Gestapo tactics in the Twin Cities (and my daughter is there)

[Mary Ann]

Raksha (1000+ posts)      Sat Aug-30-08 07:20 PM
Original message
Gestapo tactics in the Twin Cities (and my daughter is there)
 Advertisements [?]Everyone,

I received the following e-mail from my daughter this morning and I have her permission to post it on DU. She's at Ground Zero in the Twin Cities right now with her S.O. ("Scarecrow" in the e-mail) and the Pagan Cluster. It reads like a blog entry, and I believe she intends to post it on her own blog or MySpace page if she hasn't done it already. One of her Yahoo groups in on the distribution list, so it's already of a semi-public nature. What she describes here is obvious intimidation. If it's this bad before the convention even starts, what's it going to like later in the week?

I am very proud of my daughter, but OTOH I'll be relieved when she's back home in Berkeley in one piece. Your prayers for her safety would be much appreciated...she's in the lion's den right now, as I don't need to tell you.

--Linda aka Raksha


Hearing the horror stories from the woman with the little boy makes me wonder what I'll really do if the cops come in with guns drawn. Will I be afraid, and pleasd with them not to harm me, just like I did with that sketched out man that mugged me with a gun, on his bike, that night in Oakland three years ago? Will I be brave? Will Scarecrow try and protect me, and will that feel good, or will it make things worse? Already I can feel myself establishing an understanding about who I feel I can trust, and to what degree. Scarecrow, my love. Starhawk, Lisa, and Delilah, for the time they've spent in the trenches of activism. There are others that I don't know, or that I don't know well enough. What will they do when the **** hits the fan?

This young cop near me looks sleepy and sad sometimes- I strangely identify with him, hopefully more because I am also tired and sad and not out of some creepy Stockholm syndrome thing.

Every time someone is released we cheer and holler like our favorite rock star has emerged from back stage. We want them to be welcomed joyfully back from their ordeal, especially because the first the first couple that we saw looked so harrowed.

Earlier today, I was taking a nap when Scarecrow came upstairs and began urgently rifling through our stuff, trying to find the phone number for someone at the Convergence space. He’d seen about a dozen police cars and vans he believed were unmarked police vehicles at the local lumber store, where he just happened to be shopping for supplies to fix a plumbing problem at the house we’re staying at here in Minneapolis. And, the store just happened to be right near the Convergence space. At this moment, he said, he knew the Convergence space would be raided that night.

We hurried to get down there and found everyone peaceably eating dinner, unconcerned. Scarecrow tried to find someone “in charge” to relate his message to, but with anarchists, there really isn’t anyone in charge and besides, didn’t I mention that there was food? So instead, we sat down to eat and then took our Pagan Cluster meeting over to a local park. We’d only been there about an hour when Lisa received an urgent call from someone at the Space. They were being raided, cops with guns drawn. Please call The Lawyers. Please Help.

Once we got down there, we found the streets blocked and the place surrounded by cop cars and various unmarked police vehicles (I gotta tell you, I am never going to trust another mini-van ever again). Scarecrow began a whole song-and-dance with the cops about being just your average joe who’s car had been trapped by the ordeal, and thus took up quite a bit of their time and energy outside demanding to know who was in charge, how long this would take, and when he could get his car out. I didn’t know what the heck he was doing, though, which was frustrating – aren’t we buddies in this thing? I thought. Why the hell does he care about his car so much? Is this how its going to be when we’re out there on the streets – him wrapped up in some unspoken scheme, literally pulling me along by the hand as he goes about his business?

Meanwhile, our friends in the Cluster had decided to walk down to the mayor’s house, which just happened to be five blocks away. They were turned away by the mayor’s wife, who apparently didn’t want her husband bothered with such a petty thing such as dozens of people being traumatized by police who couldn’t seem to come up with the search warrant they were supposedly executing.

Another friend called her local city councilman and actually got him on the phone, although that wasn’t much help, either. The Lawyers showed up but were kept away from the building and away from the officer in charge, who was the one that we were told had the mysterious warrant.

After about an hour, finally the first protesters were let out of the building – a young, slightly chubby, Midwestern mom and her five year-old son, who clutched to her neck and stared at all of us with wide, fearful eyes. She was cursing and shaking, and sank down onto the concrete with exhaustion as soon as she crossed the street. Scarecrow and I ran down to the store and grabbed a case of bottled water, knowing that she and the others that released would need it. The waters quickly disappeared as more and more protesters were released, some frightened, others angry, but all with the same story – they’d been upstairs, watching a movie or cleaning up the dishes from dinner, when the cops broke down the doors and rushed inside with their guns drawn. They began throwing people down onto the ground and insisting that anyone that did not comply would be immediately arrested, even though no one could figure out exactly what they would be arrested for.

It’s over now. The organizers have released a press statement that a dark-haired young lawyer read aloud to the crowd and to the gaggle of gathered media people. She met my eyes when she read, “The violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police.”

That turned out to the case. This morning there were at least three more police raids, one of the Food Not Bombs kitchen up the street that had been cooking for us, the others of the homes of those people who had been on the lease for the rental of the convergence space. They took computers, ravaged kitchens, arrested people. And, as the dark-eyed lawyer said, this is only the beginning. On Monday, when the real actions begin, it will be much worse.

What will I do when it’s me? Can I be brave and stand up for myself and those I love? I’m afraid that I won’t, that I’ll forget all of my training, or that Scarecrow will see me in harm’s way and get violent, or that he won’t and that I’ll be dragged away from him. I’m afraid that the hurricane heading towards New Orleans will hit that town again, and that my friends there will be homeless or hurt, and the RNC will be delayed as a national emergency is declared.

And yet, in spite of all of this, certainly in spite of it, I think of Bush and Dick and Laura coming here on Monday and feel within me a sharp anger, a sharp resistance, and I know that what I want is to do everything within my power to stop them. I want the President of our country to be unable to address his party because a swell of passionate freedom fighters rises up and says No. No, you won’t, because you haven’t listened to us and because we don’t want to take it anymore. No, you won’t speak, because you have not allowed us to speak and to get our message out there. This is our message: that we care about people and the earth, which is warming and creating storms of rain and poverty and death, and we will not have you spending our money and our lives to manifest your sick agenda anymore. It’s over. And we’re not letting it happen again.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I had a warm and good conversation with Scarecrow that night that made me feel much better about our buddy-hood here. He had felt so connected to me the whole time that he thought we were simply on the same page; for me, beneath my fear, I knew what was going on with him but wanted more verbal validation. It was lovely to kiss and make up beneath the stars. Right now, he's off to man an information table in front of the former-Convergence Space (which has been nailed shut by the Sheriff) to help those who have just come to town get situated. I'm off to a strategizing meeting with the Cluster. More later!

Much love to you all,
Riyana

Related Twin Cities Daily Planet article:
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/08/30/police-...  

What an ordeal.  

[Carl]

In other words drug addled hippy wannabees are made to obey the laws.

On edit...

It does not take a brilliant person to see that there are many holes and things not said in this tripe of a story.

The radical jumps from one time frame to another are enough to see that.
Case in point.

We hurried to get down there and found everyone peaceably eating dinner, unconcerned. Scarecrow tried to find someone “in charge” to relate his message to, but with anarchists, there really isn’t anyone in charge and besides, didn’t I mention that there was food? So instead, we sat down to eat and then took our Pagan Cluster meeting over to a local park.

A mad dash to save freedom but then we sat down to eat.

Yeah,whatever.

[JohnnyReb]

Does she wear a label......"MADE IN BERZERKLEY".

[GOBUCKS]

Thanks! We need to stay current on the Berkeley Pagan Cluster at the RNC, because the fascist MSM will probably ignore them. My favorite line:

Scarecrow tried to find someone “in charge” to relate his message to, but with anarchists, there really isn’t anyone in charge and besides, didn’t I mention that there was food? So instead, we sat down to eat

I think that pretty much sums up the essence of the Berkeley Pagan Cluster. That and a shared dooby.

[Lord Undies]

She weeps for her freedom to stop the freedom of others, and of a president who has not "listened" to them.  What a putz!

I wonder if Scarcrow is called Scarcrow because he/she has a stick up it's ass in place of a spine?

[Mary Ann]

I want the President of our country to be unable to address his party because a swell of passionate freedom fighters rises up and says No.

Yeah. Whatever. Good luck with that. 

[Chris]

She weeps for her freedom to stop the freedom of others, and of a president who has not "listened" to them.  What a putz!

I wonder if Scarcrow is called Scarcrow because he/she has a stick up it's ass in place of a spine?

I thought the Scarecrow was looking for a brain.

[Chris]

Gestapto tactics? 

"Buckets of Urine, Slingshots & Anti-Bus Weapons Seized In Minnesota Raid"

Five people being held at the Hennepin County jail are under arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder and conspiracy to damage property.

Arrested at the 17th Avenue home were Monica Rachel Bicking, 23, Erin Chase Trimmer, 23, and Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, 25, Nestor said.

Nathanel David Secor, 26,was arrested at the 23rd Avenue South home.

Erik Charles Oseland, 21, was arrested an undisclosed location, the sheriff's office said.

[Airwolf]

And what did we see in Denver this past week during the DNC Nazi rally? People not allowed to have freedom of speech or of the press. Then there is that little thing that went on with the guy arressted for packing his guns in cases arrested for concealed weapons just because Skeletor was in the same building. Sorry but the brown shirted thugs are your guys.

[lastparker]

Ugh.  I only got through the first two paragraphs and realized that if MY kid wrote that, I'd have her sent to rehab.  And then back to English class.

What makes them proud......is very telling.

[Carl]

Ugh.  I only got through the first two paragraphs and realized that if MY kid wrote that, I'd have her sent to rehab.  And then back to English class.

What makes them proud......is very telling.

H5 and a very succinct way of summing it up.

[Bondai]

 

[BlueStateSaint]

It would be nice if there were some sort of counter-demonstrators there.

[FlaGator]

The daughter and the mother both probably have a broken chakra or two.

[Peter3_1]

This idiot has no idea what the dangers were, in fact, of "protesting" in the early 60's. Especially in ther south. I was entirely possible that in might get dead out that day/night.  Often the PD and the KKK were one and the same.

They'd whup you upside the head for just pure meanness.

These days, the PD is sweetness and light. They do everything they can to aviod any of these little darlings getting even chipped nails. Their imaginations are their greatest dsanger, except from their anarchist buds, who are the "whup you upside the head" people these days. And the idiots think they are their allies.

Brainless twits.

[GOBUCKS]

She met my eyes when she read, “The violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police.”

Don't tase me, bro.