Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

December 24, 2012

Clyde Bellecourt arrested at Idle No More in Minn.

Clyde Bellecourt arrested  

Idle No More
Minneapolis Police Officer accusing

Clyde Bellecourt of organizing the Idle No More Rally
at the IDS tower in Minneapolis, MN moments
 before his arrest after having a cup of coff
By Jennifer Hudson
Censored News
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/12/clyde-bellecourt-arrested-at-idle-no.html
Top photo by Nahar
Video below

Update: Sept. 25, 3013: Trespass charge dropped:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_24174693/clyde-bellecourt-trespass-charge-dropped

Clyde Bellecourt, cofounder of the American Indian Movement, was targeted and arrested in Minneapolis on Christmas Eve. Bellecourt was released later that evening, after appearing before a judge, with bruises on his wrist.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – A peaceful Flash Mob Round Dance, organized to bring attention to the Idle No More movement from Canada, ended today with the arrest of Clyde Bellecourt. The Flash Mob Round Dance lasted less than 20 minutes at the IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis. Bellecourt was uninvolved with the organizing of the event and was informed of the Round Dance only moments before it happened. Bellecourt arrived late to the event and stayed to watch the dancing. While sitting peacefully on a mall bench, Bellecourt was approached by Minneapolis police and asked to leave.

Bellecourt stated repeatedly that he was not involved with the organizing and he did not know who had organized the event; he was only at IDS to shop. Despite this, he was told to leave or he would be arrested. No one else was asked to leave at this point.

After the Round Dance ended, Bellecourt returned to buy a cup of coffee alone when he was approached by police officers who seized his cane, forced him to the floor, and then tried to lift him solely by his handcuffs. Bellecourt is 75 and cannot easily get up and down without assistance, which was denied to him. Bellecourt was unable to stand up and leave IDS on his own so officers arrested Bellecourt and transported him on a stretcher. Bellecourt is now being held at Hennepin County Jail.

Flash mobs are used across this country to bring awareness to situations or just because individuals are having fun. This flash mob was to bring to awareness to the Idle No More movement in Canada. While Clyde Bellecourt has a long history of activism for Native American issues, in this situation he was singled out for his history and position in the community and not for his involvement in any kind of social disruption.
Media Contact, Jennifer Hudson (605) 299-2558
OHOMCenter@yahoo.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's interesting they waited until Mr. Bellecourt was alone to arrest him. What were the police afraid of? I think we all know the answer to that. Also, isn't it Mr. Bellecourt's constitutional right to protest peacefully (First Amendment to the Constitution)? It seems to me as if the United States government, along with their military police state, bend the rules in order to control those they feel a threat to their so-called "power over the people."

Chris Roberts said...

Russell Means: "I don’t want to be remembered as an activist. I want to be remembered as an American Indian patriot.” In "The Progressive" magazine.
http://fb.me/1HyZMx339

Asdzaananahoghasi said...

Has Clyde been released?

wiseoldsnail said...

this is no less than an abduction by hired thugs

wiseoldsnail said...

this is no less than an abduction by hired thugs

Oki__Napi said...

There is no seeming like to it.It is a police state. To arrest a 75 yr old man having a coffee and accusing him of an unlawful assembly is as about as cowardly an act for law enforcement as therer is.

Oki__Napi said...

Arresting a 75yr old man having coffee is cowardly law enforcement to me