Minnesota nice

August 31, 2008 9:04 AM

The Unconvention wants Twin Cities residents to make an effort to help the Republicans feel comfortable while visiting a city that might not be full of people who think or look like they do. (multilink YouTube post.)

The project organizers also solicited videos from the public and posted their picks.

posted by ardgedee (24 comments total)

That first one is brill, especially with "make an effort". The second was...wha? Local thing I guess. The last was just kind of meh. The hostile look in the mirror was working against the message of making the Rs feel comfortable.
posted by DU at 9:16 AM on August 31, 2008

I will be marching in the Liberty Parade this afternoon with the Brass Messengers so watch out for me
posted by wheelieman at 9:20 AM on August 31, 2008

The second one is referring to the Oldenburg/Van Bruggen spoon with a cherry sculpture (sort of a local icon for the Walker museum).
posted by tractorfeed at 9:22 AM on August 31, 2008

That guy didn't wash his hands! Ew!
posted by paisley henosis at 9:26 AM on August 31, 2008

Well, the police are doing their part: Massive police raids on suspected protestors in Minneapolis

As the [Democracy Now] producer explains, she was present at a meeting of a group called "I-Witness" -- which videotaped police behavior at the 2004 GOP Convention in New York and helped get charges dismissed against hundreds of protesters who were arrested. The police surrounded the St. Paul house where they were meeting even though they had no warrant, told them that anyone who exited the house would be arrested, and then -- even though they finally, after several hours, obtained a warrant only for the house next door -- basically broke into the house, pointed weapons at everyone inside, handcuffed them, searched the house, and then left.

posted by hydrophonic at 10:14 AM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

It's a strange time in Minneapolis. I live in downtown Minneapolis, and, as someone said a few days ago, the RNC is treating the Twin Cities' like a mullet, St. Paul being the part that's in front, and is all business, and Minneapolis being the part in back, that's all for party.

Police presence is very high -- I've only experienced this level of constant, visible police presence in Los Angeles after the riots and in New York just post 9/11. At the lightrail, a warning constantly scrolls across the LED signs that all bicycles left unattended will be immediately removed. Bikes. A voice come on every so often to say that is is bikes AND packages. These signs and prerecorded warnings did not exist before today. Police wait for you as you get off the lightrail, demanding to see your ticket -- an easy way to scoop up people, particularly transients and, I suppose, protesters who have decided to stupidly fight the man by not buying a ticket.

Entire blocks of downtown Minneapolis have been shut down, for all intents and purposes, and are surrounded by police vehicles.

I wonder if Denver felt like this.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:24 PM on August 31, 2008

> I wonder if Denver felt like this.

I asked that yesterday and koeselitz said 'no'.
posted by ardgedee at 12:59 PM on August 31, 2008

Police presence is very high -- I've only experienced this level of constant, visible police presence in Los Angeles after the riots and in New York just post 9/11.

But doesn't the RNC pick up the tab for OT? If I'm the local union rep, I'd be making sure my cops were working 24/7 and getting as much of that coin as possible.
posted by three blind mice at 1:20 PM on August 31, 2008

Most of day one of RNC suspended.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:23 PM on August 31, 2008

More on the massive preemptive police raids on activist homes, from a local citizen journalism group.
posted by mediareport at 1:49 PM on August 31, 2008

Ron Paul followers gather for own convention. Their aim: Remind GOP of anti-war, anti-regulation, anti-taxes movement
posted by homunculus at 2:01 PM on August 31, 2008

I would love to go out and greet all the wonderful rich white oligarchs to my city. Unfortunately, I have to go through my apartment and get rid of all my maps, documents, computer and camera equipment, photographs taken in St. Paul, paint, and other communications, because possessing them evidently puts me in violation of fire code.
posted by dsword at 4:17 PM on August 31, 2008

Police wait for you as you get off the lightrail, demanding to see your ticket -- an easy way to scoop up people, particularly transients and, I suppose, protesters who have decided to stupidly fight the man by not buying a ticket.

Oh, they definitely waited for us.

Actually, when we arrived at our final destination, the Mall of America to see this guy off to his first day back at work, they were decked out in riot gear. Don't have pictures of that yet (those aren't my flickr photos, I didn't take any, so have to wait for others to post). In all fairness to the cops though, they were fine with us actually. They did question us a bit (first picture) about what we were doing as we entered the city of Bloomington. It was the MOA that raised a stink. Though I'm sure with the convention in town, they were probably much more eager to squash some activity. Also, to be fair, at first, we were demonstrating outside a light rail stop in Minneapolis. Then the intention was to all go as one large group, as quietly as a group of 40-50 can be, to the Mall to get some coffee from Erik on his first day back at work. The mall decided we were demonstrating, and considered us tresspassers, hence the cops dressed in riot gear waiting for us there. It was a bit absurd when they didn't let anybody off our car though.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 4:57 PM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ah. Found one of our warm welcome.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 5:30 PM on August 31, 2008

Federal government involved in raids on protesters
posted by homunculus at 5:31 PM on August 31, 2008

Ah. Found one of our warm welcome.

"Citizen! Pick up that can!"
posted by rokusan at 9:34 PM on August 31, 2008 [4 favorites]

Are you there God? It's me Michael....
posted by hortense at 11:46 PM on August 31, 2008

I don't understand how any disparate actions by police in (generally red-state) Denver during the DNC and by police in (generally blue-state) Minnesota during the RNC can be attributed to different views by Democrats or Republicans. People who are closer to the planning of the conventions may correct me, but Minnesota is not being guarded by conservative stormtroopers right now. It is being guarded by the same Minnesota police/state police/national guardsmen who were there a month before the RNC and who will be there a month after the RNC. Ditto for Denver.
posted by Slap Factory at 6:59 AM on September 1, 2008

I don't understand how any disparate actions by police in (generally red-state) Denver during the DNC and by police in (generally blue-state) Minnesota during the RNC can be attributed to different views by Democrats or Republicans.

Right. Both the Democratic and Republican parties hate you.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:28 AM on September 1, 2008

> I wonder if Denver felt like this.

I live just a few blocks from downtown Denver. I was in and around downtown everyday of the Convention, and I even attended the Convention Tuesday night with a guest pass. Overall, I was surprised how smoothly the week went.

The first night of the Convention I saw masses of riot-clad police streaming through the streets. It felt like some apocalyptic movie. That was Monday night, the night of the largest arrest (106 people). These riot-clad police were converging on the demonstration in Civic Center Park. There was a great deal of tension and energy on the streets Monday night. From most accounts, the use of police force Monday night was excessive.

However, the days that followed seemed pretty sedate -- there were only something like 46 arrests (reported to be DNC-related) the rest of the week. There was still a great deal of energy and excitement downtown, but I had no sense of tension after Monday night. There was a strong police presence throughout downtown with police from seemingly every Colorado jurisdiction, but I personally only saw police action that first night. I did not see them shaking anyone down or otherwise harassing people. Protesters seemed to be passing freely throughout downtown. Some wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods (gitmo uniforms), some with large signs explaining that we were all going to hell, and many protesters adorned with dead fetuses. Generally, the police, the conference attendees, and most of the protesters seemed to be pretty relaxed. An article from the Rocky Mountain News.

In my opinion, the worst part was traffic. Downtown traffic was bad, because the major roads immediately surrounding the Pepsi Center were closed. And worse, there were way too many drivers downtown that acted like they had never seen a pedestrian or a cyclist before.
posted by gruchall at 9:33 AM on September 1, 2008

Democracy Now interview with lawyer Bruce Nestor and former FBI agent Coleen Rowley.
posted by homunculus at 10:53 AM on September 1, 2008

Iraq war vets rally in St. Paul
posted by homunculus at 3:03 PM on September 1, 2008

Amy Goodman Arrested - UpTake Team Avoids Arrest, Tear Gas Being Used On Children

WTF?
posted by homunculus at 4:17 PM on September 1, 2008

If anyone still cares, there's finally a video up about our whole trip to the mall.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 3:58 PM on September 24, 2008