As the RNC Presidential Convention approaches many questions have been raised regarding the access and legal framework of demonstrations. During a forum at St. Thomas University last week citizens were able to ask questions of St. Paul Police leadership. Many members of the peace community were present.
The focus of the forum was on “community policing” and civil disobedience. Assistant Chief Matthew Bostrom, in charge of RNC Convention affairs, did the bulk of the speaking and set the bar high for himself and his office, saying that access will not be limited to “pens” for demonstrations and that the Secret Service would not take over security around the city.
The RNC Welcoming Committee, the most organized anarchist and anti-authoritarian group protesting the upcoming RNC Convention did not attend the forum. An explanatory hand-out cited historical police abuses and that “authority belongs to the people, not the police”.
Report: Kyle Potter
Production: Kyle Potter and Noah S. Kunin
Audio from Open Source Audio
Related Links
Text: Broken promises: One year later, it's time to compare the reality of the RNC with the pledges made by Assistant St. Paul Police Chief Matt Bostrom on October 23, 2007, Charley Underwood, Twin Cities Daily Planet (October 24th, 2008)
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