St. Paul police chief calls most RNC protests 'peaceful' despite arrests

---

Tweet

St. Paul, Minn. — It’s become an almost regular site near the Xcel Energy Center.

Thousands of T-shirt-wearing, finger-flipping, cursing 20-somethings march toward the site of the Republican National Convention along designated routes, with hundreds of police officers dressed head-to-toe in riot gear.

And although St. Paul police Chief John Harrington has called these events “peaceful protests,” tear gas, pepper spray and other agents have been used on demonstrators.

Police arrested 283 people Monday, 120 of whom are being held on felony charges according to CNN.com. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that 10 people were arrested Tuesday.

“They did not overreact. I believe they acted appropriately and very respectfully,” Harrington said of Monday’s police action during a Tuesday press conference.

Not all protests have gone sour.

A free all-day protest concert called Ripple Effect was held Tuesday at the state Capitol in St. Paul. Medical personnel at the concert, which featured artists such as Matisyahu, I Self Devine and Anti-Flag, said there had been no disturbances throughout the day and everything was running smoothly.

Shawn Helneke, 25, of St. Paul, was scanning informational tents on eco-friendly products at the concert. He said events such as Ripple Effect are an effective way to protest.

“The celebration of music is positive. It’s important to act and not react, to be a pro-peace and not anti-war protest,” Helneke said. “It’s a healthy alternative to those who don’t want to throw feces at or piss on a cop car.”

Isaac Hacker, a 25-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student, skipped the first day of classes to partake in activities around St. Paul. He said it was important to hold protest events, especially given the attention devoted to the convention.

Even though the protests have grabbed headlines, Harrington said he realizes much of the harm Monday was caused not by the protesters who procured a permit, but rather by “a group of criminals with a very expressed goal” of shutting down the Republican National Convention.

One of those groups, the self-proclaimed anarchist RNC Welcoming Committee, said in a Tuesday press conference much of its leadership was arrested for the events that occurred Monday.

But Cheri Honkala, national organizer of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, said there was no excuse for the police’s actions.

“For the last 20 years, we have been involved in every major demonstration in this country,” said Honkala, whose group led Tuesday’s protest. “And I’m sad to say the worst conduct that I’ve seen by law enforcement officials has been here in my home state.

“We have encountered nothing but terrorism for days.”

---