Charges dropped against arrested journalists at GOP convention

Charges will be dropped against the journalists arrested for unlawful assembly at protests held during the Republican National Convention, according to the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. 

"This decision reflects the values we have in St. Paul to protect and promote our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press," Mayor Chris Coleman said in a prepared statement Friday.  "At the scene, the police did their duty in protecting public safety. In this decision, we are serving the public’s interest to maintain the integrity of our democracy, system of justice and freedom of the press."

Coleman said the city will use a broad definition of journalist when reviewing the cases, but does not know yet how many of the the 800 arrests will be affected by the decision.