The Green Party of Minnesota deplores the police violence that erupted in connection with the Critical Mass bike ride on August 31, when 19 people were arrested. Many riders and even some bystanders were beaten and attacked with pepper spray and Tasers. These rides, held on the last Friday of each month, are normally a peaceful “celebration of bicycles,” according to Paul Kristapovich, a member of the Univ. of Minnesota Campus Greens. He often takes part in the rides and was among those arrested. He witnessed “nothing at all” to provoke the sudden approach of police squad cars and the brutal attacks that followed. Police appeared to particularly target those who were recording the incident. Cameras were confiscated and destroyed in an apparent effort by police to escape responsibility for their illegal actions.
We applaud the call by our Green Party Minneapolis City Council member Cam Gordon for an in-depth independent investigation of why this happened and how such police actions can be avoided in the future.
This Critical Mass ride was joined by a number of young visitors from around the country who were here to attend workshops and strategy sessions on nonviolent protest conducted by the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee on the weekend one year prior to the RNC. The RNC Welcoming Committee is an anarchist / anti-authoritarian group which is one of many local and national groups planning for massive demonstrations against the Republican National Convention to be held in St. Paul just one year from now.
“It is hard not to believe,” says Green Party spokesperson Rhoda Gilman, “that authorities seized this chance to flex their muscles with the intention of intimidating prospective protesters.” The pre-planned presence of personnel from the Ramsey County sheriff’s office and of a State Patrol helicopter monitoring the bicyclists from overhead only adds to that impression.
The Green Party of Minnesota is troubled by the cloud of threatened repression that now hangs over next year’s convention. It is darkened further by biased reporting in the media and alarmist warnings of "outside agitators." We hope that it will be dissipated by the light of investigation and open community discussion. In any case, we will continue to defend the right of all Americans to assemble in nonviolent protests in the Twin Cities next year against what we believe to be a lawless and illegitimate national administration.
