I spent a good part of the week in Ohio with pastors at a continuing education event. One pastor from Toledo had a call the first day (Tuesday) saying his son had been arrested in St. Paul on Monday for protesting the Republican National Convention. He was charged with a felony! 'Conspiring to incite a riot' or something similar. Naturally he had the worry of a dad, but also curiosity about St. Paul arresting nonviolent protesters in what seemed like a 'preemptive' arrest to clear the streets. Then this morning's stories show police in riot gear throwing tear gas and 'flash grenades' at protesters down by the capital. Here's a picture that I'd usually expect to be from North Korea or China, not my own downtown. Wow.
Word was, after a number of raids over the weekend, that a group of anarchists had planned violent attacks. Now the stories say that members of the Republican Welcoming Committee were arrested on charges of terrorism based a a recent Patriot Act law.
But this pastor said his son and his friends planned and trained for nonviolent protest expecting that the outcome would confirm that we live in a police state with curtailed rights and freedom. I might not be so moved to discover what this set of circumstances says but it is all taking place a few miles from me, in my fair city, and so I need to do some digging and sorting out. St. Paul (the biblical one, this time) spent time in jail, too, for saying unpopular things in the town square. "These people are out to destroy the world" the magistrates shouted at Jason when they were searching for Paul and Silas.
More on this as I learn more and think more about what's going on.
Peace,
Chris
My goodness...
Posted by: Andrew | September 12, 2008 at 08:01 AM