Mpls. police apologize after ticketing Libertarian candidate

Minneapolis park police are apologizing after detaining and citing a Libertarian candidate for governor near Lake Calhoun.

A spokeswoman for the park board said the park police chief dismissed a citation issued to Chris Holbrook by his officers. Holbrook was accused of violating the ban on the use of park land for commercial purposes. The chief apologized to Holbrook and the department said it recognizes his First Amendment right to campaign on public property.

A video (warning: NSFW language) posted on his campaign page shows Holbrook being handcuffed and placed into the back of a Minneapolis Park Police squad car by four park police personnel and a Minneapolis police officer.

Holbrook said on his campaign site that he and a fellow Libertarian were sorting through literature in car trunk, when officers stopped him.

The Libertarians are in the midst of a petition drive, through June 3, to get their party's candidates on the ballot in this fall's elections.

Minneapolis Park Police have initiated an internal affairs investigation of the officer involved in the incident.