3 University of Kentucky Journalists Jailed at RNC
Sometimes things get out of hand. And, usually, there is a group of people whose occupation it is to protect us from those situations. But as was the case on Monday night in Minnesota, the people who are supposed to protect us got a little bit out of hand themselves.
On Monday night, three colleagues of mine from the Kentucky Kernel were arrested while documenting the protests outside the Republican National Convention. Photographers Ed Matthews and Britney McIntosh, along with photo advisor Jim Winn were all arrested and charged with rioting. Matthews and McIntosh were both charged with felonies, while Winn was charged with a misdemeanor.
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Nothing indicates that any of the three were actually participating in the protests, much less violating any laws that would warrant their arrest. The police officers subdued the Kernel staff members with the use of pepper spray and the threat of a gun, certainly unnecessary given that all evidence suggests that Matthews, McIntosh and Winn were not actually breaking any laws. Regardless, we cannot know whether or not they were acting inappropriately, as they are still incommunicado in the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. If convicted, Matthews and McIntosh would face a minimum sentence of one year in jail and a $3000 fine. Perhaps the bright spot in all of this is that at least we know what they have been charged with.
More so than the arrest of colleagues, the problem is that this conundrum of excessive police violence is not new. From the unprovoked attack by a New York City police officer on a Critical Mass bicyclist, and the subsequent arrests of those documenting the unconstitutional and overtly violent police actions, to last week’s encounters outside of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, or even this week’s arrest of journalist Amy Goodman, police overreaction has become the expected norm in our society. These previous instances are illustrative that the phenomenon of police violence is not exclusive to the typically high security conventions of the Republican party, but instead have begun to pervade even traditionally liberal or progressive institutions. So, in the face of physical assault, felony charges and unwarranted jail time, how we reclaim our constitutional rights – not just to assemble and protest, but to document these actions as part of a free and open press? Or perhaps the better question is, can we still reclaim these rights?
Photo: Chad Davis via flickr under a Creative Commons License
In your article you say “Nothing indicates that any of the three were actually participating in the protests” but then you state “we cannot know whether or not they were acting inappropriately, as they are still incommunicado”.
Which is it? You wrote an article damning the police but don’t have any facts to prove your case. Are you just upset your friends were arrested?
I hope these inbred idiots quickly return the the rat holes they left in Kentucky.
They should shower too.
Ryan Clayton you hit the nail on the head.
and Minnesotan… don’t be so stereotypical.
I hope they get REALLY good or perhaps even semi good lawyers, as reading this article, it highlights major issues conflicting with even the most basic freedoms of speech acts (sorry that is really bad grammar).Anyway a semi decent lawyer should get them out scott free but then thats my point of view after reading this article which is not necessarily the truth never the less I have now voiced my opinion and feel content with going to bed. Good night world x
to clarify my own statements: by “nothing indicates” I meant the eye witness accounts, primarily those of Jim Winn’s wife who was present. By saying that we cannot know for sure, I meant that those arrested were unavailable to tell their own side of the story, as they were in jail until midday today. If you would like an update, this is available: http://kykernel.com/2008/09/03/arrest-kernel/
Hey…Hello?..wake the F! up!! Yea, I’m sure your journalist friends were just minding their own business, being good little leftist journalists. Look my friend, ordinary people don’t just “randomly” get booked with a felony for being civil. Your punk friends got what they deserved…don’t enable bad behavior…friends or not.
G. Reeves
This seems to be happening everywhere. I could probably go walking down my Main Street nowadays and get arrested for even holding my skateboard or blades. I personally think that the things that have been happening, like all these reporters getting arrested, starts some nation-wide movement to get laws put in place to protect the press even more. I’ve had my fair share of WTF momments in my 5+ years of journalism, and I’m not going to start following orders from some megalomaniacal chief of police, or country fro that matter.
Greg Reeves: If you think people don’t get arrested “randomly,” you’re living in a fantasy world. I hope you get beaten up by a cop one day for simply being in the proximity of other people like I have. Then maybe you’ll wake up from whatever dream you’re having.
I agree with Chris, I manhandled and drug out of a city park in Dallas, Tx, for being near someone who was breaking a law, grabbed me by the arm, took my cellphone, hung it up, and kicked me out of the state fair. I wish I had the sense to get the badge number of the officer, seems to me like that should have been manhandling.
With the new wave of less than lethal armaments cops have been getting more and more aggressive knowing they can easily put you in your place without use of gun and they exploit it.
As always there are good cops and bad, and I’d rather have police than none at all, I just think there needs to be more mandated sensitivity training or something to that e(a?)ffect.
Welcome to the new order same as the old order I guess. Wasn’t it communist China that banned all protests from sullying it’s spotless image? Wouldn’t want anybody to complain would we? But that’s communist China, this is America, we have freedom. Right?