400 Busted in RNC Protest

Nearly 400 anti-war demonstrators were arrested last night in clashes with police near the Republican convention, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Officers in riot gear with snowplows, horses, and dump trucks blocked bridges and used tear gas and pepper spray when the protesters attempted to march from the Capitol, the site of an afternoon demonstration, to the Xcel Center.

The demonstrators' permit expired at 5pm, but many refused police orders to disperse.
“They chose not to leave when told to do so and now everyone's paying the price,” one officer told the Star-Tribune. “They're trying to steal our protest—we have to ignore the police intimidation,” called out one demonstrator. Over a dozen media members were also held and released later in the evening; two AP reporters were issued citations. (More protesters stories.)