Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! Arrested in St. Paul

She was told not to cross the line.  The police have to make a stand when there is anarchy in the streets.  They set a line for no one to cross in order to protect those arrested and themselves.  In those situations you have to obey the police.  The law is in the poice's favor to not allow interference.

Bill,

She had a pass issued by the organizers, and is a bonafide reporter.  Pro-Repugnican reporters had no problem.  Amy's only crime was being a Democrat.

Suggesting this highly respected person was involved in "anarchy in the streets" is just plain ludicrous! LOL!

Beyond that it was a totally brain-dead move as the PR backlash will far outweigh any punitive lesson this idiocy could possibly be construed to have imparted on Ms.Goodman.

Look at the video again.  The police were saying anyone who crosses the line will be arrested.  Press does not have a legal right to cross every single line otherwise the press would have the right to the Presidents office, the bathroom stall in every gas station.....  Freedom of the press has restrictions.

Thanks for flags and comments, zichi and dunkelberg -

The message has been sent out loud and clear - 'if you think you are coming to St. Paul to make trouble, think again ...

That's my take, anyway ...

For those who want to complain please go to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor

and email the Democratic Mayor.

"Gov. Dean and I both demonstrated that you can lead a government with progressive values and strong management." the Mayor said.

I think maybe he thinks progressive is a Nazi state.

Now that it is exposed that the mayor is a democrat, will the comments stop?

Here is a notice I just received from the ANSWER Co-alition

Take Action to Defend RNC Protesters!
Stop the Police Riot in St. Paul!

Although it went virtually unmentioned in the corporate media, on Sept. 1, the largest anti-war march of 2008 took place outside the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. 30,000 people from all over the Midwest and the country gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul and them marched to the Xcel Center, the site of the RNC. Large numbers of buses came from all over Illinois, Wisconsin, and the surrounding states.

Michael Prysner, speaking in St. Paul

The march was overwhelmingly young people, and was led by the veterans' and immigrant rights contingents. Other sizable contingents included a strong labor contingent, a poor people's contingent, and a contingent in solidarity with Palestine. The chant ""Iraq for Iraqis -- Troops Out Now" filled the streets, along with the crowd favorite, "Who's the Biggest Terrorists in the World Today? Bush, Cheney and the CIA!"

Among the many speakers at the Minnesota State Capitol, where the march gathered, was Michael Prysner, an Iraq war veteran who represented the ANSWER Coalition. Mike addressed the crowd, "I was sent to Iraq in 2003 not to save the Iraqi people, but to kill the Iraqi people. I was sent not to free the Iraqi people, but to imprison and torture the Iraqi people. I was sent not to liberate Iraq, but to occupy Iraq. There is no longer any question that this war was not for so-called “Iraqi freedom”, it was not an act of self-defense, and it was not simply a foreign policy error by the republican party- it was a well-calculated plan carried out by both parties to dominate the Middle East, killing as many innocent people as necessary and profiting from that human suffering."

Send a Letter Demanding the St. Paul Government Release All Protesters!

The police have engaged in a widespread riot against social justice organizations, resulting in the arrest of around 300 protesters. Most of the arrested are still in jail, and at least one person with a serious medical condition has been refused care.

Even before the Convention began, protesters had the organizing centers raided. Armed groups of police in the Twin Cities have raided more than half-a-dozen locations since Friday night in a series of “preemptive raids." The raids and detentions have targeted activists planning to protest the convention, including journalists and videographers from I-Witness Video and the Glass Bead Collective. These media organizations were targeted because of the instrumental role they played in documenting police abuses the 2004 RNC Convention. Their comprehensive video coverage helped more than 400 wrongfully arrested people get their charges thrown out.

Democracy Now! producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar -- who clearly identified themselves as members of the media -- were arrested, and could face suspicion of rioting charges, a felony. When Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! went to the scene to inquire with a police commander about the arrest of her producers, she too was arrested. A CodePink march and several breakaway marches were also met with police repression. Tear gas and concussion grenades have been used to disperse crowds.

There is an undeniable pattern of police repression at these conventions. In 2004, 1500 protesters were arrested at the RNC. Subsequent litigation on behalf of the protesters revealed that national and local enforcement conspired to deny protesters their civil liberties and civil rights. Protesters were held in miserable conditions, and only mass pressure forced the police to release them.

To send a letter to the Mayor go to this link and scroll down.

This report was filed with information provided by John Beacham of the ANSWER Coalition.

Here is a link to a current video interview with Amy Goodman about her arrest, and I have posted it to the story as well.

Chris Coleman is a democrat too.

"They seriously manhandled me and handcuffed my hands behind my back. The top ID [at the convention] is to get on the floor and the Secret Service ripped that off me. I had my Democracy Now! ID too. I was clearly a reporter."

Well you look fine now Amy. Now get back to work!