City Pages letter: 'Remember the RNC'

[Eric J in MN]

http://www.citypages.com/2009-07-22/news/readers-respond-to-pawlenty-s-path-to-the-presidency/

While Matt Snyders's cover story on Sheriff Fletcher highlighted some of Fletcher's egregious behavior, I believe it downplayed how he terrified those in the activist community who call themselves anarchists ("Fletcher's Gang," 7/8/09). During the convergence space raid, his deputies held about 75 people at gunpoint and in handcuffs for hours. For two weeks after the RNC, nearly a dozen people were visited by the Ramsey County cops "just to talk."

As an activist lawyer providing legal support, I took six of those calls. While the activists asserted their rights, they still felt unnerved and preyed upon. A private individual behaving the way Fletcher and his employees did could be charged with harassment, stalking, terroristic threats, and assault. The RNC 8 are still dealing with the legal fallout of Ramsey County's need to justify its sheriff's over-the-top response. The voters of Ramsey County need to remember the jackbooted thuggery brought to them by Sheriff Fletcher and remove him from office.

Carla J. Magnuson
Minneapolis

[annm4peace]

1. thank you for the reminder

and thank you posting the wise words of lawyer Carla Magnuson.

If you want a lawyer who you know will fight for you, I would choose Ms. Magnuson

It still makes me sick that Fletcher and his "gang" got away with terrorizing the people in Minneapolis and St. Paul. And the so called Progressive Democratic leadership in both cities are silent.

It is pretty bad when Amnesty International calls for an investigation of human and civil rights violations by local (and Federal) law-enforcement. St. Paul and Minneapolis instead praised the very law enforcement that terrorized people in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

For the 8 years I have lived here i have volunteered on local campaigns... but due to the silence of local politicians I will not help any of their campaigns.

thank goodness we have some true Americans who will defend the constitution and our civil rights, that are running for office. Hint, hint.. they aren't incumbents.

[saintcurmudgeon]

2. St Paul Progressives are very active

Thanks to Carla for speaking out. We need more people actively working on speaking out. However just because the local corporate papers are not covering this area, does not mean that there is nothing happening. Local blogs, issues forums and groups are very active.

A St Paul Civil Rights Group and the St Paul DFL Progressive caucus is actively screening candidates.

I am written many articles on the MN Progressive Project about all local races and the followup to the RNC. So I very much not "silent" as you claim.

Furthermore since Sheriff Fletcher is an elected official, the only effective way to remove him is to have a good candidate defeat him. We have found and recruited a candidate in Matt Bostrom, currently Assistant St Paul Chief.

Here are some of the relevant articles:

http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/3968/chicken-little-sheriff-fletcher
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/2477/initial-reactions-to-the-heffelfingerluger-rnc-commission-report
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4102/peacemaker-heroes-of-republican-national-convention
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4426/communitypartnered-policing-builds-communities
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4421/militaristic-style-policing-destroys-communities
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4685/matt-bostrom-for-ramsey-country-sheriff-formal-annoucement
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4613/matt-bostrom-for-ramsey-country-sheriff-pending-formal-annoucement
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/4578/sheriff-fletchers-anyone-gangnet-database

Grace Kelly nicknamed Kelly

[annm4peace]

3. So a Sheriff can over step his authority and nothing happens?

It just doesn't seem ethical. I mean I know he got away with it. There are been silence from the DFL Party. We know there are Law suits, but someone in the legal field should look into Fletchers actions. Whether it is State Attorney General or Federal Attorney General's office, I don't know, but he and has department should not get away with what they did.