In addition a Michigan man has been charged with illegally having Molotov cocktails that he planned to use at the RNC, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Matthew Bradley DePalma, 23, of Flint, Mich., was charged Saturday with one count of possessing firearms that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, which is required by law. The complaint was unsealed Wednesday.
Those charged with felony conspiracy — six men and two women — were arrested after the Ramsey County sheriff's office executed search warrants on three South Minneapolis homes and one temporary office used by the group, which calls itself the RNC Welcoming Committee.
Those charged were: Robert Joseph Czernik, 32; Erik Charles Oseland, 21; Garrett Scott Fitzgerald, 25; Max Jacob Specktor, 19; Monica Rachel Bicking, 23; Nathanael David Secor, 26; Luce Gullen-Givins, 23; and Eryn Chase Trimmer, 23, all of Minneapolis.
All were in custody Wednesday on $75,000 bail except Bicking, who was released after her arrest over the weekend, the county attorney's office said. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
According to the criminal complaint in the case:
The group had been planning for at least a year to prevent delegates from getting to the convention by blocking bridges, deflating bus tires, throwing objects at police and generally creating mayhem.
Six of the activists live at the three Minneapolis homes that were searched Saturday. The raids revealed materials ranging from literature to things like knives, slingshots and smoke canisters. In addition, three informants worked with the sheriff's office to provide information on activities, conversations and e-mail exchanges between committee members.
Some of the specifics, according to the complaint:
One of the pieces of literature found at the office used by the group, at 627 Smith Ave. in St. Paul, read, "Okay, here's the plan, it's really quite simple: On September 1st, don't let them get to the convention."
When officers executed the search warrant on the office, they found 68 people, most from out of state, along with sector maps of St. Paul, flares, PVC pipe, slingshots and a 6 foot by 10 foot map with color-coded entrances and exits to downtown.
At 3:25 p.m. on Monday, as clashes between violent protesters and police raged, an informant told police that Czernik was inside a rented office at 287 E. 6th St. in St. Paul monitoring activities. When they arrived, officers found six police scanners, and they believed Czernik fled out a window.
Several of the eight went on tours to numerous cities and attended dozens of meetings to plan the protests.
ARRESTEES BEING PROCESSED
Meanwhile, the 285 people who were arrested in protests Monday are slowly making their way through the courts.
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner announced Wednesday that police presented 71 cases to her office for possible charging. Of those, 16 adults and five juveniles were charged.
The county attorney declined to file felony charges against 44 of the protesters.
Sixteen of those cases were kicked down to the city attorney's office (which deals with the less serious gross misdemeanors and misdemeanors). One was released pending further investigation. And 27 were dismissed.
City Attorney John Choi said that police sent them 56 gross misdemeanor cases and his office charged 47 of those. The rest "will most likely be released pending further investigation," Choi said.
The sheriff's department began processing misdemeanors by citing protesters Monday. Spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said 78 people were cited Monday and will appear in court at a later date.
Ninety people were scheduled to appear in court for special 6 p.m. Wednesday hearings.
And of those who appeared in court in the morning and afternoon sessions, about 50 were released from jail, Drinkwine estimated.
Both the city attorney and county attorney were required to file charges against jailed protesters by noon Wednesday, or let them go. It was not clear late in the day how many people were released.
WEDNESDAY LARGELY CALM
It was another relatively quiet day Wednesday in the streets around the Republican National Convention — no mass protests and only a few arrests.
Early Wednesday, police raided a residence near the Cathedral of St. Paul and arrested David McKay, 22, on suspicion of possessing explosives. The 4:30 a.m. raid took place in the 200 block of Dayton Avenue.
Elsewhere Wednesday — Day 3 of the four-day event — eight people were reported arrested in connection with RNC, a Ramsey County official said.
One arrest was for an alleged felony, and the others were for alleged misdemeanors, according to the sheriff's department. St. Paul police said the arrests occurred near the Xcel Energy Center convention site.
About 40 members of Code Pink, a women-led peace group, were protesting in the area. Co-founder Jodie Evans said four women in the group were arrested after they entered the fenced-off area without credentials.
There also were concerns that unrest would cross the river Wednesday night to Minneapolis, where a Rage Against the Machine concert was scheduled at the Target Center.
A riot broke out in Los Angeles after Rage Against the Machine performed during the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
Police in riot gear stood by outside the Target Center but no unrest took place before, during or after the concert.
One man handing out fliers for Ralph Nader, an independent candidate for president, was arrested outside the arena about 7 p.m.
"He was just telling someone about the fact that the Nader campaign has a rally tomorrow," said Mike Hoopingarner, 24, of Chico, Calif..
A police officer approached the man, who resisted. Police forced the man to the ground on First Avenue. His face was bloodied.
Earlier, daytime in St. Paul was largely peaceful, though dissent and political statements continued to find expression.
The Minnesota Interfaith Darfur Coalition rallied at the state Capitol hoping to draw attention to genocide in the African region. About two hundred people attended — fewer than organizers had hoped for.
"People have Darfur fatigue, for one," Rabbi Sim Glaser, a co-founder of the coalition, said in commenting on the sparse attendance.
On Wednesday night, two women — apparently with Code Pink — were removed from the Xcel Center during the speech of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. St. Paul police would not confirm whether they were arrested. Meanwhile, the St. Paul City Council issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning "an organized group of self-proclaimed 'anarchists' who have come to St. Paul with disruption of our city as its stated goal."
The council also said, "we regret that some peaceful demonstrators got caught in the middle of criminal actions and law enforcement activity trying to stop this activity."
Council Members Pat Harris and Dan Bostrom, whose son head's RNC security for St. Paul police, did not sign the statement.
About a dozen people showed up at Mayor Chris Coleman's house at midnight Tuesday to ask him about crowd control during the convention. They were intercepted by a police officer and told to contact Coleman during daytime hours.
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