UPDATE: CNN Camera-Woman Says Convention Incident Should Be Wake-Up Call: Report
UPDATE THURSDAY 4:55 PM: The CNN camerawoman who was pelted with peanuts by attendees at the GOP Convention in Tampa yesterday has told Journal-isms that she was not surprised by the incident and that it should serve as a wake-up call to black people. “This is Florida, and I’m from the Deep South. You come to places like this, you can count the black people on your hand. They see us doing things they don’t think I should do,” she said. Two people were removed from the arena yesterday after they threw peanuts at the camera operator, while saying to her, “This is how we feed the animals.”
WEDNESDAY: The Republican Party is responding to an incident yesterday in which two attendees at the GOP’s Tampa convention threw peanuts at a female African-American CNN camera operator and said, “This is how we feed animals”. The RNC released a statement today: “Two attendees tonight exhibited deplorable behavior. Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated”. Several people reportedly witnessed the exchange which was first tweeted by David Shuster and confirmed by Talking Points Memo (TPM). RNC security and police removed the two people from the Tampa Bay Times Forum. No word yet on their identities. CNN later acknowledged the incident: “CNN can confirm there was an incident directed at an employee inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum earlier this afternoon. CNN worked with convention officials to address this matter and will have no further comment”. The convention began its first full session Tuesday after being delayed a day by then-Tropical Storm Isaac. It concludes Thursday night when Mitt Romney accepts the party’s presidential nomination.
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