Amy Goodman: Why We Were Falsely Arrested By Amy Goodman, Truthdig Posted on September 5, 2008, Printed on September 6, 2008 http://www.alternet.org/story/97632/
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Government crackdowns on journalists are a true threat to democracy. As the Republican National Convention meets in St. Paul, Minn., this week, police are systematically targeting journalists. I was arrested with my two colleagues, "Democracy Now!" producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, while reporting on the first day of the RNC. I have been wrongly charged with a misdemeanor. My co-workers, who were simply reporting, may be charged with felony riot. The Democratic and Republican national conventions have become very expensive and protracted acts of political theater, essentially four-day-long advertisements for the major presidential candidates. Outside the fences, they have become major gatherings for grass-roots movements -- for people to come, amidst the banners, bunting, flags and confetti, to express the rights enumerated in the Constitution's First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Behind all the patriotic hyperbole that accompanies the conventions, and the thousands of journalists and media workers who arrive to cover the staged events, there are serious violations of the basic right of freedom of the press. Here on the streets of St. Paul, the press is free to report on the official proceedings of the RNC, but not to report on the police violence and mass arrests directed at those who have come to petition their government, to protest. It was Labor Day, and there was an anti-war march, with a huge turnout, with local families, students, veterans and people from around the country gathered to oppose the war. The protesters greatly outnumbered the Republican delegates. There was a positive, festive feeling, coupled with a growing anxiety about the course that Hurricane Gustav was taking, and whether New Orleans would be devastated anew. Later in the day, there was a splinter march. The police -- clad in full body armor, with helmets, face shields, batons and canisters of pepper spray -- charged. They forced marchers, onlookers and working journalists into a nearby parking lot, then surrounded the people and began handcuffing them. Nicole was videotaping. Her tape of her own violent arrest is chilling. Police in riot gear charged her, yelling, "Get down on your face." You hear her voice, clearly and repeatedly announcing "Press! Press! Where are we supposed to go?" She was trapped between parked cars. The camera drops to the pavement amidst Nicole's screams of pain. Her face was smashed into the pavement, and she was bleeding from the nose, with the heavy officer with a boot or knee on her back. Another officer was pulling on her leg. Sharif was thrown up against the wall and kicked in the chest, and he was bleeding from his arm. I was at the Xcel Center on the convention floor, interviewing delegates. I had just made it to the Minnesota delegation when I got a call on my cell phone with news that Sharif and Nicole were being bloody arrested, in every sense. Filmmaker Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films and I raced on foot to the scene. Out of breath, we arrived at the parking lot. I went up to the line of riot police and asked to speak to a commanding officer, saying that they had arrested accredited journalists. Within seconds, they grabbed me, pulled me behind the police line and forcibly twisted my arms behind my back and handcuffed me, the rigid plastic cuffs digging into my wrists. I saw Sharif, his arm bloody, his credentials hanging from his neck. I repeated we were accredited journalists, whereupon a Secret Service agent came over and ripped my convention credential from my neck. I was taken to the St. Paul police garage where cages were set up for protesters. I was charged with obstruction of a peace officer. Nicole and Sharif were taken to jail, facing riot charges. The attack on and arrest of me and the "Democracy Now!" producers was not an isolated event. A video group called I-Witness Video was raided two days earlier. Another video documentary group, the Glass Bead Collective, was detained, with its computers and video cameras confiscated. On Wednesday, I-Witness Video was again raided, forced out of its office location. When I asked St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington how reporters are to operate in this atmosphere, he suggested, "By embedding reporters in our mobile field force." On Monday night, hours after we were arrested, after much public outcry, Nicole, Sharif and I were released. That was our Labor Day. It's all in a day's work. *Amy Goodman is the host of "Democracy Now!," a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. * (c) 2008 Truthdig All rights reserved. View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/97632/ Afthab Ellath On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 2:45 PM, salimtk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ST. PAUL -- Democracy Now! radio host Amy Goodman and two producers were > arrested<http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/9/1/amy_goodman_and_two_democracy_now_producers_unlawfully_arrested_at_the_rnc>while > covering demonstrations at the Republican convention in St. Paul, > Minn. *Goodman was released after being held for over three hours,* but is > still waiting to hear when Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar would be > released. > > "I was down on the convention floor interviewing delegates when I heard > that two of our producers had been arrested," said Goodman. "I ran down to > Jackson and 7th Street, where the police had moved in." > > Goodman said that when she ran up to find out what was going on, she was > also arrested. > > "They seriously manhandled me and handcuffed my hands behind my back. The > top ID [at the convention] is to get on the floor and the Secret Service > ripped that off me. I had my Democracy Now! ID too. I was clearly a > reporter." > > Goodman, who was released after being charged with a misdemeanor, said that > Salazar had been hurt in the face, while Kouddous had been thrown up against > a wall and hurt his elbow. > > "Nicole told me that as they moved in on three sides, she asked them 'How > do I get away from this?' and they jumped on her." > > Both Kouddous and Salazar could be held for up to 36 hours. > > "One of the police kept shouting at me 'Shut up, shut up," she said. "It > was extremely threatening." > > > On 9/2/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> *Amy Goodman Arrested* >> >> http://www.countercurrents.org/goodman020908.htm >> >> ST. PAUL, MN—Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in >> downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police >> violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video >> of her arrest can be seen here: >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ >> >> Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers >> who were being unlawfuly detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole >> Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their >> journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican >> National Convention. Goodman's crime appears to have been defending her >> colleagues and the freedom of the press. >> >> Ramsey County Sherrif Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and >> Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently >> being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul. >> >> Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to >> call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand >> the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be >> directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman's office at 651-266-8535 and the >> Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0). >> >> Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this >> action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of >> the press and the First Amenmdent rights of these journalists. >> >> During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement >> officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and >> excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action. >> >> Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists >> in the United States. She has received journalism's top honors for her >> reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The >> arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to >> intimidate journalists from the nation's leading independent news outlet. >> >> Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that >> airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe. >> >> Video of Amy Goodman's Arrest: >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ >> >> >> >> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
