Breaking story: Raid in Mpls

[barondave]

3240 17th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN
site of police raids at approx. 8:00am 8/30/08
The police from several jurisdictions raided at least three houses in Minneapolis this morning, serving warrants from Ramsey County (St. Paul) apparently with cooperation with the St. Paul police, the Mpls police, the Ramsey County Police and the Hennepin County police. At 3240 17th Ave. S, the police broke down doors, drew guns and took three people away in handcuffs. They confiscated numerous items.

I interviewed a resident of the house who was not involved in any planned activity at the Republican National Convention, who saw the warrant and who's life has been affected. He's a very popular guy, and as I was talking to him another reporter came by. Here is the entire interview, unedited.

Alex (mp3, 8:57).


sign posted next door to raided house
Mpls, 8/30/08
KFAI-FM, Fresh Air Radio will have more on this breaking story.

UPDATE: I just (8pm) got off the phone with the Minneapolis police, a friendly Police Information Officer. I asked how long the five arrested people could be held if they weren't charged. According to him (and he checked with someone), the Rule of Criminal Procedure applies, and they could be held as late as Wednesday noon. That's the maximum they can be held without charges if they don't make bail, etc.

Comments

[davidwilford.livejournal.com]

Thanks Dave, I'd read about this in the Star Tribune today and wanted to know more about the arrests, given that there were 50 people detained also in St. Paul from the same group last night at a gathering there.

[radparker.livejournal.com]

Bleh. I guess this doesn't surprise me, but it still sucks. Good reporting on your part!

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

Interesting. They arrested five grad students, according to the AP, aged 22 to 25. Gotta be scared of those Caucasian college kids!

Shall we sing a chorus of Neil Young's "Ohio"? :-/

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reporting this - I trust your account a lot more than the mainstream media.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

That's the maximum they can be held without charges if they don't make bail, etc.

How can bail be even set without charges being filed?

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Gor me. That was just one of the things the officer mentioned. Perhaps I've put the clause improperly: The can get out earlier than Wed. noon if charges are brought and they make bail. Whatever legal maneuvers their lawyers have is also not my area of expertise.

The working assumption (I'm inferring) is that no charges will ever be brought and this is just a ruse to get troublemakers off the streets for the majority of the RNC. We shall see just who gets charged with what and when, and what protests actually happen at the RNC is still up in the air.

Aside: More than Monday, I'm looking at Tuesday morning as a problem time. You see, some St. Paul bars were allowed to be open until 4am for the convention. Or perhaps when people are released from jail on Wednesday...

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

Geez, that's frightening...

-=ShoEboX=-

[joshuwain.livejournal.com]

Holy crap...

This is really disturbing!

I'll pass it around.

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

.jpg's of the search warrants are available at:
http://twincities.indymedia.org/2008/aug/tc-imc-exclusive-complete-search-warrant-minneapolis-raid-today