Hundreds Arrested for RNC Protest

The Advocate | More than 300 people were arrested for protesting in St. Paul, Minn., at the Republican National Convention since its start, two of them younger than 18. As of September 2, 120 of those individuals were arrested for felonies, while 12 were arraigned.  

“With no provocation, police have indiscriminately used rubber bullets, concussion grenades, and chemical irritants to disperse crowds and incapacitate protesters,” the Coldsnap Legal Collective, an activist-based legal collective supporting the arrestees, said in a statement.

Protesters were arrested during anti\poverty and antiwar rallies. Police told the Associated Press that splinter groups of protesters have tried to get past security fencing, harassed delegates, and thrown bottles.

“Based on the vagueness of their charges and the program of police intimidation currently under way, these individuals understand how they will fare if they don’t stick together,” said Rick Kelley of Coldsnap Legal Collective.

Two unidentified minors were sentenced to 30 days in an adult jail on September 2 for refusing to divulge their identity

Marchers and protesters must be released within 36 hours of being detained if the courts cannot prove probable cause for their charges. However, Coldsnap claims medical attention is being withheld as punishment for refusal to provide identification. Detainees who refuse to identify themselves are refused medical prescriptions and charged with the maximum $2,000 bail bond.

One arrestee with hemophilia and another with asthma were denied medication while being detained. An arrestee with a broken finger is being refused medical care, as is a person who has been coughing up blood, according to Coldsnap.