News Cut: September 4, 2008 Archive

Where comedy, politics, and education meet

Posted at 9:31 AM on September 4, 2008 by Bob Collins
Filed under: The political conventions

"I'm really sorry I'm late," Jeremy Nordeen, a Bismarck, North Dakota native, said this morning as he showed up for our interview, originally scheduled for 7 a.m., "I was out with Rob Riggle and the guys shooting some pieces."

Oh, right, the old "I-was-out-with-Rob-Riggle-and-the-guys" excuse. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that.

If Nordeen's and fellow Brown College student Ann Avoles' dream of working in film or television doesn't pan out, there's always comedy. Both have a sharp flair for timing - comedic and otherwise.

They parlayed that into a two-week gig during the Republican National Convention as production assistants with The Daily Show, which is broadcasting this week from the History Theater at McNally Smith College of Music.

"The one question that I was asked (in the job interview), 'If you were able to meet any famous person -- dead or alive -- who would it be? And I said 'Tom Selleck,'" Ann said. Score one gig with the Daily Show.

"If I'd been asked that question, I would have said 'Teddy Roosevelt' because I'm a much more staunch, political person," Jeremy deadpanned. The question posed to him was little less philosophical. "They asked me if I could drive a 15-person van."

Both are reluctant to disclose what they're doing at The Daily Show this week; they've signed confidentiality agreements. But Avoles says one of her jobs has been rescuing staff members from protests. "It got to the point where even the Minneapolis police knew me by my first name," she says. The show was locked down Monday night as protests swirled outside the downtown theater.

Norden says the production assistants have worked hard to play it cool around the show's stars. "You have to be professional when you're in there and recognize these people have a job to do... All the interns talk to each other and say, 'don't be that guy.'"

"This is just great! Some of our classmates are working down at FoxNews. That's a little too serious for me," Avoles said, who wants to meld what she's learned in television production with a degree she's already earned in applied technology and graphic design. "I want to do commercials."

"I hopefully stay in the business the rest of my life; I hope I never become disinterested. I've found my calling," Jeremy says.

No joke.

How they see us

Posted at 10:03 AM on September 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

For the most part, delegates haven't gotten to see much of St. Paul or meet many people from the Twin Cities. They're taking buses into and out of the city, and directly to whatever private event they've got scheduled.

All they know, is what they see out of the bus window, as this image taken by a member of the Ohio delegation attests:

"Monday night the delegation attended a reception honoring Auditor of State Mary Taylor. It was in the beautiful Landmark Center in St. Paul. The building was perfect but the location turned out to be a little rough. It was so close to the Xcel Center (where the Convention is) that we were blocked and harassed by protestors any time we stepped outside."

Meanwhile, bloggers for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver have assessed that St. Paul is the new Chicago:

Claim: Denver worried about being compared to the 1968 convention, but it was the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul that earned the distinction - on its first day.
Rocky Truth Patrol says: Rock Solid

Some 150 National Guard troops were called in Monday to help maintain order in some parts of St. Paul after self-described anarchists smashed windows, slashed tires and even attacked delegates.

The comparison came from Fred Biebel, an 83-year-old delegate from Connecticut, in an interview with the Hartford Currant. Biebel has attended every GOP convention since 1956. He made the comparison to the Republican convention of 1968, which was less violent than the Democrat's convention that year in Chicago, but still featured protesters throwing rocks at the windows of the delegates' bus.

"It compared a little bit, not as bad, to 1968," Biebel told the Hartford Currant. "That was scary."

Meanwhile, officials in Denver were still counting their blessings for a relatively smooth DNC last week. Managers of downtown skyscrapers even had glass company trucks on standby in their buildings' garages, ready to fix any broken windows. None were needed.

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Fail!

Posted at 1:54 PM on September 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

The verdict is in from one St. Paul shopowner on the alleged economic benefit of the Republican National Convention: Fail!

Theoretically, Bonnie Andert's Blink Bonnie Subs should be doing a booming business; it's located right next to the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention is being held. Nobody can see her business because of the big CNN bus parked in the way...

And even if you knew it was there, the security barriers require a person to walk one block west...

... cross the street, and then one block east.

Few are bothering to do it this week. Andert had hoped the week would help her business get out of debt, but it's only getting worse.

Few customers are even walking half a block.Today at noon, Cosetta's -- one of the most popular lunch-time spots in the city -- sent people to the street trying to lure over-tanned CNN celebs (and anyone else with cash) to come in.

Other than the Eagle St. Grille, which cashed in with the CNN location, at least one business has benefited. A medical supply business on the block rented its space out for the week. The combination oil painting - caramel corn - goofy Republican hat shop that went for the deal does not appear to be doing well.

The convention was sold to St. Paulites as a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Some businesses are hoping that's true.

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Live-blogging: The last protest

Posted at 7:41 PM on September 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (37 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice, The political conventions

It's going to be an interesting evening. The last protest of the RNC is starting at 4. You may recall -- if you're a regular News Cut reader -- this is the one that organizers said would be the "more militant" protest, as opposed to the family-friendly one on Monday. "If people are wondering about Day 4, is it going to be safe, is it going to be OK to bring their families, we would say 'yes.' I think the more the better," the organizers said five or six weeks ago. We'll just see.

3:11 p.m. - The situation is, basically, shutting downtown St. Paul businesses. Caribou Coffee in Town Square brings us a pot of coffee because "it's going to be a long night." Besides, they don't need it; they say they've been told to close down. MPR sends non-newsroom people home.

3:17 p.m. - The people who are in line for the Daily Show have disappeared.

In the last two days, the people aren't let in until 5:30. Either the Daily Show is recording tonight's show early, or they want people off the street. The answer to that -- as with everything about The Daily Show -- is a matter of national security.

3:44 p.m. A "Kinko's journalist" (Has laminated credentials that aren't real press credentials) arrives, and appears to have broken every rule in the book about covering protests/riots.

3:46 p.m. Ramsey County announces it's closed the Juvenile Justice Center on West Seventh Street and the Public Health Clinic on Cedar in St. Paul because of the pending protest march.

4:26 p.m. - The left-hand-right-hand department -- Says the Joint Information Center:

Law enforcement officials in charge of security and public safety operations associated with the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul are dismissing as untrue reports that they requested offices in downtown Saint Paul to close early.

4:54 p.m. Who keeps all those police bicycles in shape and what's it like to be a bike cop? MPR's Michael Wells has the answer:

4:58 p.m. Police have told organizers they have to be finished by 5 p.m. (MPR)

5:04 p.m. Most marchers are heading toward John Ireland Blvd., on Rice. A separate group is attempting to go down Cedar Ave. Some arrests are being made. (KARE 11).

5:05 p.m. St. Paul officers on horseback are blocking John Ireland Blvd. (WCCO)

5:11 p.m. Via Twitter @TheInDecider (Daily Show - Michael Kraskin and Dennis DiClaudio) reports march is now a sit-in.

5:21 p.m. - Live video (via cellcam) of the situation.

5:26 p.m. - MPR's Sea Stachura has sent this image of the standoff:

MPR's Steve Mullis says, "Cops on Capitol side of John Ireland Blvd., protesters on the Cathedral side. Chanting loudly. Police are not amused."

5:28 p.m. - MPR's Tom Crann is interviewing the owner of Mickey's Diner. Flashback to Monday night:

"It didn't affect us at all," Melissa Matson said. "There were customers who came in right before and we didn't realize they hadn't been served so we were very apologetic." She says regulars are starting to show up again.

5:32 p.m. Steve Mullis' has sent this image:

5:39 p.m. - Nobody's making a move.

6:01 p.m. - Joint Press Information Center just issued this release:

Law enforcement officials in charge of security and public safety operations associated with the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul are asking for the public's assistance in identifying an apparent assault victim and suspected rioters.

Officials would like to speak with the apparent victim of an assault that occurred on Monday in Saint Paul. Law enforcement officials are also interested in speaking with individuals seen attacking the victim.

Law enforcement is also asking for the public's assistance in a separate case (see attached bulletin). Officials believe this individual is responsible for breaking windows at the 1st National Bank building on Monday, September 1 in Saint Paul. Anyone who can identify him is asked to contact police.

People with information about any of the individuals in the photos are asked to call the Saint Paul Police Department at 651-291-1111

6:09 p.m. - via Twitter @TheIndecider says people are leaving. Would they give up that easy. Looks to me like the police have fortified Cedar at I-94 bridge. The strategy seems clear: Keep 'em on the other side of I-94. So far it's working, easily. The police only need to guard two bridges rather than try to corral protesters throughout an entire downtown as they had to do on Monday.

6:14 p.m. - Police have "retaken" the John Ireland bridge. A small handful of protesters have linked arms.

6:18 p.m. - A line of blue is up around the front of the Capitol. Both main bridges to downtown are clogged with police. The only way this thing gets seriously out of hand is if the few people on the south side of I-94 (who are watching) turn out to be the "anarchists." That doesn't seem likely.

6:23 p.m. - More police have been added to the Cedar St. bridge. Dumptrucks have been moved across the road on the south side of the bridge.

6:37 p.m. - Here's the picture I shot a few minutes ago. Police have reinforced the bridge.

As I shot this, an officer said, "Sir, you have to move back across the street." Yes, I had my press credentials and , no, I hadn't crossed the police line. But -- and this is the first chance I've had to use this as a verb -- I decided not to "Amy Goodman" the situation.

Why don't the protesters move to the next bridge at Minnesota?

Because these people are waiting...

And, besides, there's no way for the protesters to get there. 12th Street is blocked and the parking garage and armory provide a barricade.

Snowplows have been mounted on city trucks and filled with sand. They're being moved in to reinforce things on Cedar:

As more police move up from downtown...

How long can this last? The police didn't take the bait, didn't move in on the protesters, and clearly are trying to avoid a confrontation. John McCain speaks in an hour or so, then leaves, and when everyone is gone, and the 10 p.m. news is over, the police can squeeze whatever protesters are left.

6:52 p.m. - Here's a map of how police succeeded in isolating the protesters from downtown, and the Excel Center.

For those following who are not in St. Paul, the yellow interstate is about 30 feet down from the surface streets where everyone is positioned.

7:20 p.m. Via David Brauer (via Twitter) - City Pages reporter among those pepper sprayed. Their report says they had both followed orders to lie on the ground. Then they were maced.

7:28 p.m. - A woman was just maced and taken away. MPR's Steve Mullis says police are making small advances to get people to scatter and thin out the crowd, and then surrounding those who stay behind, and arresting them.

7:43 p.m. - Part 2 of the bike cops video. Kudos to Michael Wells, Bo Hakala and Anna Weggle

7:51 p.m. - Flickr photostream of this afternoon/evening's events.

7:54 p.m. Via Twitter, The InDecider says a police car window was smashed.

7:58 p.m. - 12 arrests, according to the Pioneer Press. Additional images. Here.

8:02 p.m. MPR's Steve Mullis (via Twitter), "Cops respected press credentials and let us break the line" to return to the downtown section of the city.

8:18 p.m. - Protesters are pretty much broken up. Some tried to get over the bridge at Marion but failed. Police shot flashbangs. Protesters are in small groups and are unlikely to reform -- or be allowed to reform. My son -- who works here -- has just returned and says all of the people he saw get pepper-sprayed by police had just failed to obey an order.

8:29 p.m. - Total arrests will be over 100. We may yet hit the 800 prediction from Sheriff Bob Fletcher.

This thing is over.

Submitted photo:

From Jessica Vogt : "Anti-war protest. Police stop protesters at the John Ireland Blvd. bridge. The crowd gathers."

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How did authorities monitor library computer use by suspected bomb maker?

Posted at 4:45 PM on September 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (12 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice, The political conventions

Wednesday's news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, detailing a criminal complaint against a Michigan man accused of planning to make Molotov cocktails and bomb the Xcel Center, carried this paragraph:

The affidavit states that DePalma went to the Hennepin County Library on August 18 and spent 90 minutes researching recipes for explosive devices. DePalma produced a handwritten list of items he would need to construct "special" Molotov cocktails that would stick to people and other targets.

How did authorities get the information about Matthew DePalma's activity while online using a Hennepin County Library computer?

"All I can tell you is what's in the affadavit," said David Anderson, a public affairs specialist for the Department of Justice. The affadavit didn't say.

Did the library monitor, and then turn over, records of the computer's use to authorities?" The Hennepin County Library and its employees had nothing to do with it," said Stacy A. Opitz, a spokeswoman for the library.

That could mean it was something as simple as someone watching what DePalma was doing.

Under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, libraries can only turn over information about patrons with a court order. The Patriot Act allows monitoring of electronic (or other) activities of patrons in libraries,something to which the American Library Association has objected. Some libraries, according to the ALA, are destroying computer access records on a regular basis to avoid complying.

But in this case, there's no clear indication how authorities monitored the library's computer.

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