unknown
2008-09-01 22:43:01 UTC
Police State RNC: A Nun and Eight Others Swept into Unmarked Van by
Cops in Minnesota
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake at 12:35 PM on August 31,
2008.
Abuse of "probable cause holds" shows the importance of habeus corpus
protections.
UPDATE (12:34 PDT):: One of the 9 protesters arrested was a nun, seen
being loaded into an unmarked blue van. The 9 were apparently trying
to climb a fence near a church.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: ColdSnap is reporting 9 arrests downtown near the Excel center
and police massing all over the downtown core.
The National Lawyers Guild and Communities United Against Police
Brutality have filed an emergency motion to stop the seizure of cell
phones and cameras during the RNC.
The groups will hold a joint press conference at Hennepin County
Government Plaza to discuss their application for an emergency
injunction, according to a tweet issued by the ColdSnap Legal
Collective.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 6 activists arrested during police raids in advance of the
Republican National Convention are being held without charge by the
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota Independent reports.
The arrestees are being held on probable cause holds. These holds give
the authorities 36 hours to charge them or let them go. Holds are
typically used to give investigators more time to gather evidence
before filing formal charges.
Holds allow police to charge first and ask questions later. Sometimes
that's a good thing. Arrest opportunities are unpredictable. A suspect
could slip away in the time it takes to turn a solid suspicion into
sufficient evidence to file charges. A probable cause hold buys the
police some time to dot the i's and cross the t's.
However, it doesn't take a genius to see how the power to detain
people without charge can be abused. For example, unethical police
officers have been known to use frivolous holds as quickie jail terms.
Piss off the police, spend 3 days in jail--no trial required.
In Minnesota, a probable cause hold can be issued by an officer
without review by a judge or a prosecutor. The 36-hour window doesn't
include weekends and holidays. So the protesters arrested over the
long weekend could be locked up until Wednesday.
The National Lawyers Guild is asking a judge to review these
detentions in the hopes of getting the arrestees out sooner.
Imagine if the police could hold these protesters as long as they
wanted.
The United States is holding suspects without charge at
Guantanamo--many of whom were apprehended without anything approaching
probable cause. Of course, Bush administration asserts the right to
put off their trials forever.
Scenarios like these illustrate why habeas corpus is vital to the rule
of law.
Cops in Minnesota
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Firedoglake at 12:35 PM on August 31,
2008.
Abuse of "probable cause holds" shows the importance of habeus corpus
protections.
UPDATE (12:34 PDT):: One of the 9 protesters arrested was a nun, seen
being loaded into an unmarked blue van. The 9 were apparently trying
to climb a fence near a church.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: ColdSnap is reporting 9 arrests downtown near the Excel center
and police massing all over the downtown core.
The National Lawyers Guild and Communities United Against Police
Brutality have filed an emergency motion to stop the seizure of cell
phones and cameras during the RNC.
The groups will hold a joint press conference at Hennepin County
Government Plaza to discuss their application for an emergency
injunction, according to a tweet issued by the ColdSnap Legal
Collective.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 6 activists arrested during police raids in advance of the
Republican National Convention are being held without charge by the
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota Independent reports.
The arrestees are being held on probable cause holds. These holds give
the authorities 36 hours to charge them or let them go. Holds are
typically used to give investigators more time to gather evidence
before filing formal charges.
Holds allow police to charge first and ask questions later. Sometimes
that's a good thing. Arrest opportunities are unpredictable. A suspect
could slip away in the time it takes to turn a solid suspicion into
sufficient evidence to file charges. A probable cause hold buys the
police some time to dot the i's and cross the t's.
However, it doesn't take a genius to see how the power to detain
people without charge can be abused. For example, unethical police
officers have been known to use frivolous holds as quickie jail terms.
Piss off the police, spend 3 days in jail--no trial required.
In Minnesota, a probable cause hold can be issued by an officer
without review by a judge or a prosecutor. The 36-hour window doesn't
include weekends and holidays. So the protesters arrested over the
long weekend could be locked up until Wednesday.
The National Lawyers Guild is asking a judge to review these
detentions in the hopes of getting the arrestees out sooner.
Imagine if the police could hold these protesters as long as they
wanted.
The United States is holding suspects without charge at
Guantanamo--many of whom were apprehended without anything approaching
probable cause. Of course, Bush administration asserts the right to
put off their trials forever.
Scenarios like these illustrate why habeas corpus is vital to the rule
of law.