Free Press, Journalists arrested during the rnc

[studentmama]

The list is growing in the number of journalists who were arrested during the various protests and demonstrations during the RNC and we need to help them. This needs to get to mainstream media and St. Paul needs to know it is not ok to arrest journlists and keep them from doing their job, especially when we needed most, while the stuff is going on.

Amy Gooman was arrested when she asked to speak to a commanding officer to get her two producers freed, who had been arrested a little bit earlier. There are lots of details on http://www.democracynow.org

A Kare11 videographer, WCCO, AP, Paul Demko we're arrested, FOX 9 news team were gassed, here's more
http://legalectric.org/weblog/2387/

The public needs to demand the release of the security tapes to the public of the march, there are cameras all along the route and other places in the city, recording 24 hours a day.

It is absoultely chilling and this needs to be made a mainstream media issue.

[studentmama]

From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of Press, http://www.rcfp.org/

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press today asked Ramsey County Sheriff Robert Fletcher and St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington to drop the criminal citations given last evening to up to 20 journalists who were covering a demonstration at the Republican National Convention.

"What conceivable purpose is achieved by citing (the journalists) them with criminal charges?" the letter from Reporters Committee Executive Director Lucy A. Dalglish asks. "Once you knew they were journalists, why did you have to engage silly bureaucratic nonsense?"

http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=6969

[studentmama]

Just bumping this, the city council is doing a review next week, so if free press is an important issue to you, please write a letter this week. Here's the contact for the St. Paul Mayor Coleman.
http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/FAQ.ASP?QID=310
Mayor Coleman welcomes feedback from Saint Paul residents. You may contact his office via e-mail, using our online form, by phone at [phone], or by sending mail to: Office of the Mayor, 390 City Hall, 15 Kellogg Boulevard West, Saint Paul, MN 55102.