RNC story: Did the windows break themselves?

Various people sent me emails asking me to make some calls today to encourage the Powers That Be to dismiss all charges against citizens arising from the RNC protests, and to encourage a comprehensive investigation of police/"security" violence. In principle, I agree. But I went a different route completely: I tried to find out who the police actually believed had broken the Macy's window and the patrol car window. So I made a few calls.

First I called the Ramsey County Prosecutor's office (651-266-3222). When I got the nice woman, I asked, "I have a couple of questions regarding the RNC. Can you tell me if anyone has been charged with breaking the patrol car windows or the Macy's window during the convention?" After she determined that I had every right to ask her for public information, she asked me the name of the person charged. No, I replied, I had called to find out if an actual person had been charged; I would have no way of knowing the name.

She referred me to the St Paul Police Department (651-291-1111). The nice woman there had the same suspicion that I was asking for classified information. When we straightened that out, she asked me for the case number. I replied that I would have no way of knowing the case number. I didn't, in fact, know if the police actually had a case. She told me that she couldn't give me a single bit of information without a case number. When I insisted that I was asking about some very high-provile breakage, used to justify Fifty Million Dollars worth of "security" expense, she transfered me to Jamie in Records.

Jamie also insisted that I must have a case number. Eventually I accused Jamie of attempting to stonewall me, so she gave me another number to call...Laurie over at 651-266-5500. Well, Laurie didn't answer, so I couldn't talk to her.

Does any of this seem strange to anyone else? Here eight people are charged with serious crimes, based on having old tires or roofing nails in their possession. Here eight people are being accused of being terrorists and may end up doing over seven years in prison.

The thing is, a few windows were actually broken, so apparently some crime (or misdemeanor, to be technical) was committed. Only the two cases I know about both smell funny. The patrol car windows were broken with quite a few police officers around, yet reliable witnesses indicate that no effort was made to prevent the breakage or to arrest the perpetrators. And the rumors I keep hearing about the Macy's window are that the person who broke the window came from behind police lines and returned behind police lines after breaking the window.

When I call the authorities about the incidents, they act like they don't know what I am talking about.

So what is going on? Were there actual windows broken or not? And if there were, do the police have any suspects or not? And whether or not they have any suspects, why are they being so secretive about it all. This whole thing smells funny to me.