Profiling the profilers

State troopers stood at Constitution Avenue and took photos of people arriving at the State Capitol.

First, at a little before 3 p.m. my teenage daughter and I were heading for the RippleEffect event at the State Capitol grounds to hear Michael Franti, a musician-activist we both admire. After we crossed Constitution Avenue a volunteer observer with the National Lawyers Guild pointed out to me that a state trooper took our picture as we crossed the street, and that he was taking pictures of every person that entered the venue from the same direction.

Was he taking pictures to use against us in the future, track us, or intimidate us? Was it her peace buttons or my camera bag? Were we guilty by association?

I have a camera myself and I took a photo of him, camera in hand. I can see his name clearly on his shirt and will, as suggested by the NLG volunteer, be sending the photos to both the ACLU and the NLG. I'll pursue what the state intends to do with all the photos of all those people.

Later, down at Mear's Park for the start of the Poor People's March, I witnessed the disturbing profiling of a youth on a bike who had been yanked to the curb by a group of police officers on bikes. He was forced to his knees, placed in white plastic handcuffs, while police riffled through his backpack even though he said, "I do not consent."

Invisible behind this confab of police and journalists is a young man who was profiled as a troublemaker, separated from his bike and backpack, handcuffed, but quickly released after 20-30 photographers and videographers were alerted to the arrest taking place.

But many jumpy journalists and legal observers were gathered with the marchers, and thanks to two alert citizens who sounded the alarm of an arrest in progress, the police were quickly facing the lenses of 20-30 photographers, videographers and camera phone guerillas. Caught red-handed without a cause to arrest other than he didn't "look right," the officers struggled with the cuffs for a few minutes as the crowd of observers grew and questions were fired amid the click-click-click of shutters and video cameras silently took in the scene.

Suddenly, one of the police officers standing over the young man called out, "Do you have any box cutters?" to another posse of cops on bikes that had arrived with the influx. The terrified youth was soon released and quietly left the area.
 
While these incidents were of short duration, they leave a lasting impact. The young man may decide to file charges against the overzealous police. He'd have a strong case considering the number of witnesses, including a middle-aged-woman who was so distraut by witnessing the violent attack that she immediately phoned the mayor's office to protest.
 
Some of the hundreds of arrests at Monday's anti-war march appear to be based solely on profiling. A list of charges provided by the Ramsey County Sheriff's office include presence at an unlawful assembly, loitering with intent, conspiracy to riot and trespassing.

Kathlyn Stone is a Twin Cities, Minnesota-based independent journalist who has covered general news, and business, international trade, and health care news and policies for public and professional audiences since 1980. Articles by Kathlyn Stone at MWC News http://mwcnews.net/KathlynStone

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