Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman, like the other 50 or so journalists who were arrested in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention, won’t be prosecuted.

The Minnesota Independent writes: “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.”

Indeed, the police presence at the RNC was so heavy-handed that they seemed hell-bent on arresting everyone and anyone who looked like anything other than a J-Crew catalog model. The treatment down at the RNC reminded me of “security theatre,” a term coined by Bruce Schneier in his book Beyond Fear, which describes the melodramatic airport searches as “just for show.” Security theatre makes it seem like you’re being really effective, without actually accomplishing anything. So, let’s review. Minneapolis-St. Paul Police/RNC: 0. The People: 1.