Raids on activist spaces and homes in days before RNC

UPDATE: 1:30 p.m., Saturday Aug. 3o, 2008.
The RNC Welcoming Committee reported that another house, at 951 Inglehart in St. Paul, has been raided. They say that there are currently two arrests, although police haven't yet verified this. Earlier in the afternoon, an ally of the RNC WC, although not a member, was arrested while walking down the street on the corners of Franklin and Clinton avenues in Minneapolis. Law enforcement is also using city inspectors to condemn the raided properties. The houses on 23rd and 17th avenues are currently being boarded up due to code violations. In St. Paul, Council Member David Thune intervened with the city housing inspectors to help activists reopen their convergence space, which occurred around 1 p.m.
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In the last 24-hours, local law enforcement raided an anti-RNC activist convergence space in St. Paul and three houses in Minneapolis where activists were staying, arresting four people in all, at least three are being held on charges of conspiracy.

At each location so far, Ramsey County Sheriff deputies working with local police and fire, have seized computers and literature, as well as testing substances in a mobile lab. Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security and FBI were also reportedly present at the raid on the 3500 block of Harriet Avenue.

At the raid of the Convergence Space, which took place around 10 p.m. on Friday night during a movie viewing, around 65 people were ordered to lie on their stomachs on the floor and detained in plastic handcuffs. All were released after police collected identification information and took pictures of detained activists.

Raids on activists' residences in Minneapolis started around 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. They involved houses on the 3200 block of 17th ave., the 3500 block of Harriet ave., and the 2300 block of 23rd ave.

The warrants gave police the right to search for "bomb-making" materials, which includes many commonplace household chemicals including soap flakes, paint, bleach, electronic devices like Mp3 players and communication devices, according to legal observers. The warrants for the Saturday raids also explicitly listed that police pursue "media in whatever form."

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher described the RNC Welcoming Committee, group running the convergence center, as a "a criminal enterprise made up of 35 self-described anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention," according to a statement released Saturday morning.

Activists from the RNC Welcoming Committee also held a press conference Saturday morning on Harriet Island where they portrayed the raids as police harassment and the law enforcement allegations of chemical weapons as smears.

"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," the RNC Welcoming Committee statement said.

"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."

Representatives of law enforcement refused to comment on the house raids until noon on Saturday when they said spokesmen would be available.

Activists and residents in Minneapolis will hold a community meeting on Saturday afternoon in Powderhorn Park to discuss the raids.