling this election cycle is going to become very nasty, in a physical way. The extreme left seem to be saying they are going to win this election, even if it is by coup or civil war.
It is and has been the UnDemocratIC Party.
St Paul Police Chief said they failed. They have not failed unless they get long jail sentences and all their assets are confiscated to pay for the damage.
Anarchists are domestic terrorists, and as such should be dealt with accordingly. Terrorists do not have rights beyond not being pummeled beyond recognition. Round them up, detain them, and prosecute, prosecute, prosecute!
The Left has been waging a hot war for 40 years and a cold war for 90 years. It is time for the government to put down the seditious socialist left. Their tactics and goals are incompatible with our Constitutional form of government.
I definitely agree with you.
The Democrats got a little rough back in ‘04 - but this time, they seem really pumped up.
RE: “St Paul Police Chief said they failed. They have not failed unless they get long jail sentences and all their assets are confiscated to pay for the damage.”
Agree with you but... it’s doubtful these jerks have any “assets” to confiscate!
Correction:
They have not failed unless they get long jail sentences and all their assets are confiscated to pay for the damage.
They have failed unless they get long jail sentences and all their assets are confiscated to pay for the damage.
Treason is not protected speech. It is a crime as defined by our constitition.
The FEC prohibits intimidation of voters. In addition to “kidnapping” charges, interstate conspiracy, etc. there are numerous crimes they can be charged with. And use RICO to defund the Left as has been done with everyone from pro-life groups to the KKK. Why should anarchist-socialist fascists have their assets protected? Fascism was a movement of the Left.
As a conservative activist, I can tell you that the last two elections have been very nasty, & this one is shaping up to be more of the same. The extreme Left has been making pronouncements of “coup” and “civil war” (funny that they should call anything “civil”) for years. It is just another scare tactic. However, are you ready to stand for your country if they decide to take physical action?
And we can follow the money trail to who is funding them.
If the Left wants a war, they engage in such a battle as seditous criminals. Call out the National Guard and leave the rubber bullets at home.
Don’t engage in a vigilante action, let the US military do their job of defending the homeland against aggressors foreign and domestic. It is not a police action for local agencies, it is a bigger job.
Put down the insurgency by sheer force.
And yes I agree that election violence and the actions of dnc brownshirts was the single most underreported story of the 2004 election.
It was treated as strictly a “local” vandalism story. Rocks through windows, tires slashed on election day, arson, power outages, assaults, threats, swastikas...
I discussed some of it in this wrap up thread on the 2004 election.
Jim Emerson: On celebrities, Politics, and movie critics (shilling for Roger Ebert) (with lengthy response from me)
Chicago Sun Times ^ | October 14, 2004 | Jim Emerson, Editor of RogerEbert.com
Posted on Saturday, November 06, 2004 6:59:04 PM by weegee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1273094/posts
Don’t forget that John Kerry’s anti vietnam war group plotted to assassinate elected members of Congress. And the pregnancy of Palin’s daughter is the “bigger” scandal.
The MSM makes me puke they are so in the tank for socialist terrorists.
I'll bet it's Vegas odds that the majority of the criminals are registered democrats.
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