Convention Blog

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

On the last night of the RNC, several members of the news media were arrested covering protestors blocking the Marion Street Bridge in St. Paul, including WCCO photographer Tom Aviles who was caught in the chaos when police ordered the crowd off the bridge.

Fortunately, Tom was released after an hour or so of sitting in handcuffs with several other members of the media. It was surreal to see them in that scene, knowing they were just trying to do their job under very chaotic and challenging circumstances. It came just two nights after photographer Dave Chaney and I were caught in the chaos of a clash between police and protestors sitting in the street in front of Mickey's Diner.

We both got temporarily blinded by a smoke grenade police used when the crowd that night taunted police and ignored repeated orders to disperse.

At rush hour Thursday, I was fully expecting to get another round of smoke grenades or shots of pepper spray when we were standing between the protestors and officers in the middle of the John Ireland Bridge, just below the Cathedral.

I was surprised and relieved when officers didn't deploy the smoke grenades there. It was not something I wanted to experience again, but I also wanted to be with Dave at all times as he videotaped the confrontation.

As we were covering the standoff, Dave's daughter called with some good news from school. As he briefly talked with Samantha, I thought how much I hoped he wouldn't get hurt in the crush of chaos if the officers started using force to clear the bridge and get home safely to see his family. 

I was also concerned because lots of folks were standing on the rail of the bridge and easily could have gone over it and onto the I-94 freeway in the chaos that follows explosions of smoke and flash bangs.  

In the midst of the chaos later that evening, word spread that I also was arrested in connection with Marion Street Bridge incident. It was not true, in fact, I was a couple blocks away when the blockade and arrests took place.

That story would be almost funny if it were not for the fact that it was passed on by officials who never checked out the information.

I have been receiving phone calls all morning from cops and some law enforcement officials who wanted to know how I was doing after a trip to jail. A bulletin even went out to top Minneapolis police officials saying I was on the list of people cited for unlawful behavior last night.

After Chief Tim Dolan learned that allegation was based on bad information from the St. Paul police department, he sent out an e-mail to let his folks know it was not true. 

Police get angry when the news media get things wrong and are quick to let me know. I wish I had received at least a call to confirm it or someone had taken minimal steps to check out the information before it was repeated to other law enforcement officials who spread it to officers.

Posted by: Caroline Lowe, reporter, WCCO-TV

Having just gotten excerpts from John McCain's speech, there is something I just don't get. How is it that a man who has been a member of Congress for 28 years can craft the final sixty one days of his candidacy around running against Washington?
 
Here is one line from the speech: "I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd: change is coming."

Posted by: Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV reporter

The crowd cheered as cops scooped up a guy who had been taunting them and shouting obscenities at the protesters.

Posted by: Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV reporter

The protest rally is off to tense start. Two people were arrested by cops as the crowed taunted in front of Capitol.

Police said both people were arrested for criminal damage to property. Everyone is on edge. 

Click here to watch raw video of the arrests.

Posted by: Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV reporter

I got timing.  I just happened to see the McCains practicing for tonight's speech as I was getting ready to leave the Xcel.





See more here.

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

Many of you have e-mailed with Good Questions about the vetting process.  What is vetting?  Where's the word come from?  This morning, photographer Brad Earley came in and asked, "Could you make it through a good vetting?"

I'm not sure I'd want to be thoroughly vetted, to tell you the truth.  At any rate, we're going to ask that question tonight, and I'll answer some of the other stuff.  I thought it'd be fun to read some of your online comments in the story too.  What in your background might hold up your vetting?

Posted by: Jason DeRusha, WCCO-TV reporter

Amid the planned demostrations this afternoon, many offices in downtown St. Paul are letting employees out early.

The state patrol said they’ve closed the High Bridge in St. Paul for security reasons. They shut it down earlier today and investigators don't know how long it will be closed.

According to people on the scene it's currently being blocked off by trucks and barricades.

Posted by: Alison Lorge, web producer, WCCO.COM

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

Day 4 of the RNC is off to a slow start on security beat. Photographer Dave Chaney and I wrapped up Day 3 about 1 a.m. with arrests in downtown Minneapolis of about 100 young folks who were hanging out and sitting in the streets after the Rage Against the Machine concert at Target Center.

The crowd was rowdy and was taunting cops but nobody got violent or broke anything downtown. It reminded me of bar closing time downtown when the crowds spill out into the streets.

At the daily police briefing this morning, the St. Paul police chief said he thought things are going well from law enforcement perspective. He said officers are prepared to work with protesters to keep a march peaceful this afternoon and ready to respond with force if things become disruptive as they did the first two days of RNC.

Dave and I got caught in the clash Tuesday night when police used smoke canisters and flash-bang devices to clear the street in front of Mickey's Diner, so we remembered to pack some face masks yesterday and today.

We didn't have to use them last night in Minneapolis and hope we don't need them today after the rally and march in St. Paul. 4:00 is the scheduled kick-off time at the State Capitol.

Posted by: Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV reporter