Repercussions of the RNC

Three months on from the Republican National Convention, Minnesota Wild fans have replaced security fences, armed police and protesters at the Xcel Energy Center, but neither the police nor the protesters have forgotten.

St. Paul police have been scrutinizing thousands of hours of security camera footage taken during the convention, looking for illegal activities. So far, they have come up with a protester who jumps on the hood of a car, possibly denting it, on Shepard Road. And a photograph of a man discovered on the internet (pictured) who appears to being kicked by a protester. Police are appealing for anyone who knows the identities of people involved - victims or perpetrators - to contact them with the intention that justice can be done. No police report was filed in either incident, so would it not be unreasonable to assume that there may be crimes where the victims are more concerned about justice, that St. Paul police could spend their time better investigating? St. Paul police request that anyone with information about either incident contact them at 651-266-5471.

The anti-RNC camp continues to maintain that the police themselves should be under investigation, accusing police of brutality and over-zealous use of force and pepper spray on mostly innocent people. Over 30 journalists from local and national media outlets were arrested, many prominently displaying media credentials at the time of their arrest, giving the critics vocal allies. A collective of independent journalists and cameramen have produced a feature-length movie documenting interaction between the police and demonstrators during the Convention. Terrorizing Dissent can be watched online, or viewed at a free screening at various Twin Cities and nationwide locations. The video has strong language throughout. I was caught up in the final day of protests and nearly got a face full of pepper spray, and I'm practically a hockey mom. Even though I wasn't there to antagonize the police or cause trouble, I narrowly escaped being arrested with a herd of protesters and bystanders, and it appeared to me that the police seemed to be treating everyone in downtown St. Paul as a troublemaker.

A commission is investigating the policing during the RNC, looking for problems with training and supervision of police officers. The public is invited to submit their experiences during the Convention to lucie.passus@stpaul.gov by November 14. The commission isn't investigating individual incidents or allegations of misconduct, and is focused solely on events outside the Xcel Energy Center, but it will be interesting to hear the commission's report, due sometime after December.

_{Photo credit: Max Whittaker/GettyImages}