Though I am late posting this to the website, this is still a timely reminder of the importance of Friends speaking truth, particularly about their own experiences . Thanks to Minnesota Friends for sharing their concerns with all of us. -Kathy

REFLECTIONS BY SOME TWIN CITIES FRIENDS ON EVENTS SURROUNDING THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION IN ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS

We who have united in this statement are members and regular attenders of several Quaker meetings in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Although our individual definitions of pacifism may vary, we have for years supported the traditional peace testimony of the Religious Society of Friends. We have exercised our right to protest massively but peacefully against the growing militarization of our country and against policies and practices that we saw as contrary to the Geneva Conventions and to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We have also defended the right of others to protest peacefully and to practice nonviolent civil disobedience in support of their convictions.

When we learned that St. Paul had been chosen as the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention, a number of us joined with other groups in seeking from city and county authorities an assurance that our rights to protest would be protected. Many months of negotiation left us with token access to the convention site, but the government’s concern with “safety” did not allow us to state our case directly and fully, nor to get clear answers either from local authorities in advance or from the RNC during the convention. Nevertheless, we felt that an understanding had been reached and that the civil liberties and legal rights of demonstrators would be respected. We know now that we were wrong.

During the week of the RNC St. Paul became an occupied city. Some 3,500 police, many brought from other parts of the country, lined the streets designated as routes for protest marches. These troopers were unidentified, helmeted, and armed. St. Paul is a river town, straddling the Mississippi. Without prior announcement our bridges were closed, isolating neighborhoods and halting business. People unable to reach their homes were trapped in the downtown area and were brutally attacked with mace, pepper spray, and rubber bullets. More than 800 were arrested during the four days of the convention, and many more were detained, abused, and released.

Even more disturbing were police raids on homes and on a meeting hall as much as three days before the convention began. Independent journalists were especially targeted. Sheriff’s officers confiscated cameras and computers and held people at gunpoint. Eight persons arrested in these raids have been charged with conspiracy to riot leading to terrorism.

Now Mayors R. T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul are congratulating themselves on having protected us from violence and made our cities a showcase for the nation. Indeed, outside of police attacks, there was little violence. All we have heard of are a few broken store windows, a damaged police car, one damaged bus, and an attempt to spray diluted household bleach on some delegates. As far as we have been able to determine, the perpetrators of this vandalism are unknown and have not been arrested. That has not prevented the authorities and the press from accusing a group of young people who openly espouse anarchism and oppose war. That group was infiltrated months ago, and the reports of paid police informers have become the basis for pre-emptive attacks and criminal charges. We personally know many members of this group, and we have found them to be gentle people who have a passionate concern for the Earth as well as for the poor, the forgotten, and the “collateral” victims of U.S. aggression.

Some of us were on the streets through most of the protests, offering medical and legal help where needed, and all of us have talked with many citizens who shared the experience. Nowhere have we seen or heard evidence of the dangerous weapons and explosives that police claim to have seized. We therefore join others in demanding a truly independent investigation of how and why our rights and liberties have been violated, our friends intimidated, and our quiet city turned into an armed camp.

Richard O. Fuller
Jeanne Landcamer
Rhoda Gilman
Paul Landskroener
Anne Holzinger
Ava Dale Johnson
Nancy Beecher
James Riemermann
Don Irish
John Cowan
Patricia McGuire
Charley Underwood
Jenny Heiser
Rich Broderick