Sometime Tampa activist Kelly Benjamin sent an e-mail out Friday asking for help in getting charges dropped against himself and other journalists arrested during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Benjamin, who made an unsuccessful run against Rose Ferlita for the Tampa City Council in 2003 and helped Joe Redner with his bid for the City Council last year, said he was arrested the first day of the convention and released early Thursday morning. After charges of inciting a riot were dropped, he faces three misdemeanor charges: unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was filming for the Independent Media Center up until the moment he was arrested, he said. After being released from jail, he started filming again.

Benjamin said he's scheduled to return to St. Paul for his court date Sept. 30. "This is a big problem for me, because I can't really afford another trip," he said. Plus, it's a Tuesday, and it interferes with his work at a Montessori school in Tampa.

-- Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer