Response to Ms. Becker:
> First off, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, not the City of
> Minneapolis Attorney's Office will be prosecuting these cases.
Incorrect!!! (as usual Ms. Becker) The Minneapolis City Attorney's office IS
prosecuting the ISAG protest cases referenced by Rosalind Nelson. Points of
information - the City attorney's office prosecutes misdemeanors and gross
misdemeanors with a very few exceptions (such as malicious punishment of a
child), and the protesters are charged with misdemeanors. The County Attorney
handles felony cases and charges involving juveniles.
>
> Second off, the County Attorney has 160 attorneys, and over 400 staff total
> and it is doubtful that these few cases would cause any overtime or other
> things sliding.
The City Attorney's office has substantially fewer attorneys. There is one
attorney (Assistant City Attorney Michael Hess) offiicially handling all the
cases. I do not know how many staff and police are doing work on the
prosecutions. It is obvious, however, that the hundreds of hours being spent on
prosecuting political activists could otherwise be used for other purposes. (I
do not know that the other ways that their time would be spent would necessarily
be much better - eg discriminatory prosecution of people of color for minor
offenses arising out of discriminatory arrests).
>
> Third off, this article does not provide any information as to why these
> cases are being brought back. There are good legal reasons that they could
> be brought back. Does anyone have information on why this is?
The charges are being brought back on the basis of allegations that the accused
persons participated in the ISAG demonstration. It is as simple as that. The
city alleges that the demonstration was unlawful, and is therefore prosecuting
people whom it believes participated. It is my admisttedly unobjective opinion
that not only are there no good legal reasons for the proseuctions, but the
prosecutions have the intention and effect of repressing free speech. I have
yet to hear any refutation of this opinion. The other underlying motive for the
prosecutions (and I feel comfortable stating it to be a fact) is the political
pressure from the police department to pursue the cases based on reasoning that
the fact of criminal charges somehow justifies all of the violence and money
($1.15 million) that they spent to repress 150 peaceful protesters.
> Carol Becker
> Longfellow
Happy new year!
Jordan Kushner
Powderhorn
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rosalind Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2000 12:51 PM
> Subject: Re-charging of ISAG cases
>
> > According to the Independent Media website (www.minneapolis.indymedia.org)
> > the city is re-charging ISAG protesters whose cases had been dismissed in
> > November (apparently the ones that were dropped by the judge because of
> "no
> > probable cause"). So are they hoping for a different judge? Trying to
> > make extra work for the protester's lawyers?
> >
> > It seems as though the City Attorney's office must have some
> > responsibilities other than conducting a war of attrition with protest
> > groups. So are they hiring extra staff, working lots of overtime, or
> > letting their other normal duties slide?
> >
> > Rosalind Nelson
> > Bancroft
> >
