Activists, protesters, troublemakers, outraged youth, and other citizenry lay on the other side of the gate, in opposition to the Bush administration, McCain campaign and Republican ideals. There were the peaceful, the radical and the violent. Then there were those who were just out having a good time, when events transpired.
Rallies were going on at the same time as the Take Back Labor Day concert event at Harriet Island, where many young people were just out listening to music and hearing messages of peace from musicians such as Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Atmosphere (from Minneapolis). When protesters clashed with police, many bystanders not involved with violent activity fell victim to actions taken by riot police in St. Paul on Labor Day.
Jakob Guanzon, a spectator of the Take Back Labor Day event, which was sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, was one of the bystanders who was reportedly sprayed with mace. Guanzon was pulled to safety by one of the protesters who declined to comment and preferred to remain anonymous.
"I'm just trying to get to the concert," Guanzon said, "I'll just keep on moving."
Guanzon said he had been walking for several miles at this point.
"Before I know it, I see cops shooting rubber bullets and tear gas into people, and I'm like really close to the cops, and they're just having fun at this point. It's target practice."
During a video interview, Guanzon saw the protester that had helped him reach safety during the ordeal. Guanzon hugged the man who chose not to be identified. He was with two others who agreed to take part in an interview on film.
Oddie Miller and Ethan Barrett were both present at the rally and commented that police who were taking action to cease protesters ended up inflicting damage upon bystanders who were not involved.
"People involved in the march started running, happened to catch up to the people who were bystanders and like, 'what's going on?' and so they were mingled with us, and they were still getting hit with canisters of tear gas," said Miller.
Guanzon was eventually assisted by an EMT unit after flushing his eyes in a fountain near by.
The police presence in the twin cities was overwhelming during the RNC and Rage concert. Police were enlisted from all across the country to provide security for the RNC. Two police from Philadelphia stood guard next to their blue Chevy Lumina on the corner of Marion Street by the Sears department store, just a block or so from the state capitol. On Kellogg Blvd., there were literally gangs of police in full riot gear. When fans dispersed the Target Center on 1st Avenue in Minneapolis, police lined the streets. There was soon a standoff between police and a crowd that stretched down the block. Hundreds of, if not more, people in the crowd had cameras pointed directly at the horse brigade of riot police blocking off 1st Ave. There were plenty of journalists in the mix too. YouTube is filled with video from the event.
Several more arrests were made the following day, Thursday, after violent uproars exploded on the streets of St. Paul during the RNC.
Robert Allen - My name is Robert Allen Lawson. I currently live in Roswell, New Mexico. I'm a reporter for the Roswell Daily Record. I moved to Roswell ...
