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Sep 3, 2007 7:23 pm US/Central
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Bike Rally Turned Ugly Could Be Just The Beginning
by Heather Brown
(WCCO)
A clash between police and protesters that turned ugly could be just the beginning of what to expect for next year's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Every month, a group called Critical Mass fills the streets of downtown Minneapolis to support riding bikes over cars. This past Friday night, police arrested 19 people when they say the normally peaceful bike ride got out of hand.
An advocate who visited the 19 people in jail said almost all of them were local, regular Critical Mass riders. She said about half were involved with the RNC Welcoming Committee, an anarchist group preparing for the Convention. The bike ride was the kickoff to a weekend of scheduled strategy sessions for the group. Last week, they announced they did not plan any violence or confrontation for the weekend.
But on Friday night around 7 p.m. police said one of the bikers deliberately rode into cars. When police tried to arrest him some of the riders chanted, "Let him go!" Police said some riders also shoved, pushed and tried to pull officers away from the man.
All weekend long, bloggers have written about the incident. Some witnesses wrote the police "instigate[d] and start[ed] their very own riot" by revving their engines, blaring their sirens and spraying mace or using tazers on people without warning.
The RNC Welcoming Committee wrote in a statement released Monday, "We believe that the police aggression experienced Friday was a premeditated attempt to intimidate anti-RNC organizers." They called the event a "police practice run for next year's RNC."
Minneapolis police said their presence was the same as any other Critical Mass ride. They said they generally escort the riders and haven't had any major problems before Friday night. Deputy Chief Rob Allen said numerous squads responded after his officers put out a help call.
"Most of the people involved in this riot are generally a peaceful group and I think the vast majority of people involved in this did not participate in fighting with officers," Deputy Chief Rob Allen said, "The whole group should not be tainted."
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