Posted on 08/31/2008 4:00:52 AM PDT by atomic conspiracy
Ramsey County sheriff's deputies found weapons and devices to disable buses - among other items - in searches in the Twin Cities last night and today.
Authorities said the items came from "key members of the RNC Welcoming Committee," a self-described anarchist group.
Five people have been arrested and four properties have been searched, according to the sheriff's office.
At 8 a.m. today, the sheriff's office executed search warrants at three Minneapolis homes - 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3500 Harriet Ave. and 3240 17th Ave. S. The FBI, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County sheriff's office assisted them.
"The 'Welcoming Committee' is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal actsbefore and during the Republican National Convention," said Sheriff Bob Fletcher in a statement. "These acts include tactics to blockade and disable delegate buses, breaching venue security and injuring police officers. They have recruited assistance in their criminal conspiracy from other anarchists groups throughout the country. Through their plans and actions they have exhibited a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of others."
The statement said the items found in the searches included:
Materials to create "sleeping dragons" (PVC pipe, chicken wire, duct tape), which is when protesters lock themselves together Large amounts of urine, including three to five gallon buckets of urine Wrist rockets (high-powered slingshots) A machete, hatchet and several throwing knives a gas mask and filter Empty glass bottles Rags Flammable liquids Homemade caltrops (devises used to disable buses in roads) Metal pipes Axes Bolt cutters Sledge hammers Rapelling equipment Kryptonite locks Empty plastic buckets cut and made into shields Material for protective padding An Army helmet. The 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.
"Conspiracy to riot was the charge used against the Chicago Eight in 1968 as part of a politically motivated prosecution," said Bruce Nestor, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "It is a charge that is essentially used for preventive detention."
A St. Paul building leased by The RNC Welcoming Committee, Where A Search Warrant Was Executed Friday Night, Is being turned back over to the property owner, the mayor's office said this afternoon.
An inspector from the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections secured the former theater on the city's West Side after fire code violations were found during the search, said Bob Hume, Mayor Chris Coleman's spokesman. The violations included a boarded-up fire exit and "sleeping pads everywhere," Hume said.
The building was secured, pending notification of the property owner, which has happened, Hume said.
No one was arrested after Friday night's search, but five arrests were made today.
People planning to protest at the Republican National Convention and St. Paul City Council Member Dave Thune are calling the actions a preemptive strike before the RNC, which starts Monday.
St. Paul's mayor said this afternoon that free speech rights are separate from criminal behavior.
"We have worked very, very hard to make sure we've protected people's right to exercise free speech," Coleman said. "To pick up a protest sign, that's fine. If you're here to pick up a brick or some other instrument there's a problem."
Thune said he called city officials seeking an explanation for why the building, which appeared to be up to code and had a valid lease, was being boarded up at the request of the Ramsey County sheriff's office. Thune said Saturday afternoon that the building has been reopened.
"I don't know what happened with the boarding, but they've corrected it, and I'm grateful to our folks at DSI (Department of Safety and Inspections) for seeing the mistake."
Thune has been concerned about the conduct of authorities in the last 24 hours regarding activists.
"This is all about free speech," Thune said. "It's what my father fought in the war for. To me, this smacks of preemptive strike against free speech."
Friday's warrant was executed at 627 Smith Ave. in St. Paul about 9:15 p.m. The building is a former theater that the RNC Welcoming Committee is renting. The sheriff's office said St. Paul police assisted in the search.
Members of various protest groups targeted in last night's raid held a press conference today to express their anger and frustration.
The raid was an effort to "derail RNC protest organizing efforts and to intimidate and terrorize individuals and groups converging in the Twin Cities to exercise what are supposed to be their basic civil rights," RNC Welcoming Committee member Tony Jones read from a statement.
"We will not be intimidated," Jones exclaimed.
The group is demanding re-entry into the convergence space and a guarantee against future raids, the return of all property seized and an end to the "harassment and surveillance."
After reading the statement, Jones refused to answer media questions, saying RNC Welcoming Committee members won't talk until they've had a chance to meet with each other.
There will be another press conference this afternoon at the former Smith Theater, the site of last night's raid. Representatives of other protest groups, such as the Poor People's Economic Rights Campaign, spoke out against local police at the press conference.
Cheri Honkala, who's participated in other RNC protests, such as in New York in 2004, compared the St. Paul raid to "terrorism."
"We, just like the Republicans, have the right to free speech," Honkala said. One speaker, who said she does not belong to any protest group, but lives in St. Paul and has been helping visiting protesters, said the raid on the convergence center was unprompted and that the people there had done nothing wrong.
"The place they raided last night, they were showing documentary movies to twenty-somethings in a clean, alcohol free zone after dinner," Nanette Echols said.
"Today is the biggest day that people are arriving, and we have no place to welcome them," she said, choking up.
George Soros's hotel room?
The violations included a boarded-up fire exit and "sleeping pads everywhere," Hume said.
Eegad! Those sleeping pads probably contain vermin as yet unknown to science. The whole world really is watching this time, moonbats, with the net bypassing your media allies, and you look like a bunch of paint-huffing terrorist wannabes.
"The place they raided last night, they were showing documentary movies to twenty-somethings in a clean, alcohol free zone after dinner," Nanette Echols said. "Today is the biggest day that people are arriving, and we have no place to welcome them," she said, choking up.
Sure enough, paint fumes.
Just be thankful that none of these “freedom fighters” has ever spent a day in the US military’s basic training.
It’s also clear that none ever received “potty training” at home.
Whose offspring are these mutts?
BUCKETS OF URINE SALUTE TO ALL REGISTERED DEMOCRATS!
Learning to piss in a bucket was probably a big step up in social skills for the moonbats.
lol!
Check out how these anarchists were armed for insurrection. LOL
Yes, they could create some mischief. Yes, if they got really serious about it, they’d be Darwin candidates in short order.
If these items were found in an RNC-unrelated incident theses AH’s would be clasified as terroist & been all over the local rags and MSM
Over at the DUmp, they were of course defending these people. They were whining about the police state we live in.
My wife, then 10 years old, was an eyewitness to the ‘68 Chicago riots (her mom was a delegate).
She remembers the family barricading themselves in her parents’ room as cops fought the commie rioters just a block away. Her folks, old-line Rayburn/Truman Dems at the time, have voted Republican for many years now.
Matter of fact, many of us were so concerned that we forwarded urls of those sites to Federal authorities.
Oh yes, they were watching.
Very odd how the left is saying “oh no, these people only had food”, but they were fine with a ‘free speech’ cage for their own in Denver.
They should have dumped the buckets on the protesters, photographed them and let them go. If they complain about being degraded, arrest them for the same charge. After all, what is good for the goose, is good for the gander.
ALL of the conspirators should be treated to a one way visit to Guantanamo Bay.
Bill Ayers must be very proud...
Materials to create “sleeping dragons” (PVC pipe, chicken wire, duct tape), which is when protesters lock themselves together Large amounts of urine
I say tie them with their sleeping dragons and pour the urine on them. I will be willing to donate more if needed.
This is the story from which the DUmmies are getting the vapors. Apparently the writer failed to mention the buckets of urine, axes, an other implements of destruction that were seized.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/index.html
I thought the leftists loved it when court judges make a decision?
********potentially disease-laden body fluids, flammable liquids, bottles and other explosive devices and weapons constitute terrorism in my book*********
Indeed - and even more so in the hands of these domestic- fanatics.
I have to believe they would be more of a threat if they were trained warriors instead of wild-eyed weirdos.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.