Help, more signatures needed. ASAP for Arrestee's of RNC

[annm4peace]

While the battle for votes between Coleman and Franken goes on there is a bigger battle for our democracy that happened in MN.

THE RNC gave money to St Paul and Minneapolis (both Liberal Democratic cities),
*$$$$ 50 million dollars go cover Riot cops, and their equipment, law-suits from illegal arrests and abuse.
The Ramsey Count Attorney Susan Gaertner who wants to be the Democratic candidate for Govenor needs to hear from you. If Democratic leaders in Democratic cities can sell out the people, what will happen in Republican cities ?

At the very least I would have thought DU people would have signed the petition to tell Gaertner to drop all charges. We need your help. Please sign the petition. (shameful DU hasn't put this petition past 10,000)

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/defendthernc8



Then please call into their offices and ask them to drop charges against those arrested during the RNC.

Don't forget to call Ramsey County Attrny office: Attorney Gaertner 651.266.3222St.
Paul City Attorney Choi 651.266.8710
Mayor Rybak [phone] Mayor Coleman 651.266.8510
ask them to drop all charges and protect the constitution.

See see for yourself watch the video:
http://rnc08report.org/archive/364.shtml


Over 50,000 people for over 4 days were intimidated, threatened with arrest, threatened with tear gas and pepper spray. Threatened with tickets, and having their cars towed.. Yet they still came out TO SPEAK OUT, to March, to commit civil disobedience. 100's were pepper sprayed or worse, 100's were detained and or arrested. 100's had their cars towed, 100's were release from jail without their car keys, any id, any money. I saw elderly, students, kids, veterans, business people show up for the legal support that was held several weeks after the arrests.
There are court cases almost daily. Already innocent people in the "round ups" have pled guilty cause they don't want to have to deal with the hassle of court dates. They end up paying over 200.00 for trumped up charges. It is shameful.

[Breeze54]

1. "shameful DU hasn't put this petition past 10,000" ?!

Not everyone on DU is from MN by the way and I already signed it.

[Mojorabbit]

2. I signed the petition

I had no idea there was one online.

[annm4peace]

3. You do not need to be from MN to sign the petition

Please send the link of the petition to others to sign. People from around the world have signed it.

The Newspapers are filled with the Franken / Coleman ballot count. Yet the story of the court hearing and what is happening at the court hearing doesn't get any coverage. It is amazing.

Who cares who wins if we are arrested and go to trial for participating in our 1st amendment rights?

[annm4peace]

4. some charges have been dropped

St. Paul drops charges against 29 Republican National Convention protesters
Emily Gurnon, St. Paul Pioneer Press, December 1st, 2008

The St. Paul city attorney's office dismissed charges today against 29 protesters arrested during the Republican National Convention.

City Attorney John Choi said the charges consisted of 15 gross misdemeanor riot cases and 14 misdemeanors involving unlawful assembly.

There was insufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, Choi said.

But, he stressed, "In no way does a dismissal in a criminal case mean that there was not probable cause for the underlying arrest, or that the police acted inappropriately in any way."

The office is processing about 650 cases stemming from the RNC protests. Of those, 171 have either gotten a prosecutor assigned, or are being reviewed, or have had some decision made in them.

Of the 171, 27 have been resolved with a guilty plea or payment of a fine as a part of a continuance for dismissal; 72 cases have been declined or dismissed, including Monday's; 10 have warrants, meaning the defendants did not show up for court; and 62 are in process.

The 400 or so arrests from the last day of the convention have not yet been dealt with, Choi said. His office is moving through the cases in chronological order.

"The public should know that we are moving as fast as we can and we are trying, and eventually we're going to move through all of these cases and we're going to do the right thing on all these cases," he said.

Defense attorneys could not be reached immediately for comment