Update from the Streets of Minneapolis

One way to get out is to ask if you are being charged. If you are not being charged, they have no right to detain you.

 Update at 4:23 Minnesota time.

The riot police rushed to create a perimeter to usher these two people to the police car.It got really tense as many onlookers circled around the arresting bicycle police.  The riot police arrived, and the police on horses came in, right behind the riot police. This upset the antiwar protester. A number of them were shouting at the police, in spite of all the weaponry the police carried.

 Now there are 80 to 100 riot  police, accompanied by 30 to 40 police on horses and the police are behind the concert stage. The antiwar people have said they are going to march to the Excel center. There are at least 500 police floating around the area, far outnumbering the peace rally participants. There are also national guardsmen here.

As long as the riot police and the horses stand where they are, in the parade rest position, things are very

ALl it takes is one protester to act and the police could start throwing gas at the protesters.

Now, the riot police have fallen back. There was a very tense period of about 20 minutes which could have goten very ugly.


Ultimately, leaders of the demonstration persuaded the shouting protesters who were ready to confront the police, to back down, telling them, "The police are here to draw attention to them, away from our message. Don't get involved with the situation." (where the police were dragging two people to a police car.) The people who were arrested may have been members of the anarchist RNC welcoming committee group. 

Everything is now back to normal. 

But it's not 5:00 yet. And there are hundreds of police nearby. 

 OpEdNews will be standing by for further reports from the ground.

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