Fwd: FBI, DEA, Minneapolis Police Raid Activist House at ISAG protestsSisters Camelot House

[Chuck0]

A taste of what we'll see in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

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."