As you may recall, the Minneapolis City Council just passed an ordinance concerning protesters’ rights at the upcoming Republican National Convention. The new ordinance replaced already existing laws that banned police use of rubber bullets, barred confiscation of cameras and recording devices and prohibited police targeting of activist groups.

When the new law left all these clauses out, Green Party council member Cam Gordon tried to add them back in amendments, and finally succeeded — at least partially — to pass them Friday. Now rubber bullets are again banned and all camera confiscation must hold up to the First and Fourth amendments of the Constitution.

Gordon was pleased with the final result. As for activists and future RNC protesters, many of whom followed the bill and were present at every vote, the response is more of a lukewarm relief. Michelle Gross, the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, recently e-mailed me her group’s thoughts on the reformed bill:

“[We're] gratified that the Minneapolis City Council was forced by the
community to acknowledge their mistake in stripping away needed protections for
protesters contained in the 2000 resolution. We are especially pleased that
the City Council voted unanimously to reinstate the ban on rubber bullets.
However, we remain frustrated that other important protections from the 2000
resolution were not reinstated. We are striving to understand why the council
felt the need to overturn the 2000 resolution in the first place, along with
adding a burdensome permitting process for people who wish to protest in
Minneapolis.”

Tags: Michelle Gross, RNC