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Amy Goodman Asks for Our Help...

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Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)

Junkdrawer

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:49 PM
Original message

Amy Goodman Asks for Our Help...

Call to Action on Behalf of DN! Journalists Facing Charges for Reporting on the Republican National Convention

Today it is critical that you make your voice heard in the Ramsey County Attorney and St. Paul City Attorney offices. Demand that they drop all pending and current charges against journalists arrested while reporting on protests outside the Republican National Conventions.

Democracy Now! Host Amy Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s office is in the process of deciding whether or not to press felony P.C. (probable cause) riot charges against Democracy Now! Producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Please contact Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner by all means possible to demand that her office not press charges against Kouddous and Salazar.

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
RCA at co.ramsey.mn.us (cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org)
651-266-3222

Susan Gaertner for Governor
info at susangaertner.com (cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org)
(612) 978-8625
(612)804-6156

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has already charged Amy Goodman with misdemeanor obstruction of a legal process and interference with a peace officer. Contact St. Paul City Attorney John Choi by all means possible to demand that the charges against Goodman be dropped immediately.

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi
john.choi at ci.stpaul.mn.us (cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org) (651) 266-8710

During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, as was a photographer for the Associated Press.

IMPORTANT
Be sure to cc: dropthecharges@democracynow.org on all emails so that our team can deliver print outs of your messages to the St. Paul City Attorney and Ramsey County Attorney offices.

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King Coal

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:52 PM
Response to Original message

1. Let her have her day in court. She will kick their ass.

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Ghost Dog

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:17 PM
Response to Reply #1

6. Sue the police. n/t

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kickysnana

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Fri Sep-05-08 06:06 PM
Response to Reply #6

13. GOP put up $10M to cover judgements. This was not a fluke. n/t

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mojowork_n

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Fri Sep-05-08 08:39 PM
Response to Reply #13

19. How much it cost to buy the police? Les agents provocateurs?

Oh, wait, local control of 5-Oh was given away by our Senators and Representatives (except for Feingold), with passage of the Patriot Act and the establishment of Homeland Security...

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marshall

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Sat Sep-06-08 12:32 PM
Response to Reply #1

28. I agree--pushing this on to a court date will serve their purposes better

Isn't that what protest is about--getting the attention of the public? The further this thing is taken the more people will hear about it when Goodman is ultimately vindicated.

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MnFats

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Sat Sep-06-08 07:31 PM
Response to Reply #1

29. Susan Gaertner is smart and tough.

I've seen her in court.
I don't think she will allow Ramsey County courts to be clogged with 'unlawful assembly' crap.

I expect that she will drop all but the most egregious cases.

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d_b

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:54 PM
Response to Original message

2. the nightmare is almost over.

these scum make my blood boil

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ddeclue

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:57 PM
Response to Original message

3. What I wrote:

Attorney Gaertner:
It's days like today that I'm reminded of that old 1960's war protest anthem "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield.

Remember this verse?

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid.
Step out of line
The man come and take you away.

Well now they're taking the reporters away for merely trying to report a story.

The other day, police in St. Paul arrested several journalists, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and an AP photographer as they were covering protests of the Republican National Convention.

Arresting journalists is the end of our democracy, YOUR democracy in this country and the beginnings of a fascist police state.

Who's next?

The Clergy?

Intellectuals?

The political opposition?

The distance between arresting reporters and killing nuns and disappearing dissidents like they did in El Salvador and Argentina during the 1980's is all too short.

We must remain a nation of laws.

Our Constitution must be honored or all we've lived, died, fought, bled and died for in the last 232 years is lost.

Even during the 1960's with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights struggle, reporters were off limits.

Back then we still valued our Constitution which declares:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This week it seems those words counted for nothing in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I want to urge you to drop all charges and apologize to the press and to the American public..

Sincerely,

Douglas J. De Clue
Orlando, FL....

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Junkdrawer

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:59 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. Excellent Letter!

:applause:

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Cleita

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Fri Sep-05-08 04:58 PM
Response to Original message

4. K&R

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leftchick

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:17 PM
Response to Original message

7. thank you!

K&R!

:)

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Raksha

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:28 PM
Response to Original message

8. K & R

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dkofos

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:32 PM
Response to Original message

9. I'm hoping Amy will do something so this can NEVER happen again.

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sicksicksick_N_tired

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:41 PM
Response to Reply #9

12. YOU!,....WE!!!!,....HAVE TO "DO SOMETHING"!!!!

Otherwise, "this" will not only happen again,...it WILL HAPPEN ON YOU AND ME!!!

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stillcool

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:33 PM
Response to Original message

10. Friends don't ..

let your friends go to Minneapolis/St. Paul! You could be preemptively arrested and held without charge! I wrote earlier today. The more time I have to digest what went on there, the more frightening it is.

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sicksicksick_N_tired

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Fri Sep-05-08 05:39 PM
Response to Original message

11. I've printed out the info and will follow up. Are people in COMPLETE DENIAL,...

,...of what is happening, here?

:shrug:

DAMN!!!! :grr:

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kickysnana

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Fri Sep-05-08 06:07 PM
Response to Original message

14. Done. n/t

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ColbertWatcher

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Fri Sep-05-08 06:15 PM
Response to Original message

15. k+r n/t

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Junkdrawer

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Fri Sep-05-08 06:31 PM
Response to Original message

16. My wife sent this...

Dear Attorneys Gaertner and Choi,

Please remember what you wanted to do when you first decided upon your careers. We are supposed to be a nation of laws. As far as I know, we have not yet revoked the First Amendment. A free press is one of the foundations on which this country was built. That the journalists Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were jailed for attempting to do their jobs is a gross miscarriage of justice. To manhandle and arrest journalist Amy Goodman for merely questioning authorities about the well being of her staff is, quite frankly, heinous.

Please drop the charges against these and other journalists. They were not the wrong-doers. Perhaps, however, you might want to investigate just who was doing the arresting. It seems strange that the well-trained police officers from the Twin Cities would so blatantly abuse their power. Who gave the orders? Were the officers actually "hired guns" or are the Minneapolis/St. Paul police really so violent?

Respectfully,

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Junkdrawer

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Fri Sep-05-08 06:35 PM
Response to Original message

17. And I sent this...

Edited on Fri Sep-05-08 06:35 PM by Junkdrawer

Dear Attorneys Gaertner and Choi,

I just watched the video of Amy Goodman’s arrest. For the “crime” of politely asking to speak to the commander in charge, your police officers manhandled a 51-year-old woman who must weigh 100 lbs. sopping wet. Amy never threatened anyone, yet was drug through the streets like a rag doll. The video screams “excessive force”.

The longer you wait before you drop charges and begin an internal investigation of the abuses of your police department, the more culpable you make the City of St. Paul in this affair.

Respectfully,

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sabrina 1

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Sat Sep-06-08 03:23 AM
Response to Reply #17

24. Excellent letter

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Junkdrawer

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Fri Sep-05-08 07:24 PM
Response to Original message

18. Kick

:kick:

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Junkdrawer

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Sat Sep-06-08 10:09 AM
Response to Reply #18

26. Kick

:kick:

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avaistheone1

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Fri Sep-05-08 08:42 PM
Response to Original message

20. Will do!

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wildbilln864

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Fri Sep-05-08 08:44 PM
Response to Original message

21. k&r! nt

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L. Coyote

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Fri Sep-05-08 08:48 PM
Response to Original message

22. Homeland Security was in charge of all the police, hence the President

and we know they do not politicize Justice!!

For all effects and purposes, the Republican party was handed command of all local, city, county, and state police.

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WhiteTara

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Fri Sep-05-08 09:21 PM
Response to Original message

23. we can call on Monday, too!

on Tuesday and every day until they hear.

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AtomicKitten

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Sat Sep-06-08 03:27 AM
Response to Original message

25. I saw this tonight and am appalled at the police state antics.

The GOP put up a $10 million bond to pay for any pesky lawsuits that break out as a result of objections to the conspiracy and illegal activities that unfolded. They need to have their collective asses nailed to the wall.

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Maat

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Sat Sep-06-08 12:27 PM
Response to Original message

27. I wrote mine a few days ago, shortly after the arrest.

I let them know that, if they chose to pursue this case, I would be a significant contributor to any and all legal funds. If they chose to pursue charges, then we'd make these cases a seminal part of American jurisprudence - through our donations to the country's best attorneys - case precedent would be set so that it would never happen again.

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