There have been crazy activity all over the Twin Cities with raids and buzz about the cancellation of part or most of the Republican National Convention due to hurricane Gustov.
While Minnesota Independent, The UpTake and other organizations have been covering some of the major protest-related events, I dropped in a small protest in my neighborhood. The Industrial Workers of the World staged an event in “solidarity” with Starbucks workers. What I found most interesting was not the group itself but the other people that showed up. There were numerous people surrounding the area wearing bright green hats from the National Lawyers Guild, most of whom I presume are not actually lawyers but monitor events in attempt to represent individuals’ rights. There were two representatives in bright red shirts from the American Civil Liberties Union, one of which gave me a small card explaining the rights of protesters during the RNC. I was most surprised to see a strong contingency from the Northstar Health Collective, a group of volunteers that have essentially developed their own version of the Red Cross. MPR has a good piece on these ‘street medics.’
Tomorrow is going to be a lot bigger.
Hey Aaron – would you be willing to scan + share the ACLU card explaining the rights of protesters during the RNC? I am finding a lot online from other states’ ACLUs, but no guidelines specific to MN or the RNC.
I’ve been taking photos of the goings-on around the convention and have seen several of these freelance medics and wondered what their story was. Thanks for the info. I have some riot cop/protester photos today at mitchster.com if you get a chance to stop by; it’s a lot of fun watching national politics playing out right on our doorstep.
Aaron -
I was wondering if you took the train down with us to the mall. Did you see the cops out in mass tell us that what we were doing was fine as long as we complied with conditions. Did you see the cops in full riot gear, batons and rifles ready, then turn us away at the MOA even though we complied specifically with the conditions they told us to meet?