Dec 10, 2007 5:06 pm US/Central
Police Leader: RNC Protesters Won't Be Caged
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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Applications for convention protest permits will be accepted beginning in March.
2008 Republican National Convention
Assistant St. Paul Police Chief Matt Bostrom on Monday assured state lawmakers that demonstrators outside the Republican National Convention won't be confined to fenced-in areas.
Bostrom said the city might erect barricades but he doesn't envision enclosures where protesters would be relegated. He told a legislative panel that demonstrators will be granted "sight and sound" access to the Xcel Energy Center, where the main convention business will be conducted next September.
At the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, that city set up a "free-speech zone" outside the FleetCenter surrounded by fences, barricades and razor wire. Protesters complained that the controlled area was too restrictive.
Applications for convention protest permits will be accepted beginning in March.
Meanwhile, convention planning is moving ahead on a couple of fronts.
Matt Burns, a Republican convention spokesman, said organizers are finalizing an agreement with a transportation management company. St. Paul officials have deemed that to be a critical step because convention traffic flow will help shape the broader security planning.
Also on Monday, planners began accepting applications for media credentials. Some 15,000 journalists are expected for the convention, which runs Sept. 1-4.
Newspapers, magazines and broadcast reporters have until April 15 to apply. Independent bloggers can also seek "Special Press" credentials.
Convention officials say the number of credentials granted to bloggers will depend on "interest; space available; the reach and influence of a particular blog; the amount of original content the blog typically generates; and other factors."
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According to GOP.com, the Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican Party president.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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