Welcome to St. Paul

My friend Adam just moved to St. Paul, and had a wonderful "welcome" by the police:

I had a "run-in" with a cop in full body armor last night in downtown St. Paul. Jana and I went to see the taping of the Daily Show at the Historical Museum (this is all during the RNC), and just outside the building we were in (across the street and down about a block) is where all of the peaceful protesting was going on. We went out for dinner after the show got out, at about 7:30p or so, and on the walk back to our car after dinner some bicycle cops came up behind us and started telling us where to walk. We ignored them and took a right to get to our car and they freaked out and started pushing me (actually physically pushing me) to go straight instead. I threw my hands up and went "woa man, just walking to our car here" and in response, he waved his mace at me telling me to get moving in his direction. We walked up about a half a block to where a news van was (FOX) and Jana walked up to their open door telling them that innocent people are getting pushed around and maced just outside their van completely unprovoked and they should be filming it. I had continued walking forward and was yelling at Jana to hurry because the bike cops were just about to get up to her again (they were riding VERY slow so they could ride next to the walkers). The cop that had pushed me earlier got to where I was standing and waved his mace in my face again and told me to keep walking. I then looked him in the eye and said "Thats my wife right there and I am waiting for her". He ignored me, and I yelled "Thats my fucking wife, you just wait a second ass whole! You're out here pushing us around and we were just out to dinner and we are walking back to our car". By that time Jana had got to where I was and we grabbed hands and continued walking. We were with 3 other friends that were at the show with us and at dinner with us. Two of them were way ahead of us because they walked very fast to get away from it all, and the other was holding up his phone the whole time yelling "this is all on tape! You're on video right now!"

Needless to say, it changed the way I look at cops completely. I felt like I was in a video about the 1960s. I have never seen so many guns, mace cans, or tear-gas rifles in my life. Just walking to the Daily Show at 2:30p (we had to get there early to get a seat) I must have seen 250 cops in full body armor. If anything, Jana and I felt LESS safe with them being there, and as it turns out, we WERE less safe. The only harm that I received both verbally and physically all night was from a police officer. AND I WASN'T EVEN AT THE PROTEST. Even if I was, it should not have mattered. I was walking peacefully to my car holding my wife's hand and strolling along. How these officers thought we were some kind of threat is beyond me. What kind of judgment is he using pushing me around?

Jana and I got home last night (9/4/08) at about 9:30 and were just happy to be home and away from it all....