The arrests and harassment of nonviolent protesters and journalists covering the Republican National Convention demands a full investigation. We call upon the elected officials of Minneapolis and St. Paul to immediately launch an investigation of all law enforcement agencies involved in policing the RNC. Nonviolent protesters exercising their First Amendment rights and independent journalists were targeted by police, subjected to pre-emptive raids, pepper-sprayed, arrested en masse in sweeps and detained without probable cause for extended periods. In addition there have been numerous complaints of brutality directed against arrestees held in the Ramsey County jail. We call on the mayors of the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis and St. Paul City Councils, and all of the local authorities to fully investigate these aggressive and violent tactics. The same police agencies that violated the First and Fourth Amendment rights of arrestees cannot be allowed to investigate themselves. Arresting and detaining nonviolent activists for exercising their Constitutional rights and journalists for doing their jobs is a gross violation of free speech and freedom of the press. Civic minded citizens and journalists must be free to assemble, free to speak and free to report the news - without intimidation.

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