A "nonpracticing attorney" from St. Paul who was a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild during the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul has filed a lawsuit against the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, the city of St. Paul, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, the city of Minneapolis and dozens of other law enforcers and agencies.
The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court by Daniel D. Dobson of St. Paul said he was "repeatedly assaulted by defendants and members of defendant agencies" and "repeatedly had his civil rights and liberties violated during the RNC by being forbidden to do legal work he was requested to do and not being permitted to observe illegal and excessive police activity."
The suit seeks "a minimum of $100,000 for each of the named defendants."
Dobson, who is acting as his own attorney in the suit, could not be reached to comment Wednesday afternoon. Interim St. Paul City Attorney Gerald Henrickson said he has not seen the suit.
The claims are numerous and similar to other suits filed by arrestees and criminal complaints filed against defendants.
The suit said that defendants labeled individuals and groups planning to attend the Republican National Convention as anarchists and terrorists and that "such labelling and name-calling was used as a justification to impinge upon and restrict the rights of those coming to legally protest."
Defendants "engaged in a wide range of activities that violated the civil rights and liberties of hundreds of citizens, including plaintiff," the suit said.
It cited 16 instances, including raids made in the days preceding the convention on the RNC Welcoming Committee's Convergence Center and homes in Minneapolis and St. Paul, stops on buses and vans, and "repeated and harassing drivebys of locations where anti-war activists were meeting." It cited instances during the convention including the afternoon of Sept. 1 when "unknown police officers began attacking and assaulting individuals near Shepard Road with tear gas, pepper spray, mace and stun grenades."
The lawsuit also details instances that Dobson said he personally observed, including arrests made in Minneapolis after a Rage Against the Machine concert.
Pat Pheifer • 612-741-4992
