Police state tactics were widely evident in support of the Democratic National Converntion (DNC) and the ruling class candidate Barack Obama in Denver last week..  They will be more evident in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a much larger convergence of left protesters is planned. Here --- a few paragraphs below ---  is  some content from an e-mail sent  me by a protestor up there  from Iowa City.  My sense is its only going to get worse, as one one would expect in a totaltiarian state.

Folks, you are living in a police state.  See the ANP film clip (from Denver last Tuesday) linked above. It's not new. I've been in the middle of this kind of shit on different occasions - in Washington and in Barack's "home city" of Chicago, where Obama was nowhere to be seen when people marched (in mid-March of 2003) against the invasion of Iraq and got trapped by corporate Democrat Richard M. Daley's thugs around Michigan and Chicago Avenues.

"We've done nothing but march down the street, which is [supposed to be] our fucking right" in America.

Four people in St. Paul were arrested this morning for "conspiracy to riot" and other conspiracy charges

Here's the e-mail:

from CNN:
Police raid headquarters of RNC protesters

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Police raided a rental hall used by a group organizing protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday.

The RNC Welcoming Committee, which describes itself as "anarchist/anti-authoritarian," accused St. Paul police of trying to disrupt their protest planned for Monday, the day the GOP convention is set to begin.

While no one was arrested, the group said police temporarily detained and photographed at least 50 people who were inside the building.

St. Paul Police spokesman Tom Walsh said they were executing a search warrant.

"The cause for the search warrant is not public at this time," Walsh said.

As many as 30 police officers entered with guns drawn, according to witnesses in the building.

"The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions -- it is a place for workshops and trainings," a statement from the protest group said. "Tonight, we were watching films and sharing food."

"We are now accused of a simple fire code violation," the statement said.

Oddie Miller, a 19-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado, said it was "just a space to get food, free Internet, community organization."
"There were no bombs or anything in there," Miller said



from Twin Cities Indymedia:


PRESS STATEMENT FROM RNC WELCOMING COMMITTEE AFTER SHERIFF AND SPPD RAID OF CONVERGENCE SPACE

FRIDAY AUGUST 29 2008

Assitant Police Chief Bostrom has talked about the St. Paul Standard, and on the anniversary of last years' critical mass police riot, we saw its true face. The ramsey county sheriff's dept and the SPPD raided the RNC convergence space and detained over 50 people in an attempt to preempt planned protests of the rnc on Monday.

Looking for items found in any twin cities house like jars, paint, and rags, this attempt to portray us as criminals and destroy our credibility has already backfired as evidenced by the masses who have come to support us.

We are now accused of a simple fire code violation -which is outside the scope of the sheriffs department and clearly not justified provocation for a forceful raid with guns being drawn. Children and elderly people were inside the convergence center when the police violently busted down the doors. The police may claim that the raid was executed according to protocol - however, the violence inherent in this action may only be a hint of the violence to be expected on Monday and beyond, and is only a hint at the violence perpetrated daily by the police.

The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions - it is a place for workshops and trainings. Tonight we were watching films and sharing food.

This action will not deter us from our plans to protest the RNC on September 1st. We want to invite all people who oppose this police oppression to join us on Septemeber 1st. See you in the streets.

###

THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE AT 10AM SATURDAY AT HARRIET ISLAND BY THE FLAGPOLE.