Mayor Christopher B. Coleman
15 Kellogg Blvd.,
West Saint Paul, MN 55102
Dear Mayor Coleman,
During the course of the Republican National Convention, August 31-September 4, the police recorded and collected over 6,000 hours of video in downtown Saint Paul. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a Data Practice request on August 22nd and November 13th. According to Minnesota statute, the public has the right to access to the state and local government records. However, the tapes have yet to be released.
ACLU of MN has also offered to provide special storage devices in order to obtain a copy of the "raw video" and the vendor's viewing software. The city has responded by saying that they might not release the tapes for another 2-3 years! This is ridiculous, illegal, and unacceptable. The ACLU of MN believes that the immediate release of these videos is crucial and constitutional.
As a concerned ACLU-MN activist, I urge you to act immediately for the release of these tapes. It is imperative you restore our rights and ensure our freedoms.
Mr. Coleman, the overwhelmingly liberal-minded voters of the City of St. Paul will not abide a mayor who turns our city over to the Police State, and then refuses to abide by State law in order to hide footage of police misconduct. Please think long and hard before siding with the Bush Administration over your own constituents.
Sincerely,
Ms. Rachel Bengtson [address redacted]
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