Don't Tase Me, GOP!

Monday 04 August 2008
by: Jacob Wheeler, In These Times
St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer wearing Taser gun.
The St. Paul Police Department is arming itself with Tasers.
Local activists and media say that the department ordered 230 stun guns in late February - adding to the 140 already in its possession - in preparation for protests at the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), which St. Paul will host from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4.
Police spokesman Tom Walsh denies any connection between the arrival of the Tasers and the upcoming RNC. "They are not related to the convention in any way," says Walsh. "A patrol officer suggested months ago that we supply our force with Tasers."
But some demonstrators are wary of such assurances.
"Our concern is that they'll have them and that they'll use them," says Marie Braun, a member of Women Against Military Madness, which has received a permit to protest in a St. Paul park on Sept. 1. "These are dangerous weapons and people have died as a result of them being used."
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