All posts in the topic RNC: my letter to the Heffelfinger commission (Short link)

Nov 19 21:33 UTC

(Since I had to work last Thursday night when testimony was being taken
regarding the RNC, my only choice was to send my comments to them via email.
Note: Comments are being accepted only through today, 11/14,08, by emailing
lucie.passus (at) stpaul (dot) gov   The following is my letter.)

One of the saddest fatalities of the Republican National Convention was the
previously good community policing by the St. Paul Police Department.

No department is perfect, of course, but the basic relationship between the
Twin Cities peace community and the St. Paul Police Department was unusual for
the ongoing tone of mutual respect.  Even when peace people were performing
acts of non-violent civil disobedience and were therefore arrested, the
bilateral understanding was that each side was doing its job as professionally
as possible.  Peace people understood that the police had the job of arresting
them for any illegal acts, however non-violent.  Police often agreed with the
political goals of the protesters if not the tactics, and the police almost
always understood that even civil disobedience was devoid of any danger to
civic order or to their own personal security.

Against this backdrop, a meeting was held nearly a year before the convention,
specifically to calm any concerns about the upcoming convention.

On October 23, 2007, the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers and the University
of St Thomas Justice and Peace Department invited the St Paul police to discuss
the upcoming Republican National Convention. It was absolutely amazing to look
back on the promises made and compare them to what actually happened. Let's
review.
Assistant St Paul Police Chief Matt Bostrom promised that St Paul would
absolutely NOT be a repeat of Seattle 1999. He said that we would not be
following the brutal and repressive "Miami model" from the 2003 FTAA protests,
but that there would be a warm and welcoming "St Paul model" for all to see. He
said that what got him out of bed in the morning was his abiding concern for
civil liberties.

Bostrom promised that there absolutely nobody would be arrested unless they
committed a specific crime, that there would not been any general sweeps.
(Fact: There were actually three mass arrests for "being in the wrong place at
the wrong time," on Shepard Road September 1, after the
Rage-Against-the-Machine concert in Minneapolis on September 3, and on the
Marion Street bridge on September 4.)

Bostrom promised the police officers would be readily identifiable and wearing
regular police uniforms, not tactical gear. (Fact: Nearly all "security"
personnel were clad in black "ninja turtle" suits, with no unit or personal
identification visible, and even covered up so much that it was usually
impossible to determine gender.)
Bostrom promised there might be some changes in traffic patterns, but there
would be absolutely no restrictions in foot traffic. (Fact: Nearly every bridge
near St Paul was closed at one point or another, and major parts of the
downtown area were blockaded on each day of the convention.)

Bostrom promised that all "security" would be under the supervision of the St
Paul Police Department and that any other jurisdictions cooperating with the
event would be "partnered" with St Paul officers and under the direct control
of the St Paul Police Department. (No contradicting "facts" here, but I have
yet to meet a single person who concluded that St Paul Police controlled
security of the convention. Most would speculate that Ramsey County Sheriff Bob
Fletcher was in immediate control, but that the general direction was
determined by some anonymous federal agency.)

Matt Bostrom declared there would be absolutely no restrictions on free speech
and that, in fact, the entire city of St Paul would be a "free speech zone."
(Fact: You couldn't even get to the "public expression" zone most evenings of
the convention, because the streets were blocked by menacing lines of
black-clad individuals in riot gear.)
Bostrom said that there would be permits granted in advance, but that officers
on the scene would also be able to grant permits "on the fly." (Fact: The
Thursday march permit was actually revoked "on the fly" and nearly 400 people
were later arrested as they attempted to march to the Xcel Center.)

Bostrom promised that St Paul police would not let federal agents "go after
people." (This might be technically true, if all those preventative arrests
were at the initiative of Bob Fletcher and not merely Fletcher acting on behalf
of some federal agency.)

Bostrom promised that protesters would be able to confront the Republicans
within "sight and sound" in accordance with previous court rulings. (Fact:
Thursday's march was specifically prohibited from going crossing Interstate 94
or going anywhere near the Xcel Center.)

Bostrom promised that there would be no massive holding pens or arrest quotas
of 3,000 people. (Fact: False on the holding pens, but technically correct on
the quota number, since only about 800 were actually arrested. It should be
mentioned, however, that many more were tased and especially pepper-sprayed
than any previous similar event.)

Bostrom said that there were "no plans" to infiltrate any groups. (Fact: Recent
court records relating to search warrants indicated that infiltration had
actually started at least the month before, probably under the supervision of
the Ramsey County Sheriff's office.)

Bostrom indicated that no private security would be hired. (Both Pioneer Press
and Star Tribune reported that a million dollars was approved by the St Paul
City Council for private security.)

I have saved the most interesting promise for last. Professor Gerald Schlabach
of the St Thomas Justice and Peace Department asked Chief Matt Bostrom a very
serious question toward the end of the evening. Schlabach wondered how Bostrom
would react if St Paul lost control of the convention security to a different
agency and if all of the promises were broken. Gerald Schlabach asked Chief
Bostrom if Bostrom would resign.

Matt Bostrom thought quietly for a good long moment. He didn't answer in a way
that seemed impulsive or off-the-cuff. Bostrom seemed to really consider the
question quite seriously before answering. Then Bostrom answered quite simply
that he would resign. (Fact: Bostrom is still employed as Assistant Chief of
the St Paul Police Department. Like the other promises, this one was broken.)

The video of that evening’s presentation is not in my possession, but I have
been able to determine where it is and I believe I could obtain a copy for any
investigators who have even the slightest interest in reviewing the false
promises that officials in St. Paul made prior to the convention.

It is not my intention to criticize only Chief Matt Bostrom.  The problem is
much greater than one person, of course.  His was the public face of the many
official lies and broken promises surrounding the RNC.

Those of us who witnessed many of the events in St. Paul during that time saw
numerous cases of arbitrary arrests, arbitrary pepper-spray, massive
intimidation of non-violent protest through the use of anonymous and riot-clad
officers with lethal batons and less-lethal weapons deployed during legal and
permitted protests.

Those of us on the streets during those days (I myself was volunteering as a
street medic during most of the convention) have spoken to many bystanders who
were pepper-sprayed or arrested, sometimes while specifically obeying police
orders.  Those of us with computers and internet access have seen the videos of
wanton police violence against the non-violent.

Here’s the problem.  The St. Paul Police Department and the Ramsey County
Sheriff’s Office have chosen to protect themselves from any accountability to
the public.  They have chosen to do this by donning anonymous riot uniforms,
disguising not only personal identity, but masking the actual units of the
officers as well.  It thus became impossible to link any excessive violence
with any particular individual, police department or other agency.  They have
also done this by refusing to release the thousands of hours of videotape to
citizen groups or even lawyers defending their clients.  They have refused to
apologize or even investigate any police misconduct, preferring to close ranks
behind the myth that everything was just fine.

It is also quite amazing that absolutely no information has been released
regarding most of the actual violations of law.  I have tried for many hours,
for example, to discover if any charges were pending against the individual who
broke the Macy’s window on September 1 and the individuals who broke the squad
car windows on September 1.  I have called the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office,
the St. Paul Police, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ramsey County
Prosecutor’s Office.  There has been a complete stonewalling, in spite of the
fact that these two incidents where the ones used to justify the massive police
violence that we witnessed during those days.

The general belief in the community is that these incidents will not be charged
because they were done by provocateurs.  I have no idea if the majority of the
property destruction was committed by those on the police payroll, or if there
is some other explanation for the lack of arrests for actual breakage.  I only
know that there were hundreds and hundreds of officers in the area of each
incident, that these crimes are not even being mentioned at this point.

And I know that only the more speculative and political crime of “conspiracy”
is being mentioned through official outlets.  In this world, graywater becomes
“weaponized” urine and old tires or roofing nails become weapons.

Perhaps it is a foregone conclusion that police officers will protect their own
regardless of the law, much like Mafia omerta or other gang loyalty. There will
be a heavy price to pay, however, if this is the eventual conclusion.  Police
will be seen exclusively as the protectors of the powerful, rather than the
protectors of the people.  Police will be seen as dangerous.  Police will be
seen as the enemy, merely because they have chosen to treat peaceful citizens
as the enemy.

If we are to return to a model of community policing, if we are to have the
police be protectors of the people and enforcers of the law, rather than
lawless enforcers of terroristic official power, then we must right a few
wrongs committed during the convention.  I have several suggestions.

First, drop all charges against those rounded up in the mass arrests on Shepard
Road, on the Marion Street bridge and in Minneapolis after the Rage concert;
charge only those who committed actual acts of violence against people or
damage against property.  Drop all charges that have to do with being “in the
wrong place at the wrong time.”

Second, drop all the conspiracy charges.  These are thought crimes, open to
whim, influence and paranoia.  Charge only those who committed actual violence.

Third, conduct real, open hearings into citizen complaints of police violence.
Let there be sworn testimony and the possibility of criminal charges where
actual assaults have occurred.

Fourth, dismiss all police and sheriff’s officers who have made false
statements in their reports.  Have their statements be evaluated for criminal
prosecution.

Fifth, examine the legality of anonymous policing.  Those black ninja outfits
have no place in a democracy, and my understanding is that there are already
state laws that prohibit such practices.

Sixth, immediately secure all video evidence during the convention so that none
may be erased or destroyed.  Release such evidence to all lawyers representing
defendants, to all journalists of any description, and to the general public at
large (perhaps through internet access).

Seventh, give some explanation as to why such illegal intimidation and massive
use of chemical weapons was allowed to occur.  This wasn’t the plan.  What
happened?

Last, apologize.  Minnesotans are a kind and forgiving people.  Mistakes will
happen.  But most of us hate lies and we love our freedom.  We have heard a lot
of lies and lost a lot of freedom.  A sincere apology by at least two mayors,
one police chief and a sheriff would go a long way.

Sincerely, Charles Underwood

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