N30, An In-Depth Report

Top Five Most Ridiculous Things About This Year's N30 Protest: 5. Local TV. (See #3.) 4. The police arresting protesters for reasons like stepping onto the street to avoid a wall of cops. 3. The flag-waving patriot in a red flannel shirt who loudly sang "God Bless America," receiving heavy media exposure from the bored local affiliates waiting for an assault on The Gap. 2. The rabid woman who tried to yank the patriot's flag away because evidently he didn't have a right to be there. 1. The dreadlocked honky who loudly sang a song entitled "I'm a Cocksucker and Proud." Perfect way to get your message out, especially in front of a carousel of kids. BRADLEY STEINBACHER


The Deposition Boogie

As a witness in a lawsuit against the Teen Dance Ordinance, local music promoter Dave Meinert was in the hot seat for seven hours last week while city attorney Ted Inkley grilled him during the deposition process.

"I've never been in a deposition before," Meinert says. "He seemed a little testy.

"They don't have a case, and I think they're fishing," says Meinert, who was asked his thoughts on raves and questioned about his morals.

Meinert wasn't the only one to spend a marathon session with Inkley--the city also questioned Angel Combs, head of JAMPAC, for seven hours. AMY JENNIGES


Guilded Process

Thanks to a November 26 settlement, three more civilians will finally be reviewing public complaints against police officers.

Contract negotiations over details like who gets appointed are finally complete, after the Police Guild had bogged down the settlement process for a year. The guild should be happy with the results: it has a strong say in who makes the cut. The guild can critique potential board members, review their criminal histories, and challenge appointments. If the city council appoints someone over the guild's objection, the guild can take its case straight to an arbitrator. AMY JENNIGES


MicroCost

Two weeks ago, Microsoft announced that it's giving $1 billion to the poorest schools nationwide to settle a slew of class action lawsuits. But "billion" is misleading. (This settlement, by the way, relates to private lawsuits, different than the current anti-trust battle with the feds. In this case, over 100 class action lawsuits have been brought against Microsoft alleging price inflation.) If the states agree to the proposal, it's a win-win for Microsoft. In addition to the great PR, after taxes Microsoft is really only paying $375 million. PAT KEARNEY