Democracy Now! journalists sue police, Secret Service over ‘violent’ RNC arrests

[Echo In Light]

By Stephen C. Webster

For what she called her "violent" arrest outside the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC), journalist and author Amy Goodman has joined with The Center for Constitutional Rights in filing a federal lawsuit against police and the Secret Service, issuing a stark challenge to policies governing their treatment of protesters.

Goodman said her producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were injured as police took them to the ground, with Salazar's nose bloodied and Kouddous's arm severely twisted. The whole time, they were demanding police not place them under arrest, shouting "Press! Press!" and waiving their media badges.

Instead, Goodman told RAW STORY during a Thursday conference call that unnamed Secret Service agents "ripped the credentials from around our necks" and police removed the batteries from their cameras, "which makes it very clear what they were after."

The YouTube video of Goodman's arrest quickly became the most popular clip on the site in the 2008 RNC's first days.

"I think that's what freed us after a number of hours," she told reporters.

"Goodman v. St. Paul seeks compensation and an injunction against law enforcement’s unjustified encroachment on First Amendment rights, including freedom of the press and the independence of the media," The Center for Constitutional Rights summarized in an advisory.

"Attorneys say the government cannot limit journalists’ right to cover matters of public concern by requiring that they present a particular perspective; for instance, the government cannot require journalists to “embed” with state authorities," they continued. "Goodman further asserts that the government cannot, in the name of security, limit the flow of information by acting unwarrantedly against journalists who report on speech protected by the First Amendment, such as dissent, and the public acts of law enforcement."

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0506/democracy-journalists-sue-police-secret-service-violent-rnc-2008-arrests/

[Rex]

1. The M$M is already 'inbed' with the Gummit.

Teabaggers get the royal treatment carrying their little pistols around in protest; RNC protestors get the facist treatment of a lifetime for having cameras and webphones go figure.

[Octafish]

2. Hope they collect a mint. Who's their lawyer?

This story should be all over the news media. More still, the stuff Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez report should be.

When my local NPR affiliate dropped their show, I stopped sending them money during their incessant pledge drives. Now, I send my support directly to DemocracyNow.org.

[Echo In Light]

3. And this:

"Police arrested http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/rnc.security/index.html">283 people during the RNC's opening day and had in the weeks prior been engaging in targeted harassment of activists. Over 800 arrests were made during the convention. The New York Times noted that an estimated 50 of those detained were journalists."

[FiveGoodMen]

4. So glad that "violent" is in scare quotes!

:sarcasm:

[Echo In Light]

6. Yeah, I found that a tad odd, myself

[ljm2002]

9. Honestly I don't think it's scare quotes...

...I think it is a literal quote and was meant to convey that the suit specifically uses the terminology.

JMHO

[DCKit]

11. Yes. Quotes are always "scary". I'm decorating my house with them next Halloween.

:sarcasm:

[EFerrari]

5. Go, Amy!

lol

:woohoo:

[Echo In Light]

7. Bump

[Kievan Rus]

8. They ought to sue over the Pittsburgh G-20 also

[lonestarnot]

10. K & R!