Protests at RNC - Voice Report #4 (from Mikasi)

by Mikasi | September 4, 2008 at 05:45 pm
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Protests at RNC - Video from Mikasi

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Protests at RNC - Video from Mikasi

This is Mikasi. I'm on a bike trail walking trail behind some apartments to the west of Mariam Street past block from the MacDonalds where I last talked to you between university and whatever the next street in southeast. There's an incident where a police chasing down a young man, I assume that the young tried to flee. I'm gonna let you talk to a person (eyewitness) and he will give you the details

 "Hi, my name is Darren. I'm a student at a local college and I was hiding from tear gas being [shot]. They're trying [to heard] everyone into the huge parking lot to arrest us but I took off into a neighborhood."

"I was hiding in a park contacting my mom when I saw a guy come running through and into the park. He was being pursued by a police officer on a bike. And, the police he got closer and closer, leave the bike and tackled him. As soon, as he tackled him, the kid repeated the same thing through the entirely the incident which was 'I'm just trying to go home'. The cop hit him, push[ed] him to the ground. He remained in a fetal position yelling, 'I just wanna go home, I just wanna go home'."

"I saw an undercover cop who said he was a citizen later denied even touching the guy. The undercover cop punch[ed] him and drag[ged] him by the leg and then a third cop grabbed him by his hair, pulled his face back so that a fourth cop could mace him'."

"The whole time he is in the fetal position yelling, 'I just wanna go home, I just wanna go home'."

Thanks, Daren. More as we get it, we walk away from the cops approaching us, he wants us just out of the area.

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Mikasi

I've added the videotape I have of Darren along with the man they identified as an undercover cop. What I saw personally was a bike whiz past me really quickly down a walking path and a policeman dismount quickly. The witnesses were up ahead of me and had a vantage point that I did not.

I did not bother to approach the officers who made the arrest - approximately four bike cops who were joined by a squad car and personell. That seemed only prudent since the police have arrested a number of journalists this week, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now being the most prominent.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune it was expected that over 200 people would be arrested tonight, though another source put it at closer to 300. According to the paper

"Among those arrested were two Associated Press reporters covering the event. They were issued a citation and detained, along with a KARE-11 TV photographer and more than a dozen other members of the media.

All were released later in the evening."

I am happy to report not being among the detained.

Amy Judd
Amy Judd
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 07:45 on September 5th, 2008

Mikasi, I like this story. It's good stuff.

This is awesome - great job!

politisite
politisite
flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:17 on September 21st, 2008

Mikasi, I like this story. It's good stuff.  I wasn't able to give you a flag during the convention as I was ill.  This was a fantastic job.  Great reporting

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

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