MPR News: Teen describes process of RNC protest arrest and release

Teen Jacob Smith was arrested at protests on Monday, September 1, 2008. He, and his mother, Koren Walsh, recount the story of his arrest and subsequent release from the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center.

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• minnesota

[MaidenUtah1]

Why do the Republicans even bother having their conventions in big cities? Urban America is filled with nothing but "anti-everything" malcontents and every shade of lefty known to man.

Why don't they just hold them in Branson, Missouri or at any NASCAR racing event from now on?

[Thephyguy]

democracy has never been alive. only inane and insane ideas about it have ever been alive, always vibrant and changing.

[samala5793]

@bensprott Valuable lesson=you can get arrested for a LAWFUL assembly. Democracy is dead. Great lesson.

[bensprott]

not that I care, but you reversed my point. In fact, the chain of thought I laid out was that of the cop and the conservative establishment, not mine. You might be the type of person to always feel like the world is against you. That clearly happened here.

[BassistBattalion]

Yeah i get to learn those lessons all the time because i look different i must be squashed back use the social control machine to keep me in line. It is amazing how your closed mind jumps from mohawk to trouble maker to agitator. So the real lesson i would learn here is that if i'm going to be arrested any way mine as well give them a reason. Hey and maybe i will take out one of those bastards who chose to become an extention of the state's social control.

[beerasaurus]

gotta love that RNC eh?

[bensprott]

"No, this guy's staying." That is, "this guy is being arrested." Who?  You mean the scrawny kid with the mohawk? The troublemaker? The agitator? Mom is just so happy her kid is alright. Meanwhile, our teenager has learned a valuable lesson.....

[wilmaohman]

there was a section reserved for protests.how about the ones who were denied excess to certain areas? they decided to try to reach this area by going around the back streets.how many of the kids were doing and saying things they wouldn't normally do just to impress their peers.the police had to prevent possible vandalism by mobs of kids.if everybody obeyed the police orders no one would have been arrested.mobs of kids were trying to block traffic to stop buses from reaching their destination.

[superduprdan]

Ok johnny that's me in the video. I don't drink i don't do drugs i won't even take an aspirin. oh and i'm an honor student with strait A's currently taking multiple ap classes. Ya i'm not old enough to vote so i guess i don't do that. yet. however i do stand up for what i believe in and maybe if you read a book, i'm assuming you don't from your comment, you would see that there was plenty to protest at the RNC.

[superduprdan]

hmm the right to peaceful assembly given to us by the first amendment. if anyone needs a lesson on our rights it is the police that severely limited them on the days of the RNC. the ones brutalizing peaceful protesters who caused no violence nor threatened anybody.