Journalist and radio/TV broadcaster Amy Goodman was arrested outside the RNC for "conspiracy to riot," reports Glenn Greenwald. Goodman had just left the floor of the Convention Hall and was wearing her RNC press credentials at the time of her arrest. According to her videotaped account (posted at Greenwald's site), her real crime was asking the police why they had arrested Democracy Now producers who were, um, covering the news like journalists are wont to do in actual democracies.
Greenwald is the go-to guy for news about the "militarized" state of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. But the scary photo above is from the Associated Press (an AP photographer was also arrested). What is it about Republican Conventions that bring out America's inner police state? In the future, states might want to consider paying the RNC to stay away.
Greenwald describes the scene:
[T]roops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations. Humvees and law enforcement officers with rifles were posted on various buildings and balconies. Numerous protesters and observers were tear gassed and injured.
And why is Donna Brazile hanging around the RNC Convention? One might ask. I'm still wondering why the notoriously biased and deceptive Donna Brazile is a CNN pundit. The controversial DNC official and CNN pundit was "hit by pepper spray as she walked to the Xcel Center at the start of the Republican Convention" in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Gee, maybe there are some angry Michigan voters wandering around St. Paul with pepper spray in hand. For some reason I suspect that the readers of TGW would rather see a video clip of Donna Brazile being pepper sprayed than one of Amy Goodman being arrested. I actually did look for it, but as yet nothing has surfaced.
Republican National Convention RNC Politics John McCain Police State News
