Where is the freedom of dissenting voices?Following the arrests of Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar and the detainment of Elizabeth Press as well as other reporters and photojournalists this past week in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention, two local college students have decided to hold their own demonstration on the streets of Boone. They have several posters reading "Why is there no room for a dissenting voice?" Please do not tear gas me!" and "From pepper spray to homophobia It's a grand old party".
They are trying to raise awareness about the police brutality, unlawful arrests and down right harassment of peaceful protesters and journalists who have a right to express their views and document the event. Both Laramie Sheets and Patrick Mosley are telling people to go to the Democracy Now website to learn more about the terrible situation on the streets outside the 2008 RNC and encouraging people to write, call and email officials with pressure to drop charges against those who are innocent. Although they were jeered with disrespectful remarks while standing diligently near the Watauga County Republican Party Headquarters holding their homemade posters they were ready at a moments notice to speak to those who cared about the message they wanted to share.
The reports coming out of both inside and outside the RNC convention center are very different than the reports from the Democrat National Convention held last week in Denver. While mainstream news reporters such as Chris Matthews broadcast the excitement and joyous moods of the more than 80,000 of those who attended the gathering of democrat delegates he was also seen giving equal voice to both protesters and supporters of Obama and the DNC. The complete opposite can be seen on footage coming out of St. Paul in the lack of news reporters presence, the shortage of attendance by delegates in the Xcel Energy Center as well as the harsh treatment of people gathering outside no matter their reason for being there.
Although there were protesters who deliberately damaged property and rioted violently against police who deserve to be prosecuted for their crimes it is a shame and a disgrace that those trying to get theirs and others voices out have been silenced by their unlawful incarceration and severe handling when being illegally arrested. The excuse given by the St. Paul Police Chief and other officials that they cannot be responsible for a reporter who gets in the way or appears to be involved in an unlawful act is not backed up by the videos and statements by the staff of Democracy Now.
Our country was founded on the basic constitutional amendments of freedom of speech, the right to assemble and the freedom of the press. The fact that our American rights and freedoms have been trampled on and disregarded by our own government so heavily in recent years is the ultimate disrespect for the rule of law. While claiming to protect our freedoms these enforcers are essentially acting illegally themselves and instituting policies where the public has limited recourse for justice. We should all be very grateful these courageous students feel free here in Boone to stand up for what they believe and can peacefully demonstrate their views on our streets.
Photo: D. Shumate
Photo: D. Shumate
1 comment:
David West writes:
St. Paul isn’t a war zone where journalists get fired upon and lose their lives because a camera over-the-shoulder looks like an RPG launcher from the distance, this was a properly accredited network news team, wearing credentials and a vest with the words “PRESS” in big fat bold letters on their chest getting fired upon in an American city.
The crew (a photographer, soundman and producer) was on a city street sidewalk (perfectly legal) filming the protesters marching down the street. The police confronted the protesters and started firing tear gas, pepper pellets and stun grenades at them.
The large crowd dispersed into a neighboring parking lot and the media followed them.
A police officer in full riot gear comes charging at the crew thrusting his baton towards the chest of the producer. The producer identifies herself as press and throws up the credentials she’s wearing around her neck.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are, get the fuck out of here,” the officer shouted, pushing her. Other cops run up with their guns pointed and start pushing the press into the crowd of protesters.
This was the scene the entire night.
The media would follow the protesters and the police would point their weapons at them and fire directly towards them. At one point in the evening an officer runs up to a group of cameramen filming and drops a flash grenade in the middle of them and runs away. The grenade went off in a bright flash and bang, slightly injuring a few of the photographers.
The entire evening journalists were pushed, shoved, intimidated, shot at, abused and finally arrested.
The officers corralled the group of some 300 protesters, along with some 50 working press, onto a bridge and sealed it off from both directions—forming a line of police in full riot gear on each side with weapons drawn.
The cops started shouting at everyone to sit down and put their hands up, saying that they were to be arrested.
The media professionals did what they have always done in this situation, they filed out of the crowd to the edge and continued taking their pictures.
The police became more irate and started to throw flash grenades onto the bridge. At that point you can hear the journalists start talking among themselves.
“I think they mean us to,” said one reporter.
“You got to be fucking kidding me,” said another in response.
“Bullshit,” said a soundman.
The press started shouting at the police identifying who they were.
The police continued their threats, finally saying that they would come in using force if they didn’t sit down.
Journalists started to sit down, still recording the scene, all getting on the phone to report in what was happening.
I heard the photographer over the camera’s microphone in a shaky voice explaining the situation to the newsroom. He sounds scared and confused.
“Yah they’re going to arrest us all… including the press,” he says to the person on the phone.
You can tell that the person on the other end of the conversation can’t believe it.
“We told them we’re press, they don’t care,” the conversation continued.
A Japanese crew was still standing; one of them was carrying a ladder used to see over crowds to get a better angle.
The cops threaten to bring him down with force, calling the ladder a weapon.
The Japanese crew looks scared, they all scream “Press, press!” at the police.
More scared voices among the media, pan to the protesters, and then the feed went black.
My colleagues last night had every reason to be scared.
How much of this was even reported by the mainstream outlets? I think that was one of the questions this strategy was designed to test.
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