by Jim Swanson

A judge ruled yesterday that the city of New York can no longer prevent the public from viewing intelligence documents that police used to create arrest policies for the 2004 Republican National Convention.

According to the City of New York, those papers should remain sealed, claiming it would possibly hurt the city’s fair trial rights, if they were opened. According to lawsuits that have been filed, the city violated the constitutional rights rights of more than 1,800 people who were arrested at the convention.

Judge James C. Francis IV made the ruling yesterday about information used by the New York City Police Department while the convention was in progress. The city is apparently considering an appeal, while the judge stayed his ruling for ten days.

Almost one third of the City’s 35,000 member police force was used to patrol and and protecet the city from any terrorism threats and cope with demonstrators whose numbers reached the tens of thousands during the 2004 convention.

The four day long Madison Square Garden gala saw more than 1,800 people arrested.