We’ve heard about our “rights,” founding fathers signing something and a bunch of amendments. Some might know what I’m talking about, some might not. Politicians wipe their asses with it and let lawyers or anyone else pull it out of the toilet. It’s dirty work.

But the Constitution isn’t just theirs; it’s all of ours.

Freedom of assembly allows us to rise up, make a fist or a peace sign, and protest something we don’t like. It doesn’t matter what it is, and it could be because Babcock started selling only lowfat frozen yogurt. Dissent is legal and characteristic of our freedom as citizens of the United States. Because we live in an impure democracy where corporate and partisan interests often ignore or distort the voice of the people, sometimes we have to speak. We have two chances to participate in this government: We can vote, and we can protest. If you don’t do either, then stop complaining because you’re not the only one who has to pay taxes.

The police state started to tighten their grip on the people protesting the Republican agenda in Minnesota on Friday, Aug. 29. Police raided the Convergence Center House of the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, an anti-authoritarian group which publicly professed its intent to nonviolently restrict entry of Republicans into the convention, preventing them from reaching quorum.

According to The New York Times, police with semiautomatic weapons stormed the house, asserting that it violated fire codes. Residents denied having any dangerous or illegal materials that would necessitate their arrest for charges of “conspiracy to riot.” However, many were charged for that exact thing.

“They took political literature and other property,” said Madison student Kyle Szarzynski, who was at the center. “Hundreds were detained, including journalists and lawyers working with the activists.”

He also noted that in the following days that “many members of the RNC Welcoming Committee, as well as others who ‘looked’ like leftists, were snatched off the streets by plainclothes policemen in unmarked vans.”

At that point, police had detained hundreds of people, some of which were leaders of a peaceful group, and others who were just doing their job. Why the police would affect the lives of so many people — most of them innocent — reflects the government’s stretching of its power to that of a police state, where freedoms are controlled and curtailed by law enforcement.

“Our targets are the leaders of this group. We’re not interested in other groups that are interested in protesting in any way, shape or form,” said Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher in a Star Tribune video.

However, by storming a house where journalists were staying, their actions suggested otherwise. The police extended their hit-list to include I-Witness Video, a group which videotapes police conduct during protests. Their targeting of I-Witness Video probably spawned from the police not wanting to be policed themselves.

Despite the strong hand of police forces in preemptively detaining and arresting activists, more than ten thousand people still exercised their right to be politically present in the rally that continued in the downtown area of St. Paul in the days before and during the convention.

Macalester student Hannah Gern recalled in an interview a horse’s foot fidgeting while a policeman was riding it. The horse took a couple of steps back from the crowd, and though unprovoked by peaceful protesters, a policeman responded by “rushing forward with a gun and shooting rubber bullets into the crowd.”

Even in the face of danger from police where some would least expect it, we are a nation that stands and marches for justice.

“Police were aggressive everywhere, pepper-spraying the crowd and, at one point, an officer pointed his M-16 right at the protesters,” said Szarzynski, adding, “There were children in the march.”

Still, the children walked.

We are sentient — not subservient — citizens who have the right to react to the politics of today. Our freedom of speech is a privilege that when not taken advantage of, can cause problems, and by criminalizing the politically active, the police encourage a more subordinate nation. Americans profess to believe in this essential freedom, but when it comes to actually practicing it, police would rather we keep our mouths shut and submit to the status quo. But we are not a people that will surrender our values so politicians and lobbyists can get what they want. We stand for constitutional rights — even when police try to make us forget.

Patrick Johnson ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in English and journalism.