Ah, the RNC's a stage for protesters

ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Protesters will exercise free speech during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., from a plum spot near convention central, officials said.

St. Paul city officials outlined a process for speakers to voice their opinions during the 2008 convention using a free-speech stage across the street from the Xcel Energy Center, the venue for the Sept. 1-4 event, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Friday.

Speakers can sign up for 50-minute slots during the four-day event, with 48 slots available. The stage, a city-owned "Showmobile," will be amped up and face the "X," officials said.

City officials said they couldn't find another political convention with a protest stage so close to the venue, where tens of thousands of delegates, politicos and media members will gather. They said they hope the stage will provide an outlet for protesters to vent their outrage instead of channeling those feeling elsewhere.

"It's our hope that that's exactly what it does, because that's our purpose," St. Paul Assistant Police Chief Matt Bostrom said. "Five minutes. Five hours. Whatever you choose, as often as you like."