Response from the mayor of st paul

Dear Mike,

Thank you for contacting my office with concerns about public safety and first amendment rights with respect to the recent Republican National Convention in Saint Paul. I appreciate the opportunity to share our approach to accomplishing our main goal surrounding the convention – to maintain public safety while ensuring two critical functions: the convention be allowed to successfully conduct its business and protesters be able to exercise their first amendment rights.

Meeting the public safety needs of the convention with a multi-agency police force of 3,800 officers from around the state and country was no small feat. Law enforcement officials worked for nearly two years leading up to the RNC to determine the realm of potential threats to public safety and were firmly committed to preventing them from becoming reality. Thanks to their efforts, FBI, county and local agents executed search warrants at specific locations prior to the convention, and seized items intended to harm and harass police, visitors and businesses, from buckets of urine to explosive materials.

Saint Paul took a decidedly different approach to its police presence than other cities had in previous conventions, including the Democratic National Convention in Denver the previous week. We made a strategic decision to deploy the minimum amount of force necessary to ensure public safety. Instead of greeting visitors with police dressed in full riot gear, we employed officers dressed in ordinary police uniforms, riding bicycles and on horseback, and directed them to remain in small groups so their presence would be less prominent.

Our hope was that this strategy would suffice for the duration of the convention and the police presence on the streets of Saint Paul would be friendly and minimally visible. However, on Monday, our officers were confronted by rioters, intent on doing harm to persons and property in our city and thwarting the convention. At that time we had no choice but for our officers to wear protective riot gear as the escalated threat required a greater show of force and protection.

Despite being spit on, taunted, hit, kicked, and otherwise provoked, law enforcement professionals were patient and exercised restraint by not responding unless and until necessary to ensure public safety. Many of the suspects of crimes committed early in the week were apprehended in subsequent days, thus the arrests were not random but due to their alleged misconduct in previous incidents.

Those who chose to riot not only damaged property in the city, but they interfered with peaceful protesters legitimately attempting to express their opinions and right to free speech. Our efforts ensured that, despite rioters’ attempts, tens of thousands of people were able to exercise their first amendment rights in the form of legal protest marches and demonstrations and a free speech stage, all within sight and sound of the convention, an unprecedented achievement – and something we are very proud of.

Throughout the convention, our officers performed with professionalism, maintaining high integrity in the face of agitators, rioters intent on causing damage, and constant press scrutiny. At the time of an incident, police are trained to control the situation. They err on the side of caution and make their best individual judgments in doing so; however, officers are human. That is why we have a process in place to ensure that we prosecute only those for whom we can provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal wrongdoing. Without question, there were those who came to the RNC to express themselves peacefully and were pulled into the middle of chaotic scenes and arrested, which is regrettable. We are working diligently with the police and the City Attorney’s office to expedite the legal process as best we can to ensure that justice is served for everyone involved.

This experience is a learning opportunity for our city. We will thoroughly evaluate all of the public safety practices and policies we implemented. An independent review, led by former U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, is already underway to help us discover the opportunities seized and lessons learned. If the review reveals evidence to substantiate any instances of police misconduct, the individuals involved will be held accountable. Any individuals with firsthand knowledge of specific incidents should contact the Police-Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission as soon as possible at (651) 266-5583.

Overall, the 2008 Republican National Convention was a success. We were able to showcase our city to 45,000 visitors, including 15,000 members of national and international media. Thousands raised their voices of dissent while the convention successfully conducted its business and delegates were left with a positive experience and impression of our region. In hosting an event of global significance, we planted a seed. We have told our story to the world and positioned Saint Paul well to host future events. On a national and international stage, our city shone in the spotlight, and Saint Paul stands to reap the rewards for years to come.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact my office. Your feedback is invaluable as we work to make Saint Paul the Most Livable City in America.

Sincerely,

§¨©ª

Christopher B. Coleman

Mayor


>>> 9/2/2008 8:29 AM >>>
The following form was submitted via your website: Contact Mayor Coleman

(((((((((((((((((((((My letter to him)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Subject: Definition of Heroics

Your Comment: Mr. Coleman I saw you at a DFL delegate meeting in St. Paul this spring while representing the Mounds Park area. At the time I was fairly proud that you represented us in the city. I am no longer proud. Calling fully armored riot police heroic while they beat unarmed citizens is not heroic sir. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Pepper spraying a young woman while she offers flowers to police is not heroic. Beating a man while he is being held down (with a knee forcing his head into the asphalt) is not heroic. The young people I saw showed no signs of violent resistance. They threw no bricks, broke no windows. They shot silly string back while being maced. Not to mention bystanders were taunted and shot at (with some sort of flare) for standing in a public park while trying to maintain some sense of calm in an escalating situation. Not Heroic.

Suggestions:
1) Disarm the police. Your riot police easily outnumber every group they go after, this causes fear, and more backlash. These kids are not armed, your people are (with deadly weapons).
2) There is no reason to confront (with violence) those who are not using violence. If they are resisting, wait.
3) No out of state police. These officers have no jurisdiction and they have no reason to restrain themselves. They know they will not be held for any crimes committed and they are abusing their power.

The majority is peaceful. Let the kids break a window without having their arms, spines and head broken. The cost of what you are doing is far steeper than the garbage can they tip over.
Honestly,just think about it.