From: "Jerald Hellemeyer" <bippie-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Police use pepper spray, riot sticks on protesters in Minneapolis
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 15:34:52 CDT


>From the St Paul Pioneer Press
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/docs/0724protest.htm


Police use pepper spray, riot sticks on protesters in Minneapolis
Updated at 3:10 p.m. Monday, July 24


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AMY MAYRON AND DAVID HAWLEY STAFF WRITERS
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Police this afternoon used pepper spray and riot sticks on protesters of an 
animal genetics conference as the protesters veered off a set march route.
The pepper spray was released shortly after some tear gas was dispersed 
through the crowd. Police, however, denied that they used any tear gas.

"There is no possibility that it came from the police department. Zero. 
Zero. Zero,’’ Minneapolis police Deputy Chief Greg Hestness. When the tear 
gas was fired, however, protestors screamed for everyone to run away because 
of the gas.

Hestness said that Chief Robert Olson would have to authorize the use of 
tear gas and he did not. Lieutenants, however, did authorize the use of 
pepper spray.

Protesters and observers countered that police did indeed use the tear gas.

At least 65 people were arrested, "and we are counting,’’ said Roseann 
Campagnoli, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department. No 
injuries had been reported to police or protesters, Campagnoli said.

As demonstrators were hauled away in sheriff’s vans, several buses arrived 
carrying police reinforcements. Traffic was re-routed around the areas of 
protest.

Police and other law enforcement personnel, some in full riot gear and 
carrying guns that fire rubber bullets, outnumbered the approximately 150 
protesters shortly after 1 p.m.

Police officials, who had originally forbidden any marches in downtown 
Minneapolis by the demonstrators, decided this afternoon to allow a march on 
a specific route. After starting the march, the protesters veered off toward 
a poorly policed area along Willow Street and West 14th Street.

Police pepper-sprayed and used riot sticks against protesters to corral them 
in Loring Park and used human chains to block off surrounding streets. 
Maxine Klein, a veteran protestor from Minneapolis, who was tear gassed 
during that clash, said she wasn’t warned she would be gassed.

"This is more than outrageous we have been disallowed our rights to protest 
in the streets. We were cordoned off repeatedly by police and we felt 
terribly endangered,’’ she said. "This is well designed to get people to 
never go into the streets again. It is only by such protests that laws have 
been changed.’’

Police and protesters quickly clashed again on Hennepin Avenue a few minutes 
after 1:30. Police again completely surrounded the protesters and blocked 
off the street.

The tense moments followed a calm morning and uneventful day Sunday as 
protesters gathered in downtown Minneapolis.


A small group of protestors moved to 12th Street between Nicollet and 
LaSalle Avenues, police boxed them in and arrested more than a dozen 
protestors who interfered with traffic. About 25 protestors remained on the 
sidewalk with police surrounding them. Police did not move to arrest the 
smaller group at first but then began mass arrests again.

Teresa Nelson, legal council with the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, said 
she knows of no city ordinance that would disallow peaceful protests on city 
sidewalks as long as the protestors did not block other pedestrians. 
Overall, however, she said police seemed to be well disciplined.

"Police have been showing restraint today which is good to see,’’ Nelson 
said.

At 3 p.m. police called the bomb squad to 12th Street remove three small 
glass containers wrapped with duct tape that one of the officers had found 
on protestors.

The protesters have said they are demonstrating against the activities of 
the International Society for Animal Genetics conference, which has 
attracted 650 scientists from across the world. The conference, based in the 
Hyatt Regency hotel, continues through Wednesday.

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