Dozens of journalists, including WCCO photographer Tom Aviles, were arrested during the RNC two weeks ago in St. Paul. Some of us, including WCCO photographer Dave Chaney and me, got caught up in the chaos and were in the middle of smoke grenades and flash bangs when officers dispersed a crowd that refused to leave the street in front of Mickey's Diner.

Long after the smoke has cleared and the arrested journalists prepare to take their cases to court, there is a lot of debate on how far journalists should go to do their jobs and what can be done to prevent so many journalists from being arrested in the future. This debate is somewhat new to us in Minnesota but other jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, have already come up with some guidelines for allowing media access to areas otherwise off limits.

One of the biggest challenges: who, and how, do you define who qualifies as a journalist these days in a world of bloggers and other new media?

This Monday at 7 p.m., Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute will moderate a panel at the University of Minnesota called "The Media and Law Enforcement at the RNC - What Went Wrong, What Went Right?"

Its sponsors include the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the . Panelists will include a top St. Paul police official and members of the news media. I also plan to be there, along with my daughter who is studying journalism at the U.



Should be a very interesting, and lively, discussion! I have posted some reports and raw video below from some key "hot spots" during the RNC which I hope gives you a better picture of four days on the streets of St. Paul, which were unlike any I have ever experienced in 31 years on the crime beat. Hope you will check them out and come by on Monday night.

RAW VIDEO
NOTE: These videos are unedited and contain strong language.
RNC Protesters At Mickey's Diner
RNC Protesters On John Ireland Bridge
CODEPINK Protesters On Wabasha Street

REPORTS, ETC.
Police Clash With Protestors
Protestors Stop Traffic In St. Paul
'Democracy Now' Confronts Cops About Arrests
WCCO-TV News Crew Surrounded By Protesters
Police Fire Gas Into Crowds
WCCO Crew Gets Look At The Other Side Of Protests

Update: From the LA Times: Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton announced today his plans to discipline 11 officers and called for the termination of four others for their roles in a May Day melee last year in which police were accused of using excessive force to clear immigration protesters and journalists from MacArthur Park. Read the article by clicking here.

Posted by: Caroline Lowe, reporter, WCCO-TV