Twin Cities Indymedia - Features

(see full article and video here here or here)

Fear of State is Autonomously Maintained

2 documents, one a press release from the Department of Justice, and the other an affidavit of FBI special agent Christopher Langert, detailing the use of confidential informants to entrap Crowder and Mckay.

an excerpt:

2. In February 2007, a confidential human source (“CHS 1”) who has been working with the FBI since November 2007, and who has a proven track record of reliability, began providing the FBI in San Antonio, Texas, with information regarding the activities of a group of individuals involved in planning to disrupt the Republican National Convention (“RNC”).

DENVER, August 28 – Welcome to the twilight zone where clouds part, weapons are put away, anarchists weep with joy over electoral politics, Ron Kovic pushes away a Code Pink woman during a photo shoot with riot cops because the shoot “was just for service people—people who've served our country,” riot cops taking group photo shoots of each other, demonstrators congratulating police for their “professionalism” and, amidst the heavenly light, Jesus(!)—no, wait—it's IVAW negotiating with Denver's “finest” in order to deliver a note to the Democrats!

This week in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. authorities unleashed a vicious, orchestrated, and fascistic assault on alternative media covering the protests outside the Republican National Convention.

These attacks included the manhandling and arrest of internationally known journalist Amy Goodman, the brutalizing and arrest of two producers on the Democracy Now! team, pre-emptive raids—at gunpoint—on the I-Witness Video collective, the confiscation of media equipment, and many other arrests and mistreatment of journalists, both alternative and mainstream.

If you have any unaltered or unedited original video (copies are okay), photos, or witness statements from the week’s events, PLEASE mail them or deliver them by hand. Follow the instructions below.

NOTE: These items are being collected, processed and catalogued for potential use in court matters. We CANNOT accept altered or edited items.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE A DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL CASE, please consult the attorney representing you and discuss the possible ramifications of any submission before doing so.
INSTRUCTIONS:
By mail (highly preferred):

Following through with the goal of the strategy around the RNC, we continue to build radical infrastructure in the twin cities and hope that those who came to visit the Twin Cities are doing the same in their local communities (and those that will decide to stick around join in the work that remains). Here are some immediate updates:

Legal

The RNC Welcoming Committee held a joint press conference with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign regarding the charges announced the day before against eight Welcoming Committee members, the violent tactics of the police to suppress dissent in St. Paul and across America, and the media's role taking the word of the police without question and largely ignoring those who are denied basic resources in our society. One person who had been arrested testifies about having been tortured in the Ramsey County Sheriff's Jail.

The jail vigil needs more support. Perhaps the National Guard will finally go away?

[Politicians will have to answer for the abuse and detainment of journalists, which spectacularly escalated on Thursday evening. --TCIMC]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 4, 2008
Contact: Nancy Doyle Brown, Twin Cities Media Alliance, (612) 374-9380, Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490, x22 or (703) 517-6273

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- On Friday morning, local advocates and independent journalists will deliver more than 50,000 petitions to St. Paul City Hall calling on Mayor Chris Coleman and local law enforcement officials to drop all charges against journalists arrested while covering protests outside the Republican National Convention.

WHAT: Delivery of 50,000 letters demanding charges against journalists be dropped
WHEN: Sept. 5, 10 a.m. CT
WHERE: St. Paul City Hall, 15 Kellogg Blvd.
WHO: Local advocates and independent journalists from KFAI Community Radio, National Lawyers Guild, Twin Cities Daily Planet, Twin Cities IndyMedia, Twin Cities Media Alliance and The Uptake.

On Monday, local law enforcement officials arrested Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and two producers from her show, Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and several independent videographers while they were covering protests outside the Republican National Convention. Other independent journalists have also been pepper-sprayed and even held at gunpoint during "pre-emptive" raids aimed at disrupting protesters.

"The targeting and harassment of journalists that we've seen during the RNC sends the message that the Twin Cities don't value the essential role that journalists play in a democracy," said Nancy Doyle Brown of Twin Cities Media Alliance. "From the pre-convention raids to the ongoing harassment and arrests of journalists, these have been dark days for press freedom in the United States. We're bringing Mayor Coleman more than 50,000 letters from people across the nation demanding that all charges pending against these journalists be dropped."

In a recent affidavit written by Inspector Tony Samec of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, frequent references to 2 Confidential Reliable Informants (CRI) and an Undercover Investigator are made — a man known as Andy/Panda has been identified as one of the Confidential Reliable Informants. Grounds for this claim — among others — are as follows:

On Tuesday September 2nd, Members of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Dakota Oyate reoccupied Coldwater Spring and the surrounding land. The Coldwater Spring site is an abandoned property of the defunct Bureau of Mines. As Dakota people who consider the spring as essential to our spiritual lifeway and the surrounding land as a part of our homeland of Bdote, we believe that we will be better stewards of the land than either the United States or the State of Minnesota has been.

PRESS ADVISORY:
10am Thursday, 627 Smith Avenue, St. Paul.
Photo and interview opportunities
Contact: rncwcmedia@riseup.net, 202-277-5262

In light of the massive police and military violence playing out each day of the Republican National Convention, the targeting, entrapment, and persecution of protest logistics organizers, the inhumane conditions that continue for the hundreds of people in the Ramsey County Jail, and the harassment of supporters outside the jail, we in the RNC Welcoming Committee are not backing down from our organizing. The Welcoming Committee is working harder than ever to ensure that our friends and comrades are safe and that protesters who are speaking their minds in the face of repression have access to food, housing, bicycles, a meeting space, workshops, legal/jail support, and medical care.

The St Paul Police Department, the City of St Paul, and particularly Bob Fletcher with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department have labeled us a "criminal enterprise", painting a picture of us and other anti-RNC organizers as faceless terrorists. On Thursday, September 4th at 10 AM on the 2nd floor of the RNC Convergence Space at 627 Smith Ave S., we will show the true faces and stories of the RNC Welcoming Committee.

We will show the 2nd floor of the convergence center as it was arranged at the time of the police raid last Friday night. We will give the latest information on the RNC 8, and we will take and answer questions. Afterwards, several members of the Welcoming Committee will be available for interview and photo opportunities.

The joint press conference will also feature the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Important: All media are invited to visit the Convergence Center at 10 AM @ 627 Smith Avenue, wherein the Welcoming Committee has announced they will "unmask" themselves and even grant media interviews. http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/rnc-welcoming-committee-unmask-...
A huge moment in what has actually been - in some respects - one gigantic public relations battle.

Local journalists take note: even though the constant abuse against journalists has been relatively under-reported by you people, FreePress.net has gathered 50,000 signatures to dump on Mayor Coleman sometime Thursday morning, demanding all charges against journalists be dropped. The harassment continued Wednesday, and yet the usual reporters have not really put any context onto this pivotal story. Shame!

Additionally, clear examples of media manipulation - PSYOPS - as innocent arrestees tonight were paraded in front of TV cameras and then released. Same as those fake TV military analysts; you guys are pawns in the Public Relations scheme - at least you'll get paychecks on Friday, eh? (see http://twitter.com/webster for a media arrestee stunt, made to order for the cameras)

Thursday's events:
* Jail vigil continues under harassment: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/jail-vigil-and-arrestee-support
* http://www.yawr.org : Student walkout against the war criminals: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/student-strike-against-rnc-marc...
11 AM WALK OUT OF CLASS, 12 PM ANTIWAR RALLY, FESTIVAL AND THEATRE @ STATE CAPITOL
Youth Against War and Racism is calling for a massive student walkout on September 4, the last day of the RNC, followed by a festival of resistance and a huge theatric march to "arrest the war criminals."
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=15454797647 and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2812201110&ref=ts . 651-210-5342 | against.war@gmail.com | http://myspace.com/yawrMN

* 1 PM Peace Picnic on Harriet Island - yum! http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/peace-island-picnic-harriet-isl... (correction: it is NOT at noon)
* 4 PM March @ State Capitol: Anti-War Committee sponsors No peace for the war makers: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/no-peace-war-makers-protest-day...
* 7:30 PM Ralph Nader Super Rally @ Orchestra Hall feat. Cindy Sheehan, Nellie McKay, Jesse Ventura, David Rovics . Sure to be entertaining, however ballots will still be rigged against independents & no airtime will be provided. http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/open-debates-rally-ralph-nader-...
* 7 PM Scott Ritter Iran Talks out in Wayzata http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/scott-ritter-iran-talks-1 . Thanks for yr efforts to stave off the warmongers!
* 7:30 PM Mental Health & Decompression sessions @ Sisters Camelot http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/peer-support-group-decompressio... Thanks, this whole police state has been stressful.

Notes for Wednesday:
* More intimidation from riot cops at exit from Ramsey County detention. Reportedly, there is a large Minnesota National Guard presence there with checkpoints, an unprecedented militarization. We are hearing of extreme detainee abuses.
* The RATM show resulted in dozens of arrests (Coldsnap confirms 31 @ 2:30 AM), as well as a photo of some ridiculous 6-wheeled ATV that can apparently fire tear gas: http://twitpic.com/a609 - how much money are they blowing on this kind of garbage? (This is how Bernie Kerik type guys make money - selling stupid homeland security products like this). Why the hell did they decide to bottle up the whole area with riot cops? Another great decision.
* Our friends were able to expose undercover cops at the Tuesday Poor People's March, which seemed infested with provocateurs. Impressive! http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/sep/interview-undercover-infiltrato...
* The Dakota were able to hang onto their Coldwater Springs area all day; there was some police harassment purportedly because campfires are Teh Bad.
* Our Twitter feed @ http://twitter.com/tcimc has been helpful for staying apprised of events.
* Another great SubMedia video dispatch http://twincities.indymedia.org/videos/2008/sep/submedia-dnc-dispatch-5

Events moved around:
* In our events calendar Events have been moved: Our events calendar locked up with many things @ "NOW" which was true but stopped the information flow. Of particular interest, Student Convergence for Thursday:
http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/rnc-student-convergence
8pm - 9pm - Intro to Students for a Democratic Society - Weyerhaeuser Boardroom
8pm - 10pm- Wellness Space - Chapel Basement
9pm - 10pm - Mass Meeting - Kagin
[We are sure Brian Rosenberg is loving it.]
also moved: Convergence Center hours: http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/convergence-space-open-hours
And a duplicate event hidden.

Media spin notes: the realistic perspective on property destruction
* According to mainstream media, smashed windows are the worst thing anyone could possibly do in town; however the housing collapse which equals thousands of smashed windows every day is totally cool & not a crime at all. Way to go, serious adults! Your rationalizations never cease to depress us. [Plus, Wall Street & the Federal Reserve System can launder $100 billion in drug money annually and no one gets in trouble - well done, media!]

Support 300 people arrested in Saint Paul! Demand an end to illegal
detention and brutality in Ramsey County Jail!

9/3/08, St. Paul - Approximately 300 people have been arrested for
participating in demonstrations since the beginning of the Republican
National Convention. The majority of arrestees remain in custody and are
being held in inhumane conditions. Of the 300 arrested, approximately 120
have been accused of trumped-up felony charges by police; many of them are
being held illegally beyond Minnesota’s 36-hour limit on detentions
without formal charges.