Typical holiday Monday. Slept in, did some laundry, and headed out for a quiet bike ride in the neighborhood.
Lollygagged in Merriam Park, cruised Summit Ave., through some alleys and neighborhoods, stopped at Mississippi Market for a snack from the deli; and had a pleasant conversation with a woman from Boston who had been downtown for the authorized family-friendly protest parade. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what was happening in convention city. Through Irvine Park, then along the river. Listened to several Steve Earle tunes (from across the Mississippi -- the Take Back Labor Day event); it sounded great from there. Stopped at Black Dog Cafe to take in the Poster Offensive exhibit, chilled out at Mears Park, and decided to loop around downtown to feel out the convention vibe.
I missed out on the actual event, but happened upon the post-confrontation arrest process at 9th Street and Jackson. There is plenty of good coverage from all of the major media by folks who know what they're doing and have some fancy cameras, but I thought I'd share what I shot with my trusty 5-year-old Canon Sure Shot S400. Pretty grainy when you've got 3.1 mpx and shitty digital zoom, but here's what I got on Flickr.
And a couple of shots here. Below, Democracy Now producer Nicole Salazar on the way to a shuttle van. Evidentally another producer, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, and DN host Amy Goodman were arrested also.
I'm not sure who the gentleman below is. I think he represents, in some way, the Democracy now journalists. He was quite agitated and very vocal with the arresting officers.
Interesting to observe, but the heat got a bit tiring and I thought I'd enjoy the convenience of a neighborhood bar. Bummer, even the Gopher Bar decided to close down for the day.
Found this bit of craziness on Wabasha St. Check out the pix on this website; looks like this crazy dude gets around and customizes his message for the event of the moment (there seem to be some common themes, though).
Checked out the site of the True Blue Minnesota scene near the Cathedral and headed toward home. After all that excitement, I stopped by the Muddy Pig to wind down with a pint of Bell's, then pedaled to the Macalester area to order take-out from Shish and have a beer at Coffee News Cafe.
Good bike ride today.
