Police Raid Homes in Twin Cities Prior to RNC

clipped from www.salon.com Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff's department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying. Here is the first of the videos, from the house that had just been raided: Here is the video we took from the second house as the raid was occurring.

The above is from Glenn Greenwald. As is always the case with Greenwald's posts, it's worth reading in its entirety.

While it seems at first read to be a preemptive attempt to stop protests, a moment's thought should tell you that it guarantees them. In fact, it may even provoke violence.

While I hesitate to say that the St. Paul police are trying to ensure riots for the networks, I can't say it doesn't look like they are.