Sunday
Aug312008
Jim O'Brien at the RNC
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 07:12PM
From Jim's email:
Hey everyone,
The Republican Convention is happening in my backyard (I'm a short walk from downtown) so I'm documenting the local neighborhood transition during this historic event (or annoyance depending on your point of view).
The clampdown has begun. There is a red zone inaccessible by pedestrians close to the Excel Arena and a Yellow zone that we can wander through (as long as we are willing to id ourselves if asked, not be on bikes, and what-have-you).
CNN has taken over a couple of local bars, Budweiser nabbed another. My Starbucks in open from 4am to Midnight (I'm there!). Metal gates and fences galore (is this a great country or what!).
Big clampdowns on protesters, see here (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.protest/index.html) and here (http://tc.indymedia.org/).
I proposed a blog to NYTimes about this but the editor said they had already shot their budget but she was interested. So I'm working on spec a bit, still just interested in documenting this for myself.
Tune in daily here for updates (http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/obrienart/rnc.html). This is mostly visual: photos and sketches, not much writing.
So soak it in and wish me luck.
Reporting from the RNC in beautiful St. Paul, MN,
Jim.
Hey everyone,
The Republican Convention is happening in my backyard (I'm a short walk from downtown) so I'm documenting the local neighborhood transition during this historic event (or annoyance depending on your point of view).
The clampdown has begun. There is a red zone inaccessible by pedestrians close to the Excel Arena and a Yellow zone that we can wander through (as long as we are willing to id ourselves if asked, not be on bikes, and what-have-you).
CNN has taken over a couple of local bars, Budweiser nabbed another. My Starbucks in open from 4am to Midnight (I'm there!). Metal gates and fences galore (is this a great country or what!).
Big clampdowns on protesters, see here (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.protest/index.html) and here (http://tc.indymedia.org/).
I proposed a blog to NYTimes about this but the editor said they had already shot their budget but she was interested. So I'm working on spec a bit, still just interested in documenting this for myself.
Tune in daily here for updates (http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/obrienart/rnc.html). This is mostly visual: photos and sketches, not much writing.
So soak it in and wish me luck.
Reporting from the RNC in beautiful St. Paul, MN,
Jim.
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