Police Pepper Spray Independent Journalist after he Drops his Glasses

Grace Kelly adding an update to Eric's story.

I took legal observer training, peace team training and "know your rights" training to be on the streets during the RNC. This is not your normal police, it is like someone is playing war. The false fear of some terrorist act has stolen our freedom. The RNC Wekcoming Committee anarchists(not peace advocates) were dancing in the streets, and moving en masse down the streets. Some trash cans were overturned, some trash was tossed and one window was broken. It looked like a giant college prank.

The police looked different, massive groups, each about 12 police. At any given shift, there must be a about a 1000 police on duty. The police were encapsulating the group, directing them to non-convention areas of the city. The RNC Welcoming committee would be moving and the police would start moving. Incredibly there was a huge number of video people covering the police, between the police and the pursued RNC Welcoming Committee.

Not me I had been trained, treat the police like large farm animals and never get between them and their prey. Never violate the scared police personal space. And when the police say move, move.

We were following on the sidewalk, when Eric's mom noticed that a person had been maced. You see my picture of him, he is in extreme agony, face rigid in grimace with eyes tightly closed.

I had heard of what to do. I offered him water, he was in control enough to say yes. I set a pint size bottle in his hand open, he poured it over himself. The relief was incredible. But his eyes were in bad shape. I asked for more water, which people provided. I gave instructions to a man helping out, on how to wash out eyes. I got a towel and gave it to the helper to dab.

Then I told the person, that he had many videos targeted on him (cause I would like to know). Then still in pain, he started talking. He pulled out his ID, said who he was. He was in great pain, I pieced together the story. He is Marcus Washington, and independent reporter from Washington. Then he said his kids names, and that he loved them. (In a great deal of pain, this was his first concern.)

Reporters were asking what happened. He was ten feet in front of the moving police line. He dropped his glasses and he is very nearsighted. The police gave the command to move. He reached for his glasses, and then was maced.

Now to tell the other side of the story, the police are doing containment, and cannot afford a gap in the line. They are trained as if this is war, and immediately react to someone not moving with speed. Remember the police are in the terrorist-saving-the-world mindset training. Also to be fair, after first aid had been given, a cop did show up to say a medic was coming and St Paul police medics did show up to help eventually.

Above all, what Marcus kept saying is that his Media pass was showing. See this what we all think, we think that if we are doing nothing wrong, we are safe. We can talk with the officers, work it out.

Which is true in the normal city of St Paul, but not in police state of RNC. Which Amy Goodman of Democracy Now just discovered. But don't blame our police, blame our Republican federal government demanding this type of super=paranoid super=war protection.

And as I was traveling after this dangerous dance between the RNC Welcoming committee and the police, I saw this Republican in this picture looking very happy. I said something like "This is what our Democracy has come to", and the Republican gleefully laughed. For him, this was like the best video game come true.

The reason that I was sensitive to this guy, is that earlier I had a similar one line encounter with a different person with the same sign. When I looked back, he had also turned back to watch the proceedings, with a big smile. Basically, throughout this whole encounter ordinary city people, cops, anarchists, journalists, no one was smiling EXCEPT the Republicans with the victory signs.

Today in talking to regular downtown St Paul residents, one resident said something profound. "All of the RNC Welcoming Committee are Republican agent provocateurs". He explained that while 10,000 people people peaceably marched, the RNC Welcoming committee got all the media attention and sold the Republican message. If they are not paid by the Republicans, they should be.

We didn't lose our freedom when 3 buildings fell on 9/11. With that act as a excuse we have lost our freedom.

And so ends this day: 10,000 peacefully march and speak out, the corporate media covers the less than 100 anarchists. A stranger comes to our city expecting a media pass and good behavior to protect him and he gets maced. Our downtown is a police state.

I want my city back and I wish to live in a Democracy again.