The Twin Cities have seen "No WAR, No RNC" sprayed across bus stops, public trashcans, light posts, and sidewalks for months now. Downtown Minneapolis has been beautified by a hosts of murals on large buildings and electric boxes and flyers for RNC festivities are placed all over the state. Well, it seems that the beautifying is over.

A number of convergence spaces have been raided throughout the metro and near metro area. It is true that many organizations plan to March on the RNC and we’ve hit the point where spaces are being raided. At this time, there are a number of neighbors who have been detained. Here is the latest information from Minnesota’s presses, IndyMedia, and the UpTake:

From MN IndyMedia: Click headline for full story.

Crackdown begins: Food Not Bombs house among Saturday raids

Minneapolis Police Department officers stand guard outside the Food Not Bombs house. Photo: Jeff Severns Guntzel

MnIndy RNC reporter Jeff Severns Guntzel is at the Minneapolis Food Not Bombs house, which was raided by police this morning. Facts are still coming in, but Guntzel says that at 8 a.m. neighbors near the home, located at 2301 23rd Avenue South, reported hearing a loud bang followed by yelling. A single police squad car was parked out front. When Guntzel arrived he saw eight or nine officers enter the house in what he says is a joint operation between officers of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, the Minneapolis Police Depatment, and the FBI. According to one witness who was in the house at the time of the raid, the action is related to last night’s raid on the RNC Welcoming Committee’s “convergence space.” Several other spaces have been raided this morning.

Around 9:20, two Minneapolis Police Property & Evidence trucks pulled up. Present were a Hennepin County Sheriffs’ crime lab truck, a Ramsey County Sheriffs’ squad and an MPD squad, plus at least four unmarked cars parked facing the wrong direction in traffic. Police tape is marking off the yard.

For related video: http://theuptake.org/ RNC raid coverage is on the main page and there are some live feeds. They have also covered the DNC and its protests.