Musician Zack de la Rocha Leads Protest In St Paul; Police Disperse Crowds With Tear Gas

ST. PAUL -- Three eyewitnesses -- two people involved in the march and one member of the Department of Corrections -- described yet another police-protester confrontation in downtown St. Paul Tuesday evening.

Although no one with whom I spoke reported any violence, roads were blocked to pedestrians and car traffic for the better part of two hours while police sought to disperse a crowd of several hundred with tear gas.

The confrontation did not appear to be planned. Instead, about 1000 people were attending a free concert near the capitol when police intervened and told surprise act Rage Against the Machine it would not be allowed to perform. After a conversation with police, lead singer Zack de la Rocha reportedly took a bullhorn and, singing, apparently led the audience out of the park.

The concert-goers intersected with the Poor Man's March, an authorized, peaceful protest of several thousand making its way toward the Xcel Energy Center, where Republican delegates and speakers were gathered. Now larger, the march stopped in front of the fence surrounding the Xcel Center. A woman who appeared to be one of the march leaders asked the police officers at the fence to let them in; the officers said no. The crowd began to disperse.

Here my sources diverge. One of the erstwhile concert goers, Tumbleweed, said he believed that people were leaving; the Department of Corrections representative said several hundred people were milling around an intersection blocking traffic. Both agree that the police captain turned on his bullhorn and told the crowd their assembly was unlawful, and that they would have to go.

The announcement seemed to provoke some of the remaining marchers--"anarchist kids and everybody," said Tumbleweed--to stay. While the captain repeated the announcement "at least five times" according the Corrections Officer, about two dozen marchers chanted, some waved signs, and others just waited to see what would happen.

The riot police loaded their cartridges and slipped on their masks. Eventually, they fired tear gas "in both directions" according to Tumbleweed, and it the remaining marchers appeared to run off -- many hollering, and a few goose stepping.

Riot police continued to barricade the roads for over an hour, and residents, displaced marchers, and grumpy citizen journalists waited at the intersection while the sky turned dark, the temperature dropped, and the mood turned increasingly ugly.

Comments

[Mjlew]

Captobvious,
Don't you realize by now that the GOP hates Fredom, when the replicans had controll of the WH, Senate, and the House what did they do? They fabricated evidence and lied to attack a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11. As they were lieing to America and the world about WMD and yellow cake from Nigeria, these spineless cowards in the GOP decided to shred the Constitution, embrace torture, and eradicate the 4th Amd. It's painfully Obvious that the GOP hates Americans and out long held freedoms.

These people are quick to tell you how to live your life, But fail to see their hypocrisy when they don't practice what they preach.

The Democrats shouldn't take it laying down. Unlike Bristol Palin, When the GOP continues with their lies and destruction of American values

If that silver spoon tramp should makes anything obvious it's that the Right-wing approach of Abstinence only doesn't work, just like the entire Neo-Con agenda.

We haven't even mentioned the racism that is the cornerstone of all GOP national campaigns. Where has McCains brown daughter, I heard a GOP member say she looked like a terrorist. So they'll keep her locked up in one of John's 7 houses.

[jrb35]

Rage Against the Machine are a bunch of phonies. They wear t-shirts with Marxist iconography. Ironic, since Marxist governments would NEVER let a band like theirs keep one dime of the millions they've made exploiting "radical-chic" for everything it's worth. They'd be thrown in prison and tortured for daring to speak their minds in such Marxist "utopias". They show off pictures of Che, but he would've thrown them in jail (he was in charge of executing people after the revolution) along with anyone who wanted a little freedom. Pathetic.

[gman1232]

They're so phony that they showed up and protested right? You might not like them but their music is awesome!

[PeteAtomic]

I know, I know...liberals hate the police. Ja, ja.

However, St.Paul may be a place that these dummkopf anarchists visit to wreck a nice downtown, attempt to attack the Capitol, the Xcel Energy center, etc., etc..this is also a place I call home. When the anarchists & protestors go home, Minnesotans will have to clean up after them.

[HUFFNAME]

It wasn't a surprise act. This concert has been publicized for months.

[BothSidesSuck]

I marched with RATM & IVAW in Denver after the concert.
Also in attendance was Wayne Kramer from MC5.
Absolutely Awesome to march with these men & IVAW
against this bullshit occupation in Iraq.
Police were out in force & luckily, Denver was spared this madness.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa162/LilPhatGuise/110.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa162/LilPhatGuise/097.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa162/LilPhatGuise/096.jpg

[CaptainObvious]

"and told the crowd their assembly was unlawful"

Hmm... pretty sure that's protected by the Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

[jrb35]

"several hundred people were milling around an intersection blocking traffic"

No, that's not protected by the Constitution. Freedom of Speech doesn't mean you can block traffic. They were warned.

[walk0nwalls]

Keep the trains running on time huh?

[FogBelter]

This kind of action is completely American ... like when the Pinkertons were called out to confront striking coal miners decades ago. If the wrong leadership occupies the White House you get MacArthur, Patton and Ike burning down the Bonus Army settlement, killing women, children and Veterans. It has been worse than this.

We need responsible leadership in Washington to keep the muzzle on America's Peace Officers ... that is why Obama is the only rational choice for a rational America.

[blaqntelligence]

Now let's compare that to the Democratic National Convention last week.....
Before attempted preemption by mccain/palin et al.

[Kristen777]

It is being reported! We've all grown too complacent to do anything about it.

[Sundialsvc4]

There's one thing that neither of the two mainstream political parties have: LEGITIMACY.

They rather desperately want you to believe (and have paid several billion dollars to the Press to cause you to believe...) that they "represent the will of the people." That their government is fair and representative and democratic. That it's "Obama or McCain, them's your choices, take your pick."

The Good Book tells us that "by their fruits shall ye know them." And if we bother to actually look at the voting records of these Senators (courtesy of the Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov), we see that all of this fruit is rotten to the core. To these people, the Constitution of the United States -is- "a blee-blee piece of paper." Crime DOES pay, to the tune of several trillion dollars per year.

If we look out of the corner of our eyes at this billion-dollar Press whitewash, we see genuine democracy, and we see ruthless attempts to squash it and, above all else, to keep it out of the public's eye. "Nothing to see here... move along ..."

Our country was not birthed that way. It was born of treason. It promised liberty. There are those who know that "this isn't liberty." And they love their country too much to let it be ... stolen from them.

[IowaCali]

I get so tired of disenfranchised conservatives proclaiming that they're ALL bad - Republicans AND Democrats. The Republican fiasco cannot be lumped in with both parties. The Democrats have made mistakes - the Republicans have created chaos. Big difference.

[boogygran]

Did you pay attention to the Democratic Primaries and convention - if you had, you might have noticed PEOPLE - US citizens in huge numbers and a mix of races, age and gender. And they discussed, read, blogged, and voted! And at the Dem convention they sang, danced, and cheered for the candidates they believe in, not because of the "billion-dollar Press whitewash" you talk about, but because of what they heard from the candidates.

I don't know exactly what all that mess is about in St Paul surrounding the Repug convention - but maybe due to their far-right platform, failed wars, broken economy, broken promises, trampling the middle class in order to pad the pockets of themselves and their cronies, etc, etc, the Repugs have themselves to blame for riling up the standers-by. And it didn't require your "Press whitewash" to point out the failings of the Repug party to anyone who's been paying attention to what has been happening in and to our country for the last 8 years.

O'bama/B'iden for America

[TheTickTockMan]

Yet another exercise in fascism by the republican party. First Amendment, anybody? ...hello? anybody?! I'm reminded of the "Don't Taze Me, Bro!" episode of blatant executive/popular disregard. Bunch of cowards.

It time to wake up (to echo Dennis Kucinich's speech at the DNC -- NOT AIRED, of course!)! ...and nobody is reporting it. We should be thankful that de la Rocha and fellow protestors received minute exposure here on to the huffpost.

[AbbieHoffman2]

This is an atrocity. But there are two more days. If I was up there in my old home town - I'm sure where I'd be spending them. EXERCISING MY RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH!

[Furby]

Well then get-a-move-on girl, time's a wastin'.

[MozKrew211]

why isn't this being reported?

[Gidster]

It always looks bad when strong arm tactics are used against citizens. Especially non violent legally gathering citizens!

[IowaCali]

. . . and we're not seeing any of this in the MSM

[piquet]

good point...god forbid Barrack rejects eating the local fish. That will be in a loop for weeks on how he is insensitive to "blue collar" fisherman.

[lkrndu]

---yes indeed, I wonder why so little (or none?) MSM - and WHERE ARE THE PICTURES? Since in the little coverage that does make it nearly every other person in sight is photographing or video-ing.