By Holly Watt, Washington Post
ST. PAUL -- Democracy Now! radio host Amy Goodman and two producers were arrested while covering demonstrations at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. Goodman was released after being held for over three hours, but is still waiting to hear when Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar would be released.
video link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/democracy_now_host_and_produce.html
"I was down on the convention floor interviewing delegates when I heard that two of our producers had been arrested," said Goodman. "I ran down to Jackson and 7th Street, where the police had moved in."
Goodman said that when she ran up to find out what was going on, she was also arrested.
"They seriously manhandled me and handcuffed my hands behind my back. The top ID [at the convention] is to get on the floor and the Secret Service ripped that off me. I had my Democracy Now! ID too. I was clearly a reporter."
Goodman, who was released after being charged with a misdemeanor, said that Salazar had been hurt in the face, while Kouddous had been thrown up against a wall and hurt his elbow.
"Nicole told me that as they moved in on three sides, she asked them 'How do I get away from this?' and they jumped on her."
Both Kouddous and Salazar could be held for up to 36 hours.
"One of the police kept shouting at me 'Shut up, shut up," she said. "It was extremely threatening."
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Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC; Reports of Tear-Gassing Allison Kilkenny, Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/amy-goodman-arrested-at-r_b_123051.html
Her arrest comes amid accusations of police brutality in St. Paul. I-Witness founder Eileen Clancy was arrested and detained last Saturday by the police in an apparent preemptive arrest. Clancy states she and her team were surrounded in the house they were staying at in St. Paul before they had the chance to video tape any protests.
The police handcuffed Clancy and her team and claimed they were waiting for their search warrant. The officers were armed and at least one police offer was carrying an M-16, Clancy wrote in her blog. [Stephen Fox: this looks more like South America or USA during the Vietnam Era]
In addition to preemptive arrests, the police are responding aggressively to the presence of protesters. New video is appearing on YouTube of protesters being tear-gassed by the police:
footage is found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po3MQmOVrZc&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/amy-goodman-arrested-at-r_b_123051.html
Laurie, the phone operator at the County Jail says she "hopes charges will be presented within the hour." As of right now, Kouddous and Salazar are being held without charges.9:50 PM EST: Kouddous and Salazar are still being held without charges. Laurie, the operator, now expects a few hours to expire before they are officially charged with a crime. She claims the slow process is due to an unusually high number of arrests coupled with many detainees using pseudonyms. More than 100 people were arrested along with Goodman and her producers.
Early reports indicate Kouddous and Salazar were originally arrested on suspicion of rioting .
11:00PM EST: The Ramsey County Jail redirected me to something called the "Joint Information Center." Under a little pressure, the operator finally revealed his name (Sgt. William Palmer,) though he asked for my name (had me spell it twice) and asked for my phone number in exchange. Friendly stuff.
Palmer informed me that Kouddous and Salazar will be held in jail overnight until they are taken to court tomorrow. No one knows what they are being charged with, but Palmer attributes their arrest to "suspicious behavior."
Kouddous and Salazar are still being held without any formal charges.
Mayor Chris Coleman can be contacted at: 651-266-8510 or e-mailed at: https://mn-stpaul.civicplus.com/forms.asp?FID=69Governor Tim Pawlenty can be reached at: (651) 296-3391 or e-mailed at tim.pawlenty@state.mn.usRamsey County Jail: 651-266-9350
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Police Seize Journalists Notes About RNC Protest Plans
see also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHpDQpZ_NAI&NR=1
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