I WAS THERE: The protest march on the RNC in Saint Paul 9-2-08: FULL REPORT

OK EVERYONE LISTEN UP I WAS THERE.

I WAS THERE: At the protest march on the RNC in Saint Paul, MN today 9-2-08: FULL REPORT

It all began with a concert on the Minnesota Capital lawn in Saint Paul. The concert began at 3pm and went until around 7pm. It hosted a fine line up of anti-war music acts like Dead Presidents, Michael Franti, Anti-Flag and more. As well as a number of fine speakers including Iraq Veterans for Peace.

During the entire event the capital lawn which was the venue for this concert was surrounded by color coded teams of fully equipped riot police. Snipers and spotters were at the tops of nearby buildings. Helicopters circled overhead.

This concert began around 3pm and went until about 6pm. During the afternoon rumor grew that Rage Against The Machine (Rage, or RATM), a rock group who is an outspoken opponent of Bush administration policies, was going to play at the end of the days events.

The crowd at the state capital swelled to number over 5,000 in anticipation for Rage Against The Machine to play.

Rage Against The Machine began to do sound-check when a cadre of MN State Troopers mingled behind stage. The crowd booed and became restless chanting "let them play, let them play" and "if you dont let them rage, we will"

It was during this time that I came shoulder to shoulder with a Provocateur. He came seemingly drunkenly stumbling into the tight crowd of people near me and almost knocking over a number of people. But it was feigned drunkeness as he quickly straightened up and looked around sharply almost shocked that his escapade did not incite some kind of negative reaction which he could use to start a fight and give the riot cops reason to swarm the crowd.

He looked around shocked that no one got mad.... he said: "I really am surrounded by a bunch of pussy hippies". He had on clean new creased black pants and a clean new grey sweatshirt. He had a military haircut and brand new shoes. I knew he was a Police or Government Hired Provocateur!

These are the worst kind of Police in my opinion; the ones who start trouble. I would have confronted him, I wanted too, but he would have started fighting me which was what he wanted and the riot cops would have swarmed the crowd and we would not have been able to march on the RNC and the Excel Energy Center.

Crowd attention was drawn to the side of the stage as a flurry of activity erupted. It was Rage front man: Zack de la Rocha. He came out with a loud speaker and told everyone to sit down. The entire crowd near the man sat and listened and the first hush of the day came upon the crowd.

He told the crowd that the power for the stage had been cut-off because they (RATM) didnt have an event permit.

Threatened with arrest which would have prevented them from playing to a SOLD OUT crowd tomorrow night, Sept. 3rd, at the Target Center in Minneapolis for a rally for Ron Paul.

They instead used vocals and fan interaction and sang two of Rage Against The Machines most inspiring songs over the microphone to the enthusiasm of the energetic crowd.

At the end of a chorus of "Fu%$ You I wont do what you tell me" the massive crowd turned their sights on the excel center and surged forward.

The huge crowd which is being spun in MSM news to have been only 500 people when it truly must have been in the 4000-6000 person range. The streets were packed building across street to other building for over 4 blocks of shoulder to shoulder protestors.

The march went into downtown Saint Paul… even led by police cars in an orderly fashion along the “designated” parade route. Spectators many of whom were RNC delegates and RNC personnel watched from rooftop patios and hotel rooms as the marches chanted so loudly it echoed against the buildings downtown. Chants commonly heard were “Whos streets? Our streets!” and “stop the war, help the poor!”

The march followed the parade route to the fenced-in dead-end 'pen' which was a block away from the rear of the Excel Energy Center Stadium where the RNC is being held. The crowd mingled and became restless as darkness fell.

A funny moment I saw came when a riot cop fumbled his mace and dropped it and it rolled away from him to the sound of 1000 people laughing at his fumble.

Rumor spread that if you wanted out, now was the time and sure enough it was apparent that the riot cops were putting their masks on.

The crowd moved out of the fenced in “pen” and back down towards the corner of St Peter and 7th where historic Mickey’s Diner is located. It was here in the turn of the parade route that a police sergeant used his megaphone to tell everyone to clear the area and that is was an unlawful assembly.

More police came out and formed a double line in a perfect phalanx of riot cops with bike cops behind and mobile horse cops on the move. The order to disperse seemed only to encourage the crowd to disobey the police.

About half the marchers remained and after a tense standoff flashbang grenades were used along with tear gas and rubber bullets. The explosions and smoke sent the huge crowd into a stampede. It is miracle that no one was trampled to death although it is possible that we have not yet heard of the injuries from last night's protest. More news will come in the morning for sure.

At the time of the explosions of flashbangs I was about a block or two away heading to my ride. I heard the bangs and turned around to see smoke filling downtown Saint Paul and masses of people running.
It was truly surreal.

About 10 minutes later as I was walking to my car I came upon a mini van of riot police just waiting with their side door open. One of them said to me and a friend: “why don’t you throw some rocks or something, we’ve been here all day and haven’t got a chance to get in it" Then they all chuckled.

It is this mentality which, in my opinion, borders on rampant criminality. The shear size of this 4-day army of enforcers required agencies from across MN and the USA to recruit volunteers . VOLUNTEERS!? No I dont mean these are unpaid volunteers. I mean these are paid mercenaries who WANT to put down protesters! So we get a bunch of trigger happy police who have come here just to get some action.

A short time ago Barack Obama held a rally at the very SAME venue: the Excel Center. It was there that he accepted his nomination for President by the Democratic Party. That rally packed the arena and overflowed with 10,000s of supporters outside to watch on TV monitors.

During THAT rally there were only a handful of traffic cops to control pedestrian crossings and the thousands outside the arena were not there to protest like tonight at the RNC, those thousands outside Obama's rally were n support of what was going on inside the Excel Center.

THE CONTRAST...

RNC and a Republican Focused event at the Excel Energy Center:
Thousands of riot cops, FBI, snipers, provocateurs, teargas, flashbangs, fences, and angry loud protesters.

A Democratic event at the Excel Center:
A handful of traffic cops required to manage the huge overflow crowd of supporters.

You see this is why we must have a Democrat in office. A people's candidate who doesn’t need to hide behind a mercenary army of trigger happy stormtroopers.

The city of Saint Paul is a police state tonight.

I am on scene and I will report back the events of the 3rd and 4th as well.
Good night and good luck.


This is the most up to date source of live info from people on site in Minneapolis and Saint Paul which details police movements and protest info. Twin Cities indymedia.org

Amazing footage from the 09/02/2008 protest of the RNC and of the teargassing, flashbanging and riotcops at the corner of St Peter and 7th by Mickey's Diner.


[edit on (9/3/08) by AllSeeingI]

wow man that sounds crazy. you guys really do have a police state going on. feel sorry for you all.

Thanks for your report, a very good read!!!

Stay safe and dont get in unnecesary trouble. Remember that most of this cops would not know what the First amendment is even if they are hit with a book of the Constitution over their heads.

I hope YouTube, and news outlets cover this event. I saw SO MANY photographers and camera men and news people doing interviews all along the march. There must have been at least 500 reporters. I hope some of them are foreign media and help spread the word.

Along with everyone taking their own photos and videos this SHOULD be a well documented event. Keep your eyes out for an explosion of media from tonight’s protest.


[edit on (9/3/08) by AllSeeingI]

Sounds to me like it was a perfect opportunity for Alex Jone's "government round up of the crazies" squad to move in and would have had a field day and collected their weeks pay along with what sounds like a mass collection of crazies!

Welp..looks like they missed out!

Cheers!!!

The blue haze of teargas was everywhere. Apparently the republicans for which we stand don't play. I saw none of that on the dem side.
Watching cbs now...up to the minute, it was quite an ugly scene. Pavlin doesn't do anything for me by the way, and she needs to rethink those glasses.

[edit on 9/3/2008 by jpm1602]

The first amendment does grant free speech..but it doesnt grant a mass of people going wild and out of control either!

There is a huge difference in enjoying a concert and expressing the freedom of speech, and outright out of control hysteria.

When people learn to know the difference between using your constitutional rights responsibly and abusing those rights, and following and doing what is right, then perhaps someday we wont see this sort of thing happen.

Cheers!!!

Heres a link of the protests Will say the cops seemed nicer then the ones at the dnc convention they just beat the crap out of them in this video there giving directions. I guess police are smarted than they are in denver.

usatoday.feedroom.com...

Originally posted by Bunch
Thanks for your report, a very good read!!!

Stay safe and dont get in unnecessary trouble. Remember that most of this cops would not know what the First amendment is even if they are hit with a book of the Constitution over their heads.

I thank you kindly for your concern. It MUST be noted that the group of peace loving hippies was NO MATCH for the iron boot of these volunteer mercenaries used to "Police" the RNC.

Pain, suffering, and injury is happening in the streets of Saint Paul.

"Unnecessary Trouble"? These days it is becoming harder to find that line. What we can get away with in terms of sedition and protest does little if anything to change the minds of our opposition.

What trouble is more necessary than the expressing our right to free speech against war and poverty?

reply to post by AllSeeingI


You assume the drunken man looking to start a fight was a government/police hired inciter. You have absolutely no evidence to back that up, but you seem to run with it. If a crowd begins to riot the police have to do something about it, situations like that get out of control rapidly; thus the heavy security presence. What the hell else can you do in response to a thousand raging stoner hippy liberals?

Umm...obviously there is a major difference in today's "stoner hippie loving yuppies" vs the ones from my era when all we did was get high, listen to some awsome music that is still entrenched in American culture today, and tell everyone to make love not war.

We did not go around raising hell and smashing things and lighting cars on fire or purposely cause riots.

HUGE DIFFERENCE.

Cheers!!!

Storm troopers and sky pilots in American. Did you see how many side by side with trenchons drawn. One job I could not/ would not do, by any means. I'd rather starve.
Sure they will be glad to go home for dinner to the kiddies to tally how many subdural haemotamas they applied.

[edit on 9/3/2008 by jpm1602]

Originally posted by RFBurns
Sounds to me like it was a perfect opportunity for Alex Jone's "government round up of the crazies" squad to move in and would have had a field day and collected their weeks pay along with what sounds like a mass collection of crazies!

Welp..looks like they missed out!

Cheers!!!

A mass collection of crazies?

Forget you!
This was a collection of war vets, grandmothers, children, students, handicapped, and everyday wage slaves.

All of whom are peace activists. Its people like you who should face a line of rubber bullets and tear gas.

[edit on (9/3/08) by AllSeeingI]

Bad mad antiwar activists. I just slapped myself very hard. We are all very not nice people. Well, at least they didn't mow them down like they did in Kent.

[edit on 9/3/2008 by jpm1602]

Originally posted by RFBurns
Umm...obviously there is a major difference in today's "stoner hippie loving yuppies" vs the ones from my era when all we did was get high, listen to some awsome music that is still entrenched in American culture today, and tell everyone to make love not war.

We did not go around raising hell and smashing things and lighting cars on fire or purposely cause riots.

HUGE DIFFERENCE.

Cheers!!!

The concert gathering today was full of artists, longhaired, tie-dye wearing, drum circling, dancing hippies.

Sounds like 60's hippies to me!

Nothing got burned today. Nothing broken.
I have seen government or police provocateurs in action at the RNC protests. Perhaps they are the ones inciting or causing some of the serious trouble.

Besides if you lump the 1 in a 1000 violent protesters "bad-apples" in with the 999 innocent, free speech, peace loving, citizens... you are a fool.

reply to post by AllSeeingI


Did you even bother to read my post and the quote you so elegantly pasted on your reply my friend???

I commented on Alex Jone's government round up squad...it said nothing about you or the group there being a mass of crazies. Now if you read your own post at the begining of this thread, you yourself pointed out that a mass of people started to chant "let them play or we will rage".

Well I think you need to go back and re-think what your saying before you say it!!!

Cheers!!!

Oh my Lord. "Let them play and we will rage". Perfectly good reason to call in the storm troopers on 'fellow Americans'.

Originally posted by ppskylight
reply to post by AllSeeingI

 

You assume the drunken man looking to start a fight was a government/police hired inciter. You have absolutely no evidence to back that up, but you seem to run with it. If a crowd begins to riot the police have to do something about it, situations like that get out of control rapidly; thus the heavy security presence. What the hell else can you do in response to a thousand raging stoner hippy liberals?

No I said he acted and pretended to be drunk falling into people. But immediately straightened up and waited for someone to say something or get mad but no one did. He was trying to instigate a confrontation. He was sharp and did not reek of alcohol. In fact alcohol was not sold at the event and containers of alcohol were banned. Also he said: “Im in the middle of a bunch of pussy hippies.” Again trying to start a confrontation.

You see he wanted a fight. So it would give reason for the cops to come in.

Sounds like a text book provocateur to me. He was one of them.

NEWS LINKS:
4,000 Protesters Try to Break Down RNC Fence After Rage Against the Machine Concert

10 arrested as police, protesters clash on day 2 of RNC

Canceled 'Rage' Concert Angers Protesters

reply to post by AllSeeingI


AllSeeing.....sure it wasn't Karl Rove?? (joke) (edit) the 'drunk' provacateur?

Thanks for that first-hand report. It certainly compares vividly to the behavior of the 'Local Yokels' in Denver....unless I missed something, they roughed up a (sorry, second edit...an ABC) reporter and camera crew, on a public sidewalk in Downtown Denver....who, incidentally, were trying to get a report on DEMOCRATIC corruption. Well, maybe not corruption, but the appeareance of such....high-dollar donors and who they might have been meeting. Someone might have complained to the Hotel Management, police were called...there is a thread about it, from a week ago.

This travesty in St. Paul is bigger....an I predicted it would be. Many of the Newscasts were allowed to be disrupted, as they were on-air.....but BECAUSE it was the Democratic Convention....no police intervention!

The cordon at the Republicants 'convention' was certainly a lot wider, and far more severe.

Is it true they arrested an 87-year-old-nun.....all alone, on a public sidewalk???

ALSO, in St. Paul, one has to be stunned by the visuals....the look of 'StormTroopers'.....and, of course unnecessary brutality. Shocking....haven't seen the like since Kent State, and the Vietnam era.

See the parallels???

[edit on 9/3/0808 by weedwhacker]

[edit on 9/3/0808 by weedwhacker]