* UPDATED *
According to my reliable source, the Mitt Romney tour bus carrying job killing congressmen Paul Ryan and Ron Johnson was first greeted by about 25 vigilant protesters marching along the sidewalk on Court street behind the local GOP party office just off of Main street in downtown Janesville. The tour bus then parked in a position on private property behind a stage to block public viewing and the protesters from the open to the public GOP campaign event. When protesters moved to a grassy terrace at the side of the stage, Janesville police arrived and told them to return to the public sidewalk.
Several members from the GOP support group attempted to spur provocation with name-calling and heckling, but the protesters, some carrying the Chinese Communist flag to draw attention to the outsourcing of American jobs, were resolve in their peaceful demonstration.
Of little surprise, the Janesville Gazette sensationalized this story in their blog brief as a political "clash" between the event attendees and protesters, and later described it as a "scuffle" in their news report. The Romney bus tour event, staged by the republican party as a campaign rally, apparently changes in definition from a rally to a public event to a private event to a press conference depending on it's messaging success ratio.
Another viewpoint on this story can be heard at Sly in the Morning, where you can hear audio from the event including a GOP party spokesperson denying media access to a WTDY reporter they invited. They refused access because of Sly's activism at the event and told the reporter "no other organization does this," implying that if the news organization expects access, they better keep their employees in-line and locked down. This is just one of many examples why most news stories and interviews (not all of them) are mostly worthless fluff pieces and trash. If a reporter dare ask the tough questions, investigates or writes a reasonably objective story - they won't be invited next time.
Listen in to Sly's radio segment here. It also provides for some welcome comic relief.
3 comments:
Comments must have been juicy as they disable the section.
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2012/jul/30/scuffle-erupts-political-rally-sunday/
When the police arrived the protesters were in a vacant lot next to the parking lot were the rally was being held. The police told told the protesters to leave the vacant lot. The police were told that the lot was owned by the city and therefore available for public use. The police officer said he knew the city had bought the lot but still directed the protesters to leave the lot while he "checked" to see if it was public property. Later after rally was over he told the protesters that they could return to the lot because it was public property.
Then police wonder why they lose public trust and need a block party to affirm community spirit. Thanks for the info.
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