WTF? Journalists arrested for reporting...

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

as far as I know, the only arrested protesters who broke off from where the main protest was being staged and were vandalizing shit.


as for the reporters, though, that shit's fucked up.

Of course, we have no way of knowing if the cops are lying about vandalism, because they obstructed the press.

Yeah, that's my thought as well.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

on protests happening outside of Republican convention.
http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2008/9/2

lol @ thinking this is something new

Same thing happened at the last RNC and the one before that IIRC, probably the one before that too.

[Jenne]

I think it's RNC tradish, Guys.

Hoshiko, nice to see you again!

[Hoshiko]

Obstruction of the press is a good point, but I don't think that it's the members of the press that are protected from obstruction but rather the reporting. I could be wrong...

Funnily enough, not 2 hours after I posted that last post I was pulled over for having a "dim" headlight. Entire contents of my stuff and car were searched (they didn't even ask), everyone pulled out of the car, and one of the passengers was taken into a campus police station and then released for the contents of their pockets. About $300, no receipt.

I vaguely remembered something about being careful what I posted here, but still...  Can't wait to get out of NY. 

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

If they didn't ask it's not a legal search, they could've found crack and it would be inadmissible in court as long as you could prove it was a warrantless search that you didn't give permission for.

You should call the ACLU and start passing out posters and whatnot.

[Requia ☣]

If they didn't ask it's not a legal search, they could've found crack and it would be inadmissible in court as long as you could prove it was a warrantless search that you didn't give permission for.

You should call the ACLU and start passing out posters and whatnot.

My brother's been searched without cause repeatedly, even arrested for one of them, not once has a judge upheld the 4th amendment.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

Then your brother's lawyer sucks. Tell him to fire his lawyer and file an appeal. If that doesn't work, tell him to repeat the process.

[Requia ☣]

I did, he was already broke from hiring the first one.  (My parents have convinced both of us to hire expensive lawyers that suck, instead of a free public defender that sucks).

[Hoshiko]

If they didn't ask it's not a legal search, they could've found crack and it would be inadmissible in court as long as you could prove it was a warrantless search that you didn't give permission for.

Good thing I hid all the crack before this happened.

My fortune cookie from earlier that I just now opened: "Human Rights: Know Them, Demand Them, Defend Them."

I am dead serious. Guess it's time to apply for that job at CNN.

There's footage of Nicole Slazar's arrest on youtube if you look around. Here's a small snippet.

P.S. Thanks Jenne

[LMNO]

If they didn't ask it's not a legal search, they could've found crack and it would be inadmissible in court as long as you could prove it was a warrantless search that you didn't give permission for.

Good thing I hid all the crack before this happened.

My fortune cookie from earlier that I just now opened: "Human Rights: Know Them, Demand Them, Defend Them."

I am dead serious. Guess it's time to apply for that job at CNN.

There's footage of Nicole Slazar's arrest on youtube if you look around. Here's a small snippet.

P.S. Thanks Jenne

HOSHIKO!

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HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKO
HOSHIKO
HOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKOHOSHIKO
HOSHIKO
HOSHIKO
HOSHIKO


HOSHIKO!







uh... welcome back.





Also, it was Democracy Now, not CNN, or even a local news channel.  I bet they were fucking psyched to get arrested.  I heard some of their broadcast the next day after they got out.  It was like they were telling stories from camp about that time they saw a bear.

[Cain]

As far as I knew, many of the arrests came about because of pre-protest raids, which were used to rile the groups there and create a siege mentality.  Several reputable sites have mentioned the strong possibility of police provocateurs in the crowds.

The RNC have always played dirty though, especially when it comes to protests in recent years.  Going and not expecting to have everything in the book chucked at you would be foolish.  Hell, they spied on Quakers, so they're sure as fuck gonna give the beat down to anarchists and left wing activists.

[Cain]

I'm applying to an online magazine, so I penned this as a sample of my style of writing:


While the media pays attention to Palin, Minnesota police actions go unreported.

With politics being "more of the usual" and bad news about the economy on the home front, it is no surprise that the British public and media have taken to watching the US Presidential campaign, especially the speeches of the controversial Vice President pick by the Republican Party of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.

However, while attention has focused on the brash nature and the possible controversies of this newcomer to the Presidential race, it has taken attention off events outside the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

Reports of problems started on the 31st of August, as internet connected protesters and bloggers reported that police were massing in central St Paul's, the city where the Convention was being held.  In pre-protest raids, Ramsey County Sheriffs Office arrested several dozen protesters, many without charge.  While not illegal under state law, which requires the police to bring charges 36 hours after an arrest is made (not including weekends and holidays), such measures are only normally used in order to secure more evidence before formally charging a suspect – not as a method of shutting down protests.  Probable cause is also required, and in this case the National Lawyers Guild argued this was absent from many of the arrests made.

Police had set out to intimidate activists with a show of force.  Not only were the local police involved, but the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms had a strong presence in the city.  The police were apparently heavily armed with semi-automatic weapons, and also used rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas against peaceful protesters.  Police did not only target activists, however, but also lawyers and reporters on the scene, presumably in order to minimize problems arising from their hardline tactics.

Of particular concern was the arrest of Amy Goodman, the veteran reporter and presenter of Democracy Now!, a nationally syndicated news program shown by over 700 media outlets in the USA.  Goodman, along with two producers and a film maker were arrested on charges of conspiracy to cause a riot.  Goodman was later released, however other members of the Democracy Now! team are still being held in custody.

Also a worry was the presence of the Minnesota National Guard.  The USA has a long history of resistance to soldiers being used for policing reasons and their appearance was considered highly unsettling by many observing the protests and police actions.  There were also reports of mistreatment of those arrested – several were denied medical attention and others went on hunger strike in order to protest this lack of care.

There was some violence from activists, but according to the organizers of the St Paul's protests, these were a small number of self-proclaimed anarchists, who smashed property and set up blockades.  However, even among the anarchist groups present, this was a minority of perhaps no more than 15 people.  All in all, arrests in St Paul's concerning the protests number over 300.

The conduct of the police during the Convention is worrying to those who have a keen interest in civil liberties, yet this concern has not been reflected in the national press, many who ignored the pre-convention raids and blamed all the violence on the protesters in St Paul's.  Whether the abuses of law enforcement agencies will ever get more press than the minutiae of Sarah Palin remains to be seen.

[Jenne]

Great synopsis...and as to the answer to the last paragraph--well, I think that's a forgone conclusion.

[Tempest Virago]

I'm applying to an online magazine, so I penned this as a sample of my style of writing:


While the media pays attention to Palin, Minnesota police actions go unreported.

With politics being "more of the usual" and bad news about the economy on the home front, it is no surprise that the British public and media have taken to watching the US Presidential campaign, especially the speeches of the controversial Vice President pick by the Republican Party of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.

However, while attention has focused on the brash nature and the possible controversies of this newcomer to the Presidential race, it has taken attention off events outside the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

Reports of problems started on the 31st of August, as internet connected protesters and bloggers reported that police were massing in central St Paul's, the city where the Convention was being held.  In pre-protest raids, Ramsey County Sheriffs Office arrested several dozen protesters, many without charge.  While not illegal under state law, which requires the police to bring charges 36 hours after an arrest is made (not including weekends and holidays), such measures are only normally used in order to secure more evidence before formally charging a suspect – not as a method of shutting down protests.  Probable cause is also required, and in this case the National Lawyers Guild argued this was absent from many of the arrests made.

Police had set out to intimidate activists with a show of force.  Not only were the local police involved, but the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms had a strong presence in the city.  The police were apparently heavily armed with semi-automatic weapons, and also used rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas against peaceful protesters.  Police did not only target activists, however, but also lawyers and reporters on the scene, presumably in order to minimize problems arising from their hardline tactics.

Of particular concern was the arrest of Amy Goodman, the veteran reporter and presenter of Democracy Now!, a nationally syndicated news program shown by over 700 media outlets in the USA.  Goodman, along with two producers and a film maker were arrested on charges of conspiracy to cause a riot.  Goodman was later released, however other members of the Democracy Now! team are still being held in custody.

Also a worry was the presence of the Minnesota National Guard.  The USA has a long history of resistance to soldiers being used for policing reasons and their appearance was considered highly unsettling by many observing the protests and police actions.  There were also reports of mistreatment of those arrested – several were denied medical attention and others went on hunger strike in order to protest this lack of care.

There was some violence from activists, but according to the organizers of the St Paul's protests, these were a small number of self-proclaimed anarchists, who smashed property and set up blockades.  However, even among the anarchist groups present, this was a minority of perhaps no more than 15 people.  All in all, arrests in St Paul's concerning the protests number over 300.

The conduct of the police during the Convention is worrying to those who have a keen interest in civil liberties, yet this concern has not been reflected in the national press, many who ignored the pre-convention raids and blamed all the violence on the protesters in St Paul's.  Whether the abuses of law enforcement agencies will ever get more press than the minutiae of Sarah Palin remains to be seen.

This is good. I like it.

[Cain]

Thanks.

I'm not sure what the tone of the magazine is, so I aimed at formal...though I did mention that if they wanted a more "gonzo" or personalized style of reporting, that was well within my means.  I sincerely hope it is the latter, it would be much easier to have headlines like

"The Beltway Establishment Are A Bunch Of Cockheads"

than the bland sort of one I served up there.