In the weeks leading up to the convention, police attempted to soften up public opinion with warnings on the evening news about planned disruptions, along with footage from the Seattle anti-WTO demonstrations. The Minneapolis police department drew up a plan to screen those who would be allowed access to sections of downtown Minneapolis during the conference, using what they termed a "stop, question, and search" tactic.

The plan was shelved after protests from civil liberties groups, but police proceeded to cordon off protesters from an area near the hotel while they visited downtown business owners, showing them videotapes from the Seattle protests. Their campaign forced the cancellation of a number of events, including several programs by the Minnesota Orchestra, which also boarded up its theater.

Up to 600 cops from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and nearby jurisdictions were readied for deployment against protests that did not materialize until Sunday and Monday, July 23 and 24. On Monday afternoon, a march of some 100 protesters was confronted by four times as many cops in riot gear, according to television news reports.

Police closed off every avenue to the march, and then attempted to herd the protest towards a downtown park. Another police line at the park prevented people from entering. In the ensuing struggle, which lasted the rest of the day, protesters were pepper-sprayed and clubbed. Seventy four were arrested. Some protesters said that even when they indicated to police they would leave the area they were prevented from doing so.

That night cops raided a duplex in South Minneapolis that had served as an organizing center for the protest, using a warrant saying they were looking for narcotics. Twelve people were arrested after police claimed to have found a small amount of drugs. In addition, two computers used to send e-mail messages about the protests to the media and others were confiscated.

Jeff Borowiak, an activist who rents one of the duplex's units, told the Star Tribune that the apartment had been used as a meeting space for the protesters in the weeks leading up to the demonstration. "This was about activism, not drugs," he said.

Police Chief Robert Olson defended the massive police response to the protests, which has come under fire in the aftermath of the event. It was designed to "make it very clear to them that you are prepared," he said. The cops "looked weak in other cities where there were problems with protesters," he said. "If you seem weak, that encourages illegal behavior from the protesters. We wanted to set the tone that we weren't going to let them roam the streets downtown."

The Twin Cities area has been the scene of a number of important labor struggles recently, including a strike by hotel workers, a current strike by Pepsi workers, and the organizing drive at Dakota Premium Foods. Immigrant rights demonstrations, farmer protests, and actions against police brutality have also taken place.

"The police actions in Minneapolis are a blatant violation of the rights of people to organize, assemble, and speak out," said Rebecca Ellis, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Senate, in an interview with the Militant. "The danger exists that these same methods will be used against workers, oppressed nationalities, farmers, and youth as they move into action to defend themselves."