Chuck0
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: BAN: FBI, DEA, Minneapolis Police Raid Activist House at ISAG protestsSisters Camelot House Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 01:08:34 -0400
FBI, DEA, Minneapolis Police Raid Sisters Camelot House at ISAG protests (Mpls, MN)
Police and the FBI are waging an undeclared war. It is a war fought on behalf of powerful corporate interests, fought against people who are organizing for positive social change. After a genuine peoples show of power last November in Seattle, movements for change have been revitalized, alliances are strengthening, new strategies are developing, and corporate interests are on the defensive. The FBI and police, however, are on the offensive, attacking activists, organizers, and the community infrastructure which supports them.
Over the past few days Minneapolis has witnessed an obscene undermining of basic constitutional and human rights. The constitution was shat upon in the days leading up to the protests against ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics), as police openly conspired to rob people of their first-amendment right to freely assemble. Pepperspray, rubber bullets and clubs were used brutally against peaceful protesters (and journalists). The FBI has busied itself by ridiculously turning prankster "stink-bomb" incidents into "terrorist acts" with "dangerous cyanide". Although they are providing zero evidence for these outlandish claims, the uncritical corporate media has eaten every word, resulting in an effective slander campaign--which has gone nation-wide-- painting activists as terrorists. Late last night (Monday) after the downtown protests, the FBI, DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and Minneapolis Police raided the Sisters Camelot house, using terribly brutal force (as is described below in a detailed personal account of the raid). Sisters Camelot is a non-profit free food distribution operation, and their house has been a known gathering place for people who have been organizing to protest ISAG.
These outrageous "law-enforcement" actions have not happened in a vacuum. Over the past several months there has been a steady, rapid escalation in the campaign to marginalize activists and to attack the community infrastructure which supports them. We are witnessing this in Minneapolis, we are hearing reports of this across the county. This is a peoples movement to take back meaningful decision-making power for our communities. We value everyone who is part of this movement. We refuse to let anyone in this movement be marginalized. We value our community resources. We will not just let the power elite bulldoze our parks (Minnehaha), close down our cooperatives and collectives (Hard Times Cafe), raid our houses (Sisters Camelot), jail our friends and make our city into a police state.
Robert Czernick (aka Tumbleweed) was beaten very badly last night in the raid, and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow at 1:30PM. Please go to the Hennepin County Government Center to support him.
Many defendents, arrested yesterday during (and fleeing from) the protests, are scheduled for arraignment on August 11th, 9AM.
Please call-
-Hennepin County Jail: (612)-348-5112
-Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton: 673-2100
-City Council members:
Paul Ostrow: 673-2201
Joan Campbell: 673-2202
Joe Biernat: 673-2203
Barbara Johnson: 673-2204
Jackie Cherryhomes: 673-2205
Jim Niland: 673-2206
Lisa Goodman: 673-2207
Brian Herron: 673-2208
Kathy Thurber: 673-2209
Lisa McDonald: 673-2210
S Dore Mead: 673-2211
Sandra Colvin Roy: 673-2212
Barret Lane: 673-2213
Please support Sisters Camelot in whatever action they choose to take.
Send legal fund donations to:
Sisters Camelot / Legal Fund
3118 Grand Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Info about the raid:
* A search warrant for the Sisters Camelot house was obtained on Friday, July 21 and not used until Monday, July 25 after the protests against ISAG. * The warrant was intended to find evidence of drug trafficking. * Items stolen from house include: three computer hard drives, Coldwater Cafe bus, ISAG patches, activist literature, floppy disks, files, etc. Musical instruments and other personal items were broken. * Three undercover police officers, who had taken pictures of activists at
Sunday's march, were present at the raid. *Eleven people were arrested, some of which were beaten to the point that they were unrecognizable. There were many other violations of basic constitutional and human rights.
One personal account:
"A large gang of law enforcement busted through the front door of the Sisters Camelot house screaming and telling people to "get on your faces". Apparently, no one moved fast enough as the police threw people down and kicked them.Robert Czernick was referred to by the police by his nickname
"Tumbleweed" and kicked repeatedly in his face until he stopped moving. When he didn't answer the police, they shoved their knuckles into his throat and continued kicking him. When he requested first-aid he was laughed at. Another
person was beaten in the basement by about ten police officers.
"After approximately fifteen minutes of extremely high tension, they forced
us to sit up, covered our heads with ripped banners (property of people in the
house), and proceeded to tear the house apart. They said they had to cover our eyes so that we wouldnt be able to see their undercover officers. Three or more undercover officers were present, wearing thick black ski masks and glasses.
"This was all under the pretense of a "drug raid", but they gathered
materials from the ISAG counter-conference and referred to us as the "ISAG
bunch". For the next two hours, they consistently brought up ISAG and animal
rights issues. They also taunted us about the pet turtle that lives in the house and among other things said:
"You're not so tough now, are ya."
"This IS a police state"
"You'll have had this coming for a while."
"Save the turtles!"
"Stop moving or I'll fucking kill you."
"When asked what we were being charged with, they ignored us or refused to
answer the questions instead citing "you don"t answer our questions, we won"t
answer yours". They refused to show us a search warrant.
"We sat there for two hours, handcuffed and hooded, all the while being
taunted and degraded by the police. I believe eleven people were arrested.
Robert Czernik was finally taken out by a police EMT, and the rest of us were
transported to the Hennpein County Jail. Two people are still being held on
"probable cause for alledged narcotics."