After spending most of the week silent to the media, members of the RNC Welcoming Committee opened up in a nearly two-hour press conference. Compared to many of the press conferences I've covered, this was a mostly one-way affair, with few questions answered directly. (At one point, an answer was fielded by a representative only after she found the correct page in her notebook.) To other questions, they offered information about their lawyers' presser later this afternoon. Interesting, though, that the location where they were raided ...



... has a clear, if distant view of the State Capitol and Xcel ...



Six representatives for the RNC Welcoming Committee spoke:


(from left) Celia Kutz and William Gillis


Betsy Raasch-Gilman

As the presser was held inside the space raided and briefly shut down last Friday, they kept the damaged door preserved and the projector being used to watch what they insisted was "a documentary" in its original position. Very media saavy. (Before the conference started, someone in the crowd asked if FOX News was there. Their photographer identified herself.)





Anyway, most of the conference was devoted to topics and statements they had already disseminated earlier in the week (the presser at Bushville on Tuesday morning, for example). On the other hand, they did offer comment on two of the hottest, most bloggable aspects of the protests, arrests and raids: that Macy's window and those buckets of urine. Watch this video to hear Betsy Raasch-Gilman talk about the window and whether or not she felt it constituted a violent act. And, because I know you're going to want to, click here to hear William Gillis' comments about urine and the media/police fascination with what he described as "scatology."

Another thing those videos, I think, make clear is that, whatever the intentions of the RNC Welcoming Committee or any other protesters arrested by police for alleged violent acts, they know a good sound bite. Representatives from both the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign as well as the Hip-Hop Congress were invited to give statements to the media as well, and among the easily clippable bon mots I caught:

-- (On the number of felony-level arrests) "Urine is not a felony."
-- (On arrests that don't translate to charges) "Whoops has to stop being acceptable."
-- (On their perception of media indifference to their cause) "We can only write a press release so well."
-- (On being homeless and outspoken) "A closed mouth doesn't get filled."

"This is not a game," was what one of them kept repeating. "You can quote me on that ... The neutrality of the media is a liability." What do you think? Has WCCO managed to strike an accurate balance of the politics surrounding security in the Twin Cities during the RNC? Earlier this week, Jason DeRusha addressed the role and responsibility of media in covering the event, especially as it related to citizen journalists. In any case, the question will be put to the test at about 4 p.m. at the State Capitol, as the RNC Welcoming Committee has promised another demonstration.

Posted by: Eric Henderson, web producer, WCCO.COM