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Latest post made by Tony Webster at Aug 29 01:36 UTC

From: Mike Fratto Date: Aug 26 18:56 UTC Short link

It will be interesting to see how the media reports this and how St. Paul
Police and the RNC planners respond to this. Not to mention how the Minneapolis
Chief of Police responds.

Mike Fratto
Payne Phalen


Please help those who don't get enough to eat.
http://oyh.org
http://hungersolutions.org

The future depends more on
what we do between now and then
Than what we did in the past.

--- On Tue, 8/26/08, <email obscured> <email obscured>> wrote:
From: <email obscured> <email obscured>>
Subject: [MN-Pol] RNC Reaches into NE MPLS
To: <email obscured>, <email obscured>
Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 12:24 PM

Below is a press release about independent journalists detained and equipment
seized in NE MPLS early this morning.

The press conference is TODAY, at 4:00 PM at Henn. Co. Gov't. Ctr. plaza

Tom Taylor
Montevideo, MN via of NE MPLS

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:     Vlad T   917- 650- 2486


MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICERS DETAINS INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS AND CONFISCATES
THEIR EQUIPMENT
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DETAIN THREE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS, CONFISCATING VIDEO
EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER, PHONES, NOTEBOOKS AND MONEY AMONG OTHER PERSONAL
BELONGINGS

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (August 26, 2008)  Minneapolis Police officers
detained three journalists early this morning, confiscating each of the their
personal belongings including cell phones, video cameras, still cameras, a
computer, hard drive, clothing, personal objects and money.  The journalists
are
all members of New York City based Glass Bead Collective and are in town to
document the events around the Republican National Convention.  Police officer
York photographed the three journalists and questioned them individually about
their travel plans and what they intended to report on.  The officers refused
to
file an official report of the incident or a receipt of the items taken,
claiming that they were allowed to conduct the search and seizure under the
jurisdiction of Homeland Security due to security risks leading up to the
Republican National Convention.
    The journalists were detained and then released after their belongings were
seized.  The journalists were clear that they did not consent to being searched
at any point during the detainment.


###



Tom Taylor

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From: phædrus (Jason Goray) Date: Aug 27 18:17 UTC Short link

> Do we want Minneapolis to
> be known as a city that violates rights given to us under the Constitution?
>
> This is rediculous -- is anyone in charge here?  For a department with such
> a complex but well-organized chain of authority, we need some leadership
> from Tim Dolan, and we need it now.  We needed it yesterday.
>
> Looking at this case, we're in for a big surprise next week.

And for a long time after that.

Police conduct that is illegal or unconstitutional ends up resulting
in lawsuits.

For whatever reason, when a Minneapolis police officer breaks the law,
rather than them paying for the crime, it seems that we settle out of
court and Minneapolis residents play for the crime.

If our police don't make sure that their conduct can be defended in
civil court, we're going to pay a lot in law suits and settlements.

The worst of it is, if the police do behave in an manner that exposes
us to liability, it is our own fault.  We're the ones who pay them,
we're the ones who have overlooked bad behavior in the past, and we're
the ones who apparently haven't given a clear enough mandate that
illegal behavior is not ok.

I wonder how much this incident will cost us and I wonder how much
other incidents over the next couple of weeks will cost us.  I wonder
what we could have used that money for.

This one will certainly cost us more if we keep their equipment long
enough that it interferes with what they came to town to do.

I'd like to make a suggestion to local photo and video journalists to
have a higher than usual presence at this Friday's critical mass.  It
seems like an opportunity that is highly ripe for problems to occur -
especially as anger over this incident percolates.

If our police department behaves well, I would like to make sure it is
clearly documented so that we aren't exposed to any unnecessary
liabilities.

I would like to make sure that the police are aware of all the
recording lenses there so that those who might be tempted to cross
that line don't.

And, for the love of common sense, please make sure the police on hand
are given directions from their superiors to keep their cool and make
sure they dot every i and cross every t in dealing with what is
potentially a bit of a powderkeg.

- phædrus

From: Cam Gordon Date: Aug 27 21:04 UTC Short link

I am concerned by the reports of the incident Monday night in which Minneapolis
police officers detained three out-of-town journalists/videographers and
confiscated personal possessions including two video cameras, two still
cameras, two cellphones, notebooks, fliers, a backpack full of clothing and
other personal effects, and even allegedly some cash.

However, Im very pleased to say that after the media attention and my
inquiries, the journalists property has been returned to them today.

I have heard from Minneapolis Police (MPD) administration that these
journalists were detained on suspicion of trespassing on railroad property, and
that the personal belongings of these journalists were held pending review by
the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The journalists have flatly denied that they set foot on railroad land. There
are several reasons that I suspect they are telling the truth:

- They claim to have been walking to the corner of 6th Ave NE and 27th St NE
from the bus stop at Washington Ave and 27th, two blocks to the east, where
they had just gotten off a number 17 bus. This is supported by the bus
schedule, which indeed stops at that corner at 1:28am, minutes from the
beginning of the incident. The rail yards are to the west of the house at which
they were staying.
- According to the journalists account of the incident, the police originally
questioned them about car burglaries, not trespassing. This has not been
contradicted by any statement of the MPD.
- The MPD claim that officers confiscated these possessions to search for
documentary evidence that the journalists were indeed trespassing on rail land.
This offers no explanation whatsoever as to why the bag full of clothing,
notebooks, fliers and money were confiscated, as none of these possessions
could possibly offer evidence of the alleged trespass.

The City Attorney is still deciding whether or not to press misdemeanor
trespass charges. I would be very surprised if any charges were filed.

I have joined with the journalists in calling for the MPD to release the squad
car videos, which can quickly substantiate either the MPD or the journalists
version of events.

If the evidence fails to prove that these folks were trespassing on railroad
property, I think a public apology to them from the City should be done.

This is unfortunately not the only incident in the last several days in which
journalists have been targeted by the MPD. KSTP news has footage of one of
their cameramen being pushed into an elevator by an MPD sergeant, to prevent
him from filming a protest. Another person also claims to have been detained
and verbally abused for taking pictures from a public sidewalk.

This is a disturbing pattern, and as I have said, it sets exactly the tone the
Council was looking to prevent when we created the work group to create a model
for how the City can preserve the right to political speech and civic debate
without disrupting community life during the 2008 Republican National
Convention last Spring, and when we passed the Police Practices Resolution just
last month.  Part the latter explicitly prohibits MPD officers from
confiscating cameras.

I hope that by returning these civilians possessions we can put this incident
behind us, and that by taking a careful look at all these incidents, we can
prevent further missteps and establish a better climate of welcoming public
scrutiny and the independent, free press and mass media to enhance and
strengthen civic participation rather than stifle it.



Cam Gordon
Seward
Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
673-2202, 296-0579
<email obscured>
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
http://secondward.blogspot.com/

p.s. Here is the update I received today from Deputy Chief Valerie Wurster.

Dear Mayor and Council:

Id like to clarify the facts surrounding the case of the three New York
residents who were detained in the Second Precinct near the Canadian Pacific
rail yards on August 26, 2008.  MPD officers observed three individuals with
cameras, backpacks and camping gear exiting the rail yards at 2604 6th Street
NE at approximately 1:40 a.m.

Our officers have extensive emergency preparedness training and seeing
unauthorized people leaving a critical infrastructure site in the middle of the
night was understandably concerning to them. The officers stopped the three to
question them about their activity in the rail yard and collected their
property to determine any threat to officer or public safety.  The individuals
gave evasive answers to questions.  For example, they refused or were unable to
tell officers were they were going or where they intended to spend the night.

Because trespass in a railroad yard can be a felony offense and because this
rail yard is frequently the site of hazardous materials, personal property
belonging to these individuals was held pending review by the Joint Terrorism
Task Force. Upon completion of the review, the property was released to the
individuals today.

The case remains under investigation and will be forwarded to the City
Attorneys office for potential misdemeanor trespass charges.

It is unfortunate that the media is portraying this trespassing case as
something connected to First Amendment rights.  Nothing could be further from
the truth. These individuals were detained because it appeared they were
trespassing on federal property and because they did not provide complete
answers to officers questions. Please be assured that the MPD works to protect
public safety, ensure our Constitutional rights, and uphold our laws.

From: Ryan Johnson Date: Aug 27 21:22 UTC Short link

I am afraid that a simple apology from the city may do enough to help bruised
egos, but I am unsure as to whether it will actually do enough to help _fix_
the situation.  It may be possible to understand Dept Chief Wurster's  at the
media portraying an ordinary situation in a bad light, and it would be possible
to feel better about her explanation if this weren't the only example of such a
situation.  The reason the MPD has shown a trend of negative behavior toward
journalists is possibly because their feelings that journalists are the problem
are being substantiated by fellow colleagues or training they are receiving.
Their actions imply that they believe that they are upholding the law and doing
something 'right' by intimidating journalists and detaining them, or by
confiscating their belongings without probable cause.

Cam, I am with you in that something needs to be done, and I am glad that you
are looking into the matter as you are-- I just think something much more needs
to be done about this anti-journalistic climate that is being supported by law
enforcement agencies in the area.  I am afraid that the MPD may not release
recordings, or the actual full recordings (and rather with parts missing) of
things that happen-- and what then?  We will not have evidence to prove that
something fishy is or is not going on, except for the _lack_ of evidence.  What
else can be done?



Ryan Johnson
CARAG

From: Ryan Johnson Date: Aug 27 21:23 UTC Short link

Sorry, correction:  "It may be possible to understand Dept Chief Wurster's
_aggravation_..."

From: Janet Nye Date: Aug 28 03:54 UTC Short link

A little known fact about the upcoming RNC is that the police will be
indemnified by the Republican National Committee. I know it applies to St Paul
and Mpls police and am almost sure it applies to the police coming in from
other places. Lawsuits against the police will be paid for by the Republican
Party. This is an ugly statement about the Republican Party's attitude toward
free speech. And I wouldn't be surprised if the situation is the same in
Colorado at the DNC. Some city officials are happy about not having to worry
about lawsuits  but it should be of concern to us all that the police will be
operating with even less restriction than usual.

--- On Wed, 8/27/08, phaedrus <email obscured>> wrote:
From: phaedrus <email obscured>>
Subject: Re: [Mpls] [MN-Pol] RNC Reaches into NE MPLS
To: "Minneapolis Issues Forum" <email obscured>>
Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 1:17 PM

> Do we want Minneapolis to
> be known as a city that violates rights given to us under
 the
Constitution?
>
> This is rediculous -- is anyone in charge here?  For a department with
such
> a complex but well-organized chain of authority, we need some leadership
> from Tim Dolan, and we need it now.  We needed it yesterday.
>
> Looking at this case, we're in for a big surprise next week.

And for a long time after that.

Police conduct that is illegal or unconstitutional ends up resulting
in lawsuits.

For whatever reason, when a Minneapolis police officer breaks the law,
rather than them paying for the crime, it seems that we settle out of
court and Minneapolis residents play for the crime.

If our police don't make sure that their conduct can be defended in
civil court, we're going to pay a lot in law suits and settlements.

The worst of it is, if the police do behave in an manner that exposes
us to liability, it is our own fault.  We're the ones who pay
 them,
we're the ones who have overlooked bad behavior in the past, and we're
the ones who apparently haven't given a clear enough mandate that
illegal behavior is not ok.

I wonder how much this incident will cost us and I wonder how much
other incidents over the next couple of weeks will cost us.  I wonder
what we could have used that money for.

This one will certainly cost us more if we keep their equipment long
enough that it interferes with what they came to town to do.

I'd like to make a suggestion to local photo and video journalists to
have a higher than usual presence at this Friday's critical mass.  It
seems like an opportunity that is highly ripe for problems to occur -
especially as anger over this incident percolates.

If our police department behaves well, I would like to make sure it is
clearly documented so that we aren't exposed to any unnecessary
liabilities.

I would like
 to make sure that the police are aware of all the
recording lenses there so that those who might be tempted to cross
that line don't.

And, for the love of common sense, please make sure the police on hand
are given directions from their superiors to keep their cool and make
sure they dot every i and cross every t in dealing with what is
potentially a bit of a powderkeg.

- phdrus

Jason Goray
Sheridan, Minneapolis
Info about phdrus (Jason Goray): http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/jasongoray

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From: Jim McGuire Date: Aug 29 00:58 UTC Short link

Someone could correct me if I'm wrong, but don't busses these days
have video cameras on them?  If so, would it be possible to get the
footage from the 17 bus in question that the videographers state they
were riding.  That could confirm their story and the Met Council
might* (key word is might) be more co-operative than the police.

There's also the fact that buses are now tracked by GPS could nail
down exactly where that bus was and when, though I'm not sure the GPS
data is saved.

Jim McGuire
Como

At 04:04 PM 8/27/2008, Cam Gordon wrote:

>I am concerned by the reports of the incident Monday night in which
>Minneapolis police officers detained three out-of-town
>journalists/videographers and confiscated personal possessions
>including two video cameras, two still cameras, two cellphones,
>notebooks, fliers, a backpack full of clothing and other personal
>effects, and even allegedly some cash.
>
>However, Im very pleased to say that after the media attention and
>my inquiries, the journalists property has been returned to them today.
>
>I have heard from Minneapolis Police (MPD) administration that these
>journalists were detained on suspicion of trespassing on railroad
>property, and that the personal belongings of these journalists were
>held pending review by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
>
>The journalists have flatly denied that they set foot on railroad
>land. There are several reasons that I suspect they are telling the truth:
>
>- They claim to have been walking to the corner of 6th Ave NE and
>27th St NE from the bus stop at Washington Ave and 27th, two blocks
>to the east, where they had just gotten off a number 17 bus. This is
>supported by the bus schedule, which indeed stops at that corner at
>1:28am, minutes from the beginning of the incident. The rail yards
>are to the west of the house at which they were staying.
>- According to the journalists account of the incident, the police
>originally questioned them about car burglaries, not trespassing.
>This has not been contradicted by any statement of the MPD.
>- The MPD claim that officers confiscated these possessions to
>search for documentary evidence that the journalists were indeed
>trespassing on rail land. This offers no explanation whatsoever as
>to why the bag full of clothing, notebooks, fliers and money were
>confiscated, as none of these possessions could possibly offer
>evidence of the alleged trespass.
>
>The City Attorney is still deciding whether or not to press
>misdemeanor trespass charges. I would be very surprised if any
>charges were filed.
>
>I have joined with the journalists in calling for the MPD to release
>the squad car videos, which can quickly substantiate either the MPD
>or the journalists version of events.
>
>If the evidence fails to prove that these folks were trespassing on
>railroad property, I think a public apology to them from the City
>should be done.
>
>This is unfortunately not the only incident in the last several days
>in which journalists have been targeted by the MPD. KSTP news has
>footage of one of their cameramen being pushed into an elevator by
>an MPD sergeant, to prevent him from filming a protest. Another
>person also claims to have been detained and verbally abused for
>taking pictures from a public sidewalk.
>
>This is a disturbing pattern, and as I have said, it sets exactly
>the tone the Council was looking to prevent when we created the work
>group to create a model for how the City can preserve the right to
>political speech and civic debate without disrupting community life
>during the 2008 Republican National Convention last Spring, and when
>we passed the Police Practices Resolution just last month.  Part the
>latter explicitly prohibits MPD officers from confiscating cameras.
>
>I hope that by returning these civilians possessions we can put this
>incident behind us, and that by taking a careful look at all these
>incidents, we can prevent further missteps and establish a better
>climate of welcoming public scrutiny and the independent, free press
>and mass media to enhance and strengthen civic participation rather
>than stifle it.
>
>
>
>Cam Gordon
>Seward
>Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
>673-2202, 296-0579
<email obscured>
>http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
>http://secondward.blogspot.com/
>
>p.s. Here is the update I received today from Deputy Chief Valerie Wurster.
>
>Dear Mayor and Council:
>
>Id like to clarify the facts surrounding the case of the three New
>York residents who were detained in the Second Precinct near the
>Canadian Pacific rail yards on August 26, 2008.  MPD officers
>observed three individuals with cameras, backpacks and camping gear
>exiting the rail yards at 2604 6th Street NE at approximately 1:40 a.m.
>
>Our officers have extensive emergency preparedness training and
>seeing unauthorized people leaving a critical infrastructure site in
>the middle of the night was understandably concerning to them. The
>officers stopped the three to question them about their activity in
>the rail yard and collected their property to determine any threat
>to officer or public safety.  The individuals gave evasive answers
>to questions.  For example, they refused or were unable to tell
>officers were they were going or where they intended to spend the night.
>
>Because trespass in a railroad yard can be a felony offense and
>because this rail yard is frequently the site of hazardous
>materials, personal property belonging to these individuals was held
>pending review by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Upon completion of
>the review, the property was released to the individuals today.
>
>The case remains under investigation and will be forwarded to the
>City Attorneys office for potential misdemeanor trespass charges.
>
>It is unfortunate that the media is portraying this trespassing case
>as something connected to First Amendment rights.  Nothing could be
>further from the truth. These individuals were detained because it
>appeared they were trespassing on federal property and because they
>did not provide complete answers to officers questions. Please be
>assured that the MPD works to protect public safety, ensure our
>Constitutional rights, and uphold our laws.
>
>
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>See what people are saying about Windows Live.  Check out featured posts.
>http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008
>Cam Gordon
>
>Info about Cam Gordon: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/camgordon
>
>This topic's messages may be viewed at:
>http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/7I2mhRVEytp4BGbHMH3Vdi
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>2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
>
>
>--
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>8/26/2008 7:09 PM

From: Tony Webster Date: Aug 29 01:36 UTC Short link

Buses do have cameras and if the video is saved, the Metropolitan Council is
a government organization and subject to the Minnesota Government Data
Practices Act.  I would assume that those videos are public information for
the cost of preparation.  The only reason they wouldn't be is if they
consider the faces of individuals riding the bus to be private.  That could
be fought in court by saying individuals on the bus do not have a reasonable
expectation of privacy and they are in a public place, but that's not the
subject at hand.  If not, anything is subject to a subpoena should this
actually reach prosecution or when the journalists hopefully pursue this
matter in court.

I am quite pleased that the journalists obtained their equipment back after
a much unnecessary delay.  I have said it a couple times, but I'm quite
pleased with Cam Gordon's leadership on this issue in the absence of any
police leadership -- he's gone above and beyond.  City Council Members
should not have to fix the errors of a city department that apparently needs
training wheels again.

Just the same, I'll have to assume the that what we've heard is the truth,
since the MPD hasn't done their own press release aside from the Deputy
Chief's comments in an e-mail to the Mayor and City Council.  As such, it's
quite disappointing that a search warrant was successfully obtained
(according to the Minnesota Independent), presumably with false information,
to search and copy data.

And then Sgt. William Palmer says, according to the Pioneer Press, "They got
everything back but the marijuana."  Vlad, one of the detainees, denies that
allegation and counters, "...that would have been grounds for arrest, but we
weren't arrested."  Obviously if the officers at the scene were so intent on
detaining them and their property, they would have used ANY evidence to book
them in jail.  Sounds like planted evidence to me, and that's a new and
quite scary tactic for law enforcement to use in an attempt to subvert
justice.

The Minnesota Independent quotes St. Paul attorney Ted Dooley, "It's not
really a coincidence that they went after someone who had a history of
exposing just this kind of behavior by the police, ... it just seemed a
little bit planned."

Deputy Chief Valerie Wurster's claims in the e-mail to the Mayor and Council
are not substantiated by any video evidence from the squad cars at the
scene, so it's hard to take her seriously.  Furthermore, her comments that
the journalists "...refused or were unable to tell
officers were they were going or where they intended to spend the night," is
not a legal requirement and any officer requiring them to do so -- or using
that as a basis to detain them or their property -- is violating their
constitutional rights.  Her statement that "these individuals were detained
... because they did not provide complete answers to officers questions," is
an admission by the MPD, and perhaps a warning to us all: you no longer have
the right to remain silent in Minneapolis.

Still waiting to hear and see evidence showing probable cause.

Tony Webster
Loring Park

On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 7:58 PM, Jim McGuire <email obscured>> wrote:

> Someone could correct me if I'm wrong, but don't busses these days
> have video cameras on them?  If so, would it be possible to get the
> footage from the 17 bus in question that the videographers state they
> were riding.  That could confirm their story and the Met Council
> might* (key word is might) be more co-operative than the police.
>
> There's also the fact that buses are now tracked by GPS could nail
> down exactly where that bus was and when, though I'm not sure the GPS
> data is saved.
>
> Jim McGuire
> Como
>
> At 04:04 PM 8/27/2008, Cam Gordon wrote:
>
> >I am concerned by the reports of the incident Monday night in which
> >Minneapolis police officers detained three out-of-town
> >journalists/videographers and confiscated personal possessions
> >including two video cameras, two still cameras, two cellphones,
> >notebooks, fliers, a backpack full of clothing and other personal
> >effects, and even allegedly some cash.
> >
> >However, Im very pleased to say that after the media attention and
> >my inquiries, the journalists property has been returned to them today.
> >
> >I have heard from Minneapolis Police (MPD) administration that these
> >journalists were detained on suspicion of trespassing on railroad
> >property, and that the personal belongings of these journalists were
> >held pending review by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
> >
> >The journalists have flatly denied that they set foot on railroad
> >land. There are several reasons that I suspect they are telling the truth:
> >
> >- They claim to have been walking to the corner of 6th Ave NE and
> >27th St NE from the bus stop at Washington Ave and 27th, two blocks
> >to the east, where they had just gotten off a number 17 bus. This is
> >supported by the bus schedule, which indeed stops at that corner at
> >1:28am, minutes from the beginning of the incident. The rail yards
> >are to the west of the house at which they were staying.
> >- According to the journalists account of the incident, the police
> >originally questioned them about car burglaries, not trespassing.
> >This has not been contradicted by any statement of the MPD.
> >- The MPD claim that officers confiscated these possessions to
> >search for documentary evidence that the journalists were indeed
> >trespassing on rail land. This offers no explanation whatsoever as
> >to why the bag full of clothing, notebooks, fliers and money were
> >confiscated, as none of these possessions could possibly offer
> >evidence of the alleged trespass.
> >
> >The City Attorney is still deciding whether or not to press
> >misdemeanor trespass charges. I would be very surprised if any
> >charges were filed.
> >
> >I have joined with the journalists in calling for the MPD to release
> >the squad car videos, which can quickly substantiate either the MPD
> >or the journalists version of events.
> >
> >If the evidence fails to prove that these folks were trespassing on
> >railroad property, I think a public apology to them from the City
> >should be done.
> >
> >This is unfortunately not the only incident in the last several days
> >in which journalists have been targeted by the MPD. KSTP news has
> >footage of one of their cameramen being pushed into an elevator by
> >an MPD sergeant, to prevent him from filming a protest. Another
> >person also claims to have been detained and verbally abused for
> >taking pictures from a public sidewalk.
> >
> >This is a disturbing pattern, and as I have said, it sets exactly
> >the tone the Council was looking to prevent when we created the work
> >group to create a model for how the City can preserve the right to
> >political speech and civic debate without disrupting community life
> >during the 2008 Republican National Convention last Spring, and when
> >we passed the Police Practices Resolution just last month.  Part the
> >latter explicitly prohibits MPD officers from confiscating cameras.
> >
> >I hope that by returning these civilians possessions we can put this
> >incident behind us, and that by taking a careful look at all these
> >incidents, we can prevent further missteps and establish a better
> >climate of welcoming public scrutiny and the independent, free press
> >and mass media to enhance and strengthen civic participation rather
> >than stifle it.
> >
> >
> >
> >Cam Gordon
> >Seward
> >Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward
> >673-2202, 296-0579
> <email obscured>
> >http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward2/
> >http://secondward.blogspot.com/
> >
> >p.s. Here is the update I received today from Deputy Chief Valerie
> Wurster.
> >
> >Dear Mayor and Council:
> >
> >Id like to clarify the facts surrounding the case of the three New
> >York residents who were detained in the Second Precinct near the
> >Canadian Pacific rail yards on August 26, 2008.  MPD officers
> >observed three individuals with cameras, backpacks and camping gear
> >exiting the rail yards at 2604 6th Street NE at approximately 1:40 a.m.
> >
> >Our officers have extensive emergency preparedness training and
> >seeing unauthorized people leaving a critical infrastructure site in
> >the middle of the night was understandably concerning to them. The
> >officers stopped the three to question them about their activity in
> >the rail yard and collected their property to determine any threat
> >to officer or public safety.  The individuals gave evasive answers
> >to questions.  For example, they refused or were unable to tell
> >officers were they were going or where they intended to spend the night.
> >
> >Because trespass in a railroad yard can be a felony offense and
> >because this rail yard is frequently the site of hazardous
> >materials, personal property belonging to these individuals was held
> >pending review by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Upon completion of
> >the review, the property was released to the individuals today.
> >
> >The case remains under investigation and will be forwarded to the
> >City Attorneys office for potential misdemeanor trespass charges.
> >
> >It is unfortunate that the media is portraying this trespassing case
> >as something connected to First Amendment rights.  Nothing could be
> >further from the truth. These individuals were detained because it
> >appeared they were trespassing on federal property and because they
> >did not provide complete answers to officers questions. Please be
> >assured that the MPD works to protect public safety, ensure our
> >Constitutional rights, and uphold our laws.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
> >See what people are saying about Windows Live.  Check out featured posts.
> >http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008
> >Cam Gordon
> >
> >Info about Cam Gordon: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/camgordon
> >
> >This topic's messages may be viewed at:
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> >--
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> >8/26/2008 7:09 PM
>
>
> Jim McGuire
> Como, Minneapolis
> Info about Jim McGuire: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/jimmcguire
>
> This topic's messages may be viewed at:
> http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/3pgdG8kxYHyeagwgNhr82w
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