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Thursday, September 25, 2008

RNC Aftermath

posted by on September 25 at 10:37 AM

Sounds like St. Paul might launch an investigation of how police behaved during the Republican National Convention.

Last night, the mayor and city council of St. Paul held an open hearing with around 200 people. Sounds like some of them were a little irritating—catcalls, chanting—but the important testimonies (especially from Elliot Hughes, the kid who was knocked out, then woke up in a pool of his own blood, then blindfolded and tortured during his night in jail) happened.

From the AP:

Bruce Nestor, president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, called for an independent investigation with a budget, the power to compel testimony and to subpoena records. He also called for discipline of officers who acted wrongly, and — like many others — asked that the charges against all protesters be dropped.

Leah Lane, a 19-year-old from Eau Claire, Wis., showed video of herself being repeatedly pepper sprayed and knocked down by police, as she was holding her fingers in the peace sign and saying “I love you.” She said she feels police were doing their job, but that too much force was used.
Another 19-year-old, Elliot Hughes of St. Paul, was visibly distraught as he claimed he was tortured in the Ramsey County Jail.

Hughes said he was punched and fell to the ground, and that his head was slammed on the jail floor. He said he was taken out of his cell to another area, where his ankles were bent backward and a bag was placed over his head. He also claimed he was denied food and water.

“I was screaming, crying, begging God for mercy,” Hughes said. “One officer was even disgusting enough to say, ‘Your God is not with you right now. We are all devils.’”

RSS icon Comments

1


Slog, you may now vilify the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for their brutal treatment of this peaceful protestors. No Republican would have treated them that way.

Mayor Chris Coleman is a Democrat-Farmer-Labor...er, something.

Posted by John Bailo | September 25, 2008 10:42 AM
2

I don't blame the Republicans, John. Or the mayor. I blame the police chief who hired out cops from across the country. They were basically mercenaries with no sense of accountability—and many of them wearing riot gear that covered their badges and name tags. That's almost begging for bad behavior from officers.

Posted by Brendan Kiley | September 25, 2008 10:49 AM
3

Fuck discipline. Fire all of them and bring them up on charges.

Posted by keshmeshi | September 25, 2008 10:55 AM
4

"I love you"? Oh puh-lease.

Posted by ams | September 25, 2008 10:57 AM
5

@4: Say what you like about granola hippie raver girls, if they're flashing the peace sign and saying "I love you", that's the essence of nonviolent resistance - and meeting nonviolent resistance (tacky or otherwise - aesthetics don't enter into it) with violence is pretty much the essence of fascist asshattery.

Posted by breklor | September 25, 2008 11:46 AM
6

Riot gear should be required to show name and badge number on it in big, easy-to-photograph letters.

Posted by Greg | September 25, 2008 12:07 PM
7

@5- I agree. I just think that what she said was kinda dumb.

Posted by ams | September 25, 2008 2:21 PM

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