Anna Pratt

RNC policing: Would the real journalist please stand up?

A forum held by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in Minneapolis this week centered on the relationship between law enforcement and the media at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and indicated the extent to which journalism is evolving.

MnIndy interview: Danny Glover and Carl Deal on their Hurricane Katrina documentary

Two weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Kimberly Rivers Roberts bought a cheap video camera to record family events and, if she captured anything good, say a police beating, sell it to a news crew. But as Carl Deal, a director of the new documentary Trouble the Water, tells MnIndy, she soon found herself recording her own harrowing experiences trying to survive one of the country’s most tragic disasters. Her footage shot before, during and after Katrinais now a pivotal part of Deal’s documentary, which is screening at Minneapolis’ Lagoon Cinema. Listen as Deal and executive producer Danny Glover discuss a film that’s less about extreme weather than extreme poverty.

St. Paul won’t prosecute journalists facing ‘unlawful assembly’ charges from the RNC

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s office issued a statement this morning announcing that the city attorney won’t prosecute journalists who were cited by authorities at the Republican National Convention (RNC) with “presence at an unlawful assembly,” a misdemeanor charge.

That pertains specifically to the journalists who were swept up in the massive arrests during protests in St. Paul on the convention’s first and last days (including MnIndy’s Paul Demko, who was arrested on the last night of the RNC). How many people that might include is unclear, but nearly 50 of the over 800 people arrested or detained were on-site to cover the RNC for professional media or citizen-journalism organizations.

New report says the anti-immigration movement has failed

The New York-based political group Progressive States Network (PSN) has just released a report entitled, “The Anti-Immigration Movement That Failed,” which counters media hype around anti-immigration legislation, revealing that over the past few years, states have largely enacted various policies that embrace new immigrants.

While the anti-immigration movement may appear to hold sway at the federal government, the report makes the case that there’s still a heated debate going on at the state level, especially within swing states, said PSN executive director Joel Barkin.

Minneapolis adopts sister city based on immigration trend

Minneapolis recently entered into a “sister city” agreement with Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos, a small Mexican state that is the homeland to nearly 30,000 immigrants who have resettled in the area. That pre-existing relationship, which is unusual for sister cities, was cemented in a signing ceremony in Minneapolis on Sept. 13.

Minneapolis mayor announces plans to review RNC law enforcement

UPDATED Mayor R.T. Rybak announced this afternoon that Minneapolis would conduct a series of reviews into the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) actions in Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention, including a standard “after-action report” that will look into related security measures and the development of new policies for dealing with the media. A city council member who has urged a blue-ribbon, multi-jurisdictional review said the mayor’s statement was “good” but appeared to fall short of “a public, independent, transparent process.”

St. Paul taps two to review RNC cops — but not misconduct

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced late Tuesday afternoon that the city will undergo an outside review of the public safety effort tied to the Republican National Convention — but its limited scope may not satisfy calls from various quarters for independent review of police misconduct.

Cataloguing the RNC’s journalist detainees

Of the 800-plus people who were arrested or detained in conjunction with RNC protests, a good chunk of them — 43, by our count — were members of the news media. Media representatives in town to cover the events, from both big and small presses, were slapped with citations and pending charges ranging in severity, including unlawful assembly, obstructing the legal process, misdemeanor interference with a peace officer and felony to riot plus other riot pretenses. Many others who weren’t arrested or detained endured pepper-spray and other arms used for crowd-control. Here’s our list of journalists who were detained or arrested. If anyone’s missing, please add them in comments.

Best RNC makeover: Faux storefront named for its owner

Like many places in the Twin Cities, this building on Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, a board-up that faces the Hilton Hotel — where numerous delegates and other conventioneers stayed last week — seems to have received a pre-RNC makeover. It has been transformed into the Abdo Markethouse, in homage to owner/developer Lawrence Abdo’s business by the same name. Apparently Abdo does have plans to redevelop the site into boutique offices, but the only thing the shop appears to be selling right now is the idea of a storefront.

Journalists on RNC policing: ‘Dark days for press freedom in the U.S.’

As crews picked up after the RNC in downtown St. Paul Friday morning, a handful of local and national journalists went to City Hall and delivered 50,000 signatures pressuring St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the city and county attorneys to immediately release journalists who were recently arrested in connection to convention protests and to [...]