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
“Peaceful protest is one thing - but don’t yell obsenities at everyone and block the busy streets.”
That’s the point moron - peaceful protesting is like apologising about complaining. Violent protesting is reprehensible (except perhaps under dire conditions), but a protest should be loud, passionate, and even angry.
People, watch the Democracy Now videos of Amy Goodman’s arrest and her producers’ arrest. They clearly have the highest credentials you can have at the RNC, they clearly display them, they tell the police they are press multiple times. They are not rioting. They are not violent anarchists, nor dressed or acting like them. They are all manhandled and their press credentials disregarded. This is f-ed up.
Where did all these trolls come from?
Taylor,
The comment about Bush stems from stupid comments like “Welcome to the New Regime! Just a sign of things to come. thank you Dictator Bush!” That was posted here. (Not by you).
As for going to youtube to find demonstrators at the DNC. Well, I didn’t see it on TV, I would have to go to youtube apparently. So what does this say? It says that the liberal media won’t show protests at the lib convention, because they want to make it ‘appear’ like everyone is in agreement. But ‘every’ little protest at teh RNC gets massive exposure (even during Sarah’s speech they would rather show someone being escorted out).
As for this “The violation of constitutional rights is completely unacceptable, no matter who is responsible”. I agree, BUT there is an underlygin theme here, which is that instead of letting people talk (ALL people, free speech), some squelch free speech by either “Yelling Louder” or disrupting others from being heard. THIS is what most protesters do! If protesters really believed in free speech they would shut up and let EVERYONE be heard. Not yell loud so only THEIR message gets out, and damn the rest! So as for protesters, THEY are the one not allowing free speech! And if you aren’t allowing others their free speech then you should be hauled away.
blah blah all i hear is whining
[...] interesting: Digg This!! 3 University of Kentucky Journalists Jailed at RNC Written by Taylor Shelton Published on September 2nd, 2008 Who will protect us from the [...]
Bush has created a new Nazi regime. No one is safe as long as the police are enpowered to beat anyone who stands for the truth.
I took a look at and read the “News Item Ann Goodman: Why We Were Falsely Arrested.” Again, how about thinking about it this way. The government is suppose to ensure we have freedom of speech and by stopping these protesters, we ARE ensuring those speaking get their say! AKA Freedom of speech. THAT is the concept. The people who try to “protest” and squelch those speaking ARE the lawbreakers, and should be shot at with rubber bullets and thrown in jail for disrupting their speech. It is a very simple concept, people are ALLOWED to voice their opinion, people are NOT ALLOWED to disrupt or squelch others, and that is what protests do. There are two sides on these issues, people can RALLY and speak, people should not be allowed to PROTEST (opposite of Rally) and disrupt them. The best right we have is one not explicitly given, which is we can walk away and not listen to those who have the RIGHT to speak. If you don’t like the RNC, or the DNC for that matter, why PROTEST and get jailed, just shut up and let them have your say, you don’t HAVE to LISTEN. I have a right to speak, you DO NOT have the right to disrupt me! If you don’t want to listen than leave! Ok, long winded point 1!
Point 2. As for comments like this “Bush has created a new Nazi regime. No one is safe as long as the police are enpowered to beat anyone who stands for the truth.”. These just come from people who aren’t getting things their way. the “truth”, what is the truth? Everyone has their OWN truth, yours is not “right”, mine is not “right” (wink wink), but they are our truths and we should BOTH have the right to speak our truths!
Point 3. I would agree that journalism for all intense and purpose is DEAD! True journalism where journalist seek the TRUTH! However, unlike in 1984 where the “Truth” was put out by the government, we are in a situation where the “Truth” is being put out by hundreds of thousands of people who all have differing agendas and opinions. In the age of the internet with so much information available and so many ways to put that information out, accuracy and the TRUTH is currently at its worst!
Point 4. As for nazi regime that you state Bush has created. OMG! Soooo freagin far from reality it is unreal. But if you keep pushing stuff like that and America keeps moving further to the left, you can rest assured, someday you WILL live in a nazi-like America and it will be run by foreigners that won’t shoot you with rubber bullets, but just shoot you! bye bye, gone! You will WISH for the days where you could stand up and talk! Get a friggin clue! Wake the heck up! Shall we become more leftist and like France!? Where they, for the most part, don’t even control their own country anymore. The only the Frnch have done right is they have built nuclear power plants and most of their energy comes from that.
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A very one sided story here, which makes me wonder why no interview with the authorities. Could it be that would not fit with the obvious one sided slant to this report? When ever I read something that is obviously so biased I question the validity of the whole thing. That said it also makes me wonder what this bunch did to really get arrested.
*Bert
Thank you for writing this. I was there at the RNC and this needs to be talked about.
People who say “you’d call the police if… (insert crime here) happened to you!” are completely missing the point. Excessive police violence and police breaking the laws whenever they feel like it is NOT OKAY. Clearly, the police provide an important function to our society, like protecting the people from valid incidents of crime. But that is not their only job! Apparently, they can also be unconstitutionally organized to behave like terrorists, attacking innocents and setting up a climate of fear and violence in order to repress free expression and assembly. It doesn’t *sound* like a democracy, does it? It doesn’t look like one either, from on the streets. I don’t know why we still bother to call ourselves one.
People who believe that it’s okay for the police to jail journalists, to pepper spray civilians arbitrarily, to arrest people for wearing a certain kind of clothing or violently apprehend them when they are unarmed… well, first of all, those people weren’t at the convention on this day, and so probably assume that face-mask wearing protesters had guns and bombs and hated America, etc., which is far from the truth. Additionally, though, these people clearly hate freedom far far more than any well-organized, political, committed group like the RNC Welcoming Committee ever could. At least the RNC WC is using their First Amendment rights to try to express their disagreement with our current government in the streets, rather than hatefully bashing others on the Internet, hiding behind anonymity, and mindlessly believing in the people in authority, sans research. Read your history books folks… dissent from tyranny is what the U.S. was founded on!
One last thing. News reports describe the protesters as violent, and use as support for this statement only that they damaged private property. A brick through a window is violent… towards a window? Yes, it’s property damage, but it is not “violent” in the way that shooting, tear gassing, and pepper spraying human beings who are unarmed and unable to move is violent. I couldn’t honestly tell you what the police were so frightened of during the RNC, but I can assert that the police were the aggressors that day. We can assume police are doing their jobs justly and exist to protect our rights… or we can see for ourselves what happens when they are organized to defend by all means necessary the established order, and not the people’s rights to life and liberty.
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