Elliot Hughes, tortured by Ramsey County Sheriff, testifies.

Arrested during Day 1 of the RNC, Elliot Hughes, while under the care of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, was starved, beaten unconscious, hooded and gagged, and ultimately denied medical treatment.

In this video from The Uptake -- found at http://theuptake.org -- hear Elliot's full testimony before a special meeting of St. Paul's council members, on Wednesday September 24th, 2008.

Be warned. What Elliot has to report happened to him tells a disturbing story of unwarranted and unjustifiable police violence. By the end of his testimony, you'll see how St. Paul provided us with echoes of Abu Ghraib during the RNC.

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, headed by Bob Fletcher, felt it necessary to hold a press conference today before the public meeting to trash Council Member David Thune who had arranged the "Community Conversation".

Bob Fletcher is responsible for far more than Elliot Hughes' torture. He undertook many out-of-jurisdiction actions before, during, and after the RNC--including harassment of videographers who have remained in town to finish a documentary on the RNC protests.

Fletcher unreasonably attacked David Thune--the City Council member responsible for Ward 2 (Downtown & Lowertown St. Paul where the RNC and protests took place)--simply for holding a public meeting so that the very freaked out and disturbed locals can finally vent at the city.

A city that allowed itself to become Federal Occupied Territory ruled by thuggish police who made even home-owning, lifelong citizens of St. Paul be made to feel like the enemy by the police in their own neighborhoods.

Previously the mayors of both cities had been wishy washy about navel gazing, and had tried to pass off an appointed couple of federal lackeys with a mandate not to investigate police behavior, as an "investigation".

Elliot Hughes' testimony was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The deputy mayor of St. Paul rang Thune after the meeting to promise they would consider (an important word) expanding the investigation team from two members to a larger commission and having them and the Mayor attend the second meeting Council Member Dave Thune is calling.

The Minnesotans are rising...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• rnc
• torture
• 2008
• st.
• paul
• ramsey
• county
• sheriff
• protestor
• abuse
• violence
• jail
• hood
• beaten
• starved
• bob
• fletcher

[nigelparry]

Sorry, I pulled an STFU on Tessler. I'm sick of reading his torture denial.

[DowntownHound]

No need to apologize. He was rather annoying, wasn't he?

[nigelparry]

yep. and i'm really unhappy with what the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department did to Elliot, so the endless e-mail alerts with his latest BS were getting irritating. had to stop. You have a good day and keep fighting the power.

[tessler6868]

this guy is caricature of tree hugging, wimpy lefty. the hard right couldn't have dreamed up a better lefty for ridicule. this presentation was pathetic. or activitists in this country really are brainless. but mostly suspect he is bogus (or false flag). has anyone verified his story??

[nigelparry]

Terrorizing Dissent is on You Tube, and can/could always be downloaded free from the site. Youtube seems to disgard comments with URLs but it's at the top of a google search for that. A police woman on a bike cut in front of Elliot, he tried to miss her but winged her. He fell off and they arrested him. He wasn't targeted per say. I unintentionally deleted your comment (remove and reply links too close together) so if I missed responding, just reply again. Sorry about that.

[tessler6868]

lol. so you say. anyhow, you received. yeah, watched 1st half. didn't see much dissent or protest going on though. no posters, no organization, no PURPOSE. really disappointing. just scuzzy looking kids in down market gathering. i'd wanna clear streets of them too. will watch 2nd half later.

but don't you DARE compare this to abu ghraib. this kid shouldn't be out house without his mother. can barely keep from crying here.

[nigelparry]

Actually I will dare. I worked with a human rights organization in the Middle East for four years on the ground and his reaction/posture while recounting his torture experience is totally consistent with the hundreds of people who I had to sit and hear the same kinds of stories from. When American corrections officers are *hooding* and beating kids in their care, telling them that "God can't help you now", that's pretty much the same thing. So I will dare, from very bitter personal experience.

[djjimi]

This kid is obviously traumatized for the rest of his life.

Our police are becoming monsters... and it's tme for a little payback.

[CavsWarrior14]

i can't believe this happend to a young man in america damn the st paul police to hell i want those pigs to be beaten just like they beat him

[613maccabee]

@tessler6868 Yuo dummy, activism is one of the things this country was founded on. I bet this guy has more moral courage than you ever would.

[613maccabee]

Anyone who thinks this is alright for the police to do has no right to our freedoms. I as a Marine took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC. The pigs who particiated in this are cowards and should be put to death.

[samten10a]

Who was imbeciles that approve the conference here any way. You should have a recall vote get rid of the shit heads. There are some conferences that are nothing but trouble. Three that I know of, Democrats G20 and republican. I am sure there are more. Before they are over there is nothing but hard felling and hate. No city need that. So why bring it to any city in the usa.

The sheriff probable not get re-elected when this all comes out. The mayor should loose also.



[milt74]

FUK THE POLICE! I was punched in the mouth by a cop when I was just fifteen. I hate dem @ssholes. I know not all are like that....but hey....those that are not like that...keep their mouths shut.

[DrArchivist]

I have a hunch you'd probably REALLY like listening to the worst foaming meth head truck driver talk about fucking farm animals.

[tsavodiner]

Activist since he was 10, huh? Sounds like a professional busybody with nothing to do but mind everybody else's fucking business. Professional Fucking Victim.

"I've seen imperialist empires rise and fall" Yea, you've seen the inside of another man's anus is what you've 'seen'. why people will sit around and listen to whiny douchebags like this is beyond me. I'd rather listen to the worst foaming meth head truck driver I've ever known talk about fucking farm animals than put up with this shit

[MMK86]

yeah? imagine going through something like that then retelling the story to a group of people. give him a break.

[phnixlady]

Let the mothers at them we will tear them to bloody shreds. I am not kidding.

[Lehl19]

wow, i was even getting annoyed ;)