Bill of Rights?

[mmerriam]

Whatever.

You can be raided and harassed if the police even think you might be up to something. I love how they're banding about words like "anarchists" and phrases like "possible conspiracy to riot." That's right, boys and girls! You don't even need to commit a crime these days, you can just assemble to discuss how your are going to protest at the RNC, and you are committing "conspiracy to riot."

Police Raid RNC Protesters

Police Raid in Minneapolis

Raid on Food not Bombs

ETA: haddayr points out in comments were at least one group's actions and the police response clearly falls into "Probable Cause." Here it is:

http://www.nornc.org/156/

Scroll down and read:
"On the first day of the convention, participants will employ a three-tiered direct action strategy to disrupt the RNC. The tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants; if a small number of participants show up, only the first tier will be carried out, but if the numbers are on hand, all three tiers will be in effect.

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

Those plugging into this strategy will be free to shape their actions as they see fit, using the tactics they consider appropriate. As the specific blockade sites are established, there may be a system of delegating some sites as “red zones” (prepared for self-defense), “yellow zones” (peaceful but assertive), and “green zones” (aiming to avoid any risk of arrest) so as to accommodate a wide variety of creative tactics and involve individuals with differing needs and talents."

Comments

[kmarkhoover.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say something like this was surprising. But after eight years of Bush it's just the norm for this country.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Were there protestors or arrests in Denver?

K.

[joelrosenberg.livejournal.com]

Yes, both. An ABC reporter who was filming the comings and goings of a meeting of big money Democrat contributors and Senators was probably the most obvious abuse. Harder to say, from this remove, whether the arrests at the protests were abusive.

This -- whether or not the arrests are legitimate; given that Fletcher seems to be behind this, I'm more than a little skeptical -- goes well beyond what happened there.

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

Yet one more example of this administration's use of preemptive strikes. They break international law and ignore the constitution with impunity.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, its called "probable cause."

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

If you hadn't posted this anonymously, I would have been able to take this comment more seriously. Cowards make me itchy.

I am eager to see if there WAS probable cause; in some cases, there might be. But the way the sweep is being conducted, and the way zoning/violations law was abused to further harass those arrested (and not arrested; if there was 'probable cause,' why were there no arrests at so many of these places?) makes me think we'll find out precious few of these searches were made with any probable cause at all.

oKAY

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Since I am NOT an anonymous coward, I will publicly eat crow: here's the probable cause:

http://www.nornc.org/156/

Scroll down and read:
"On the first day of the convention, participants will employ a three-tiered direct action strategy to disrupt the RNC. The tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants; if a small number of participants show up, only the first tier will be carried out, but if the numbers are on hand, all three tiers will be in effect.

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

Those plugging into this strategy will be free to shape their actions as they see fit, using the tactics they consider appropriate. As the specific blockade sites are established, there may be a system of delegating some sites as “red zones” (prepared for self-defense), “yellow zones” (peaceful but assertive), and “green zones” (aiming to avoid any risk of arrest) so as to accommodate a wide variety of creative tactics and involve individuals with differing needs and talents."

Re: oKAY

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

This does not remove my objections to the abuse of violations rules and the bizarre hassling of Bread not Bombs.

Re: oKAY

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would fall under probable cause.

Re: oKAY

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Although over at my blog, fengi is arguing quite effectively that the cops abused probable cause:

http://haddayr.livejournal.com/451537.html

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

I love how the police called them "self-described anarchists."

HELLO, MPD: IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO BE AN ANARCHIST.

[xray-spex.livejournal.com]

It sounds like there were some extremists that needed to be kept in check, but the actions taken were definitely extreme.

And I can't imagine that Food Not Bombs would do anything violent. Unless I missed some hidden agenda when I attended Food Not Bombs events in the past, they're essentially a group of peace-loving hippies who give free vegan meals to anyone who wants it.

[careswen.livejournal.com]

Dude! Let's go get arrested!