I just attended a Press Conference with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Police Chief John M. Harrington and -- after they boasted of how "restrained" their police actions were -- asked about the journalists and lawyers who had been detained and/or arrested both today and over the weekend. They said they wouldn't give any information about journalists who had been arrested today, though they said they believed that "one journalist" had been, and that she "was seemingly a participant in the riots, not simply a non-participant." I'll have video of the Press Conference posted shortly.

Chris Coleman is DFL, Democrat-Farmers-Labor Party, Minnesotan for Democrat.

...there is no word on the two Democracy Now producers who were also arrested -- Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar (the former of whom typically books my appearances on that show and the latter of whom had a nose bloodied while being arrested).

Let's give the police the benefit of the doubt until we know more.

I support the police on this one.

Amy Goodman was trying to find out why two of her reporters had been arrested. They had absolutely nothing to do with any kind of battery perpetrated against convention-goers, and were simply trying to record on video the events that were taking place. She didn't back up because she had just witnessed an unlawful arrest and was questioning the actions of the police. For her trouble, she was arrested and pepper-sprayed. The MSM is completely ignoring these actions. Delightful. Keep in mind, that of the 8 or 9 raids that have taken place in the last couple of days, only one resulted in arrests based on evidence. All the other arrests happened because the people being questioned insisted on seeing warrants, etc.

But that's ok, right? Because if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about. "Conspiracy to riot," huh? Sounds like Cheney himself might have come up with that little gem.

If it was anything like the NYC Repub Convention scene, the police would arrest anyone in the area, putting those pliable plastic fences around a group and just close the net, then take everyone to a holding are on one of the wharves on the Hudson (iirc). Miserable conditions. People walking leaving the NYC library, just walking down the steps to the sidewalk. Minors, with no notice to parents. Sick people without their medications. Way cool.

NYC is now paying out millions for false arrests. Mostly bcz of the videotaping that was done by one of the groups subject to a police raid in the Twin Cities.  The lesson they appear to be taking from NYC is to intimidate and arrest the watchers, those with video cameras.

They are reporting that police used tear gas on groups where there were families and children (leaving a SEIEU Labor Day concert). Some video group got caught up in an arrest sweep, but was allowed to leave when journalists with credentials were told they could go. A medic was not allowed to leave and was shown prone on the ground with police cuffing him. Link for video at Firedog link. Kind of boring, but reporter did state it's very uncomfortable sitting for long period with hands above head.

I've been struck by the attitude that the people arrested were somehow asking for it or deserved it. Glenn Greenwald points out that that is one of the objectives of this kind of police action: People must learn compliance. Immediate and unquestioning obediance to the orders of authorities. Whether right or wrong, legal or not legal. The compliant citizen is a controllable citizen.

He says the founding fathers knew one of the most important means of keeping a democracy was to have the right to speak, to protest, to assemble freely. Now, the government is working to make assembly possible only in "cages" or remote locations. Any assembly outside the government's permitted parameters is subject to arrest. What people take from this is 1) those protesters must be kinda crazy to risk ticking off those guys with tasers and guns and chemical weapons and 2) it's safer to just stay home, keep your head down and not get noticed. Do Not Make Waves.

If it is "hard left" to believe in freedom of speech and assembly, guilty as charged.

If it is "hard left" to believe that reporters (with credentials and videocameras) should be allowed to do their job, guilty as charged.

I have no argument with police stopping anarchists from committing violence or damaging property, but this is about a police force (led, in many of these raids, by the FBI) which is painting all protest groups as "anarchists." This is simply untrue.

Apparently, some in our new America think it is acceptable behavior to round up people and hold them incognito without cause, or just go on fishing expeditions, and, when no evidence is found, confiscate the laptops and cell phones of ordinary citizens who have committed no crime, again, without cause.

I have the greatest respect for the police and the difficult job they do. I've personally benefited from outstanding police work in my life.

Listen closely.....if any police personnel are found to have violated the law, or used excessive force, or found guilty of any other unnacceptable behavior, they should be prosecueted to the full extent of the law.

There are some fairly bad images of protesters attacking police. You won't like the site, but the photos look legit and the AP feeds only have boring photos from inside or else arrest photos.

Some anarchists also attempted to murder delegates by tossing cement and sandbags off of overpasses.

I looked for today's program, but couldn't find it. It's usually on the front page, top. Hhhmmmm.