Post in [MN-Pol] RNC Reaches into NE MPLS

Aug 29 01:36 UTC

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