By now you’ve likely heard about the police repression of protesters at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota last week. Police made a massive show of force, arresting over 800 people, making a special effort to target journalists who were documenting the protests and the police violence going on.
Perhaps more shocking and concerning than the now-expected repression of political expression is the treatment of the jailed protesters and journalists. The Twin Cities IndyMedia Center reports that prisoners in Ramsey County jail have been beaten, Tasered, tear gassed and denied emergency medical care. Read the coverage from Twin Cities IndyMedia here.
It’s crucial to remember that such abuse of power is widespread. This is not an acute problem; it is a pandemic. And police brutality doesn’t take place only on the streets—it happens in the jailhouse (and prisons) as well. It is not just “enemy combatants” in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba who are tortured at the hands of U.S. officials—people in our communities face similar treatment in local jailhouses.
For example: let’s recall the experience of Packratt over at Injustice in Seattle. After being wrongfully arrested after a stabbing in a club, he spent a long stay in King’s County jail, inhumanely being denied medical care despite his legal rights and the internal injuries he suffered before being arrested. Read Packratt’s story in his own words. Know that people in St. Paul and around the country are suffering similar torture in jails and on the streets.