Hill, 30, was charged with three misdemeanors. Minneapolis city prosecutors offered her a deal to dismiss the charges after a year if she remained law-abiding and paid a fine.
Instead, she rejected the offer and hired an attorney.
"We can't have mass arrests over mass arrests," said Hill, who is running for Minneapolis City Council. "I don't want to sit here and suppress protests across the country."
Today — on the anniversary of the RNC — the city of St. Paul and law enforcement agencies continue to face scrutiny over large-scale arrests, searches and alleged excessive force used during the Sept. 1-4 event at the Xcel Energy Center. And many of those arrested continue to battle criminal charges.
Others are threatening lawsuits against the city of St. Paul and police agencies.
City and police officials say much of their effort was directed at stopping a self-proclaimed anarchist group, known as the RNC Welcoming Committee, which recruited people to help "crash the convention."
Of the 818 RNC arrests, 22 led to felony charges and 255 to misdemeanor charges. Eight resulted in felony convictions, and there were 144 misdemeanor convictions and two federal convictions.
A majority of cases were dismissed or never prosecuted.
St. Paul City Attorney John Choi said the cases were difficult to prosecute because of the mass arrests, high volume of reports from multiple agencies and the right to freedom of speech.
Overall, he said, prosecutors reviewed the cases thoroughly and treated people fairly.
Most people charged during the RNC pleaded guilty or agreed to pay a fine and remain law-abiding for a year to have the charges dismissed. Only two cases resulted in successful jury convictions. Nearly 60 cases remain pending or awaiting charges.
Monica Bicking, 24, of Minneapolis, is one of the pending cases.
She faces felony charges in Ramsey County District Court for alleged conspiracy to commit a riot and conspiracy to commit felony property damage. Her next court date is in October.
Bicking is one of the "RNC 8" — described by police as leaders of the Welcoming Committee.
They initially faced terrorism charges, which would have been the first-ever prosecution under the 2002 state terrorism law.
In April, prosecutors dropped those charges.
In federal court, RNC 8 members David McKay and Bradley Crowder, of Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty to making Molotov cocktails during the convention. The explosives were not used.
RNC 8 members have denied involvement in terrorist activities.
"This is a political case," Bicking said. "It was about de-escalating protesters."
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner disagrees.
"We don't prosecute thoughts," Gaertner said. "We prosecute criminal actions."
A jury trial started this week for Karen Marie Meissner, of Menomonee Falls, Wis., and Christina Rose Vana, of West Bend, Wis. — charged in the Sept. 1, 2008, assault of a police officer after a road sign, thrown from a St. Paul bridge, landed 3 feet from an officer. Crowder awaits trial on a related charge in the incident.
Some people who were arrested are threatening lawsuits against the city of St. Paul and police.
Twenty-six people, who were arrested on Shepard Road during the first day of the RNC, said they plan to file a lawsuit today over the mass arrest of 200 protesters.
The federal lawsuit, which will be filed against the city of St. Paul and 20 unnamed police officers, alleges police made the arrests "without any individualized probable cause," said attorney Bob Kolstad.
Police arrested some people on charges of rioting and cited others for unlawful assembly.
For any large event, "areas of dispute can occur," said Cmdr. Doug Holtz, St. Paul police spokesman. Overall, the RNC was a success and an event for other cities to emulate, he said.
Holtz declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Choi said the city plans to use a $10 million insurance policy against any RNC litigation. A committee made up of business leaders paid $1.1 million for the policy.
"We've prudently managed the city's risk," Choi said.
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