Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC

[HAL 9000 96]

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained.

what a dumb #######.

As a well known news journalist with full access (security clearance) to the Convention floor, what do you think she should have done? She went to the police to vouch for the two journalists.

don't matter who or what she is if she's trying to free someone detained by the police. ever heard of obstruction?

I guess it depends on how you take that to mean. You can watch the video and decide for yourself if she was being unlawful in any way. The police, IMO, over-reacted and should have recognized not only her credentials as a journalist, but her security clearance to the Convention floor.

Probably has a lot to do with the chaos of the situation. At a guess it sounds like the journos may have gotten a bit too close to the "action" and were mistaken for protestors. The police often overreact in these situations.

Perhaps. The protestors that started rioting - I'm a bit curious and skeptical about just who they are since none of the protestors at the DNC rioted. There has been evidence that some are actually political plants to make the whole group of otherwise peaceful protestors get arrested and thereby unable to bring any attention to their cause, meanwhile getting painted with a broad brush that the anti-war protestors are a lawless bunch.

Agent provocateurs? Yes... they are not new nor surprising. RNC politicos looking to act like the clean victims in all of this when their game is on all of us as a nation.

so far it's police that detain journalists unlawfully bad, rioters good bad.

fixed that for you brother Charles.

[GaryC 7]

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained.

what a dumb #######.

As a well known news journalist with full access (security clearance) to the Convention floor, what do you think she should have done? She went to the police to vouch for the two journalists.

don't matter who or what she is if she's trying to free someone detained by the police. ever heard of obstruction?

I guess it depends on how you take that to mean. You can watch the video and decide for yourself if she was being unlawful in any way. The police, IMO, over-reacted and should have recognized not only her credentials as a journalist, but her security clearance to the Convention floor.

Probably has a lot to do with the chaos of the situation. At a guess it sounds like the journos may have gotten a bit too close to the "action" and were mistaken for protestors. The police often overreact in these situations.

Perhaps. The protestors that started rioting - I'm a bit curious and skeptical about just who they are since none of the protestors at the DNC rioted. There has been evidence that some are actually political plants to make the whole group of otherwise peaceful protestors get arrested and thereby unable to bring any attention to their cause, meanwhile getting painted with a broad brush that the anti-war protestors are a lawless bunch.

Agent provocateurs? Yes... they are not new nor surprising. RNC politicos looking to act like the clean victims in all of this when their game is on all of us as a nation.

Or could it be that a few far left nuts wanted attention and this is the best way to get it?

[HAL 9000 96]

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained.

what a dumb #######.

As a well known news journalist with full access (security clearance) to the Convention floor, what do you think she should have done? She went to the police to vouch for the two journalists.

don't matter who or what she is if she's trying to free someone detained by the police. ever heard of obstruction?

I guess it depends on how you take that to mean. You can watch the video and decide for yourself if she was being unlawful in any way. The police, IMO, over-reacted and should have recognized not only her credentials as a journalist, but her security clearance to the Convention floor.

Probably has a lot to do with the chaos of the situation. At a guess it sounds like the journos may have gotten a bit too close to the "action" and were mistaken for protestors. The police often overreact in these situations.

Perhaps. The protestors that started rioting - I'm a bit curious and skeptical about just who they are since none of the protestors at the DNC rioted. There has been evidence that some are actually political plants to make the whole group of otherwise peaceful protestors get arrested and thereby unable to bring any attention to their cause, meanwhile getting painted with a broad brush that the anti-war protestors are a lawless bunch.

Agent provocateurs? Yes... they are not new nor surprising. RNC politicos looking to act like the clean victims in all of this when their game is on all of us as a nation.

Or could it be that a few far left nuts wanted attention and this is the best way to get it?

Could be very well the case. As there are nuts everywhere.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

so far it's police that detain journalists unlawfully[/i] are neocon azzhats, rioters good bad. angels

fixed that for you brother Charles.

fixed that for you

Edited September 2, 2008 by charles!

[IAMX 3,055]

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained.

what a dumb #######.

As a well known news journalist with full access (security clearance) to the Convention floor, what do you think she should have done? She went to the police to vouch for the two journalists.

don't matter who or what she is if she's trying to free someone detained by the police. ever heard of obstruction?

She went over to talk to an officer. If you looked at the video, does it look to you like Amy Goodman is the type to be able to try and free someone by force? No. She can't even talk loud, ffs (have you ever listened to Democracy Now?), and has no megaphone on her like an actual protester would.

Has anyone ever tried to talk the police into turning someone loose after they were arrested? It doesn't work and will never work. It does not matter if Ms Goodman thought the arrests were unlawful or that she had press credentials. At that point it was out of her control and became obstruction. The best she could have done was to go to the station and bail them out. Interfering with the police is never a good idea.

You think maybe she's asking questions like what happened, and perhaps that's the police who just arrested them?

There's nothing against the law about asking an officer a question that merits yanking someone around and arresting them. They can push her back if there's a line she can't cross, which she clearly didn't, until they pulled her over it to arrest her, or tell her go away, and that's that.

Arresting people asking questions is exactly what will incite riots. And it should.

Try and inject yourself in a situation like that and see what happens.

Injecting is for losers. Snorting is for winners.

Anyways, I can see what harm a 51 year old gray-haired woman is going to do, going to actually talk to an officer.

Being someone who went to be an officer, and changed his mind (plenty of friends in the business like in PO, JIO, Investigations, etc), I'm well versed in that officers are trained to handle plenty of flak, and questions don't constitute as such. Officers are taught more than a reasonable amount of thick skin. Things have certainly changed.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

[Dan J 277]

One mans protester is another mans rioter.

Just as the RNC has the right to gather for their convention, the protesters have a right to make their message heard. Resorting to unlawful arrest, intimidation, violence, or vandalism is not protected.

Its easy to stand up for the speech you agree with, but not easy to stand up for the speech you don't.

[IAMX 3,055]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

I dunno - this is more or less the same thing that happened in London with that poor ####### who got shot 5 times in the head by hysterical police officers after the tube bombings.

Basically - deficient training and poor pay and conditions do not a good attitude make.

[HAL 9000 96]

so far it's police that detain journalists unlawfully[/i] are neocon azzhats, rioters good bad. angels

fixed that for you brother Charles.

fixed that for you

I don't think anyone is disputing the police officers' collective political idiocy any way or another. At stake is their behavior in unlawfully detaining legitimate journalists.

As for your opinion of the rioters, well... that is your opinion.

[IAMX 3,055]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

I dunno - this is more or less the same thing that happened in London with that poor ####### who got shot 5 times in the head by hysterical police officers after the tube bombings.

Basically - deficient training and poor pay and conditions do not a good attitude make.

London is a bit.. different.

A skittish officer usually won't last terribly long in the PA, so won't make lateral.

Edited September 2, 2008 by SRVT

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

I dunno - this is more or less the same thing that happened in London with that poor ####### who got shot 5 times in the head by hysterical police officers after the tube bombings.

Basically - deficient training and poor pay and conditions do not a good attitude make.

London is a bit.. different.

Same principle more or less. But you dont have to look far for examples in this country - the various tasering incidents last year for one...

[IAMX 3,055]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

I dunno - this is more or less the same thing that happened in London with that poor ####### who got shot 5 times in the head by hysterical police officers after the tube bombings.

Basically - deficient training and poor pay and conditions do not a good attitude make.

London is a bit.. different.

Same principle more or less. But you dont have to look far for examples in this country - the various tasering incidents last year for one...

How many cities do you regularly have armed patrol on the street flashing their guns?

How many American cities have even half as many state-sponsored CCTV cameras? With microphones?

While both countries speak English, there are certainly differences, especially in these regards.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

so far it's police bad, rioters good.

As someone who was there, I think it's more along the lines of protesters good, journalists neutral, rioters bad, police over-reacted.

It was pretty clear who was causing the havoc. You see someone chucking a park bench or newspaper kiosk into the street, or smashing the store windows, arrest them. But simply for approaching the police to talk? Bad form.

Thank God I only approached the police to talk during the March and didn't seek any help when we were stuck in the midst of the riots and couldn't get out. I could be sitting in the Ramsey County jail instead of comfortably at the computer.

You would think... Are the police really that thin-skinned and hair-trigger that approaching a so-called law-enforcement professional with a legitimate concern will get you carted off to jail, or worse - smashed over the head with a baton.

It's not that the police naturally are. Someone is directing them to be that way.

I dunno - this is more or less the same thing that happened in London with that poor ####### who got shot 5 times in the head by hysterical police officers after the tube bombings.

Basically - deficient training and poor pay and conditions do not a good attitude make.

London is a bit.. different.

Same principle more or less. But you dont have to look far for examples in this country - the various tasering incidents last year for one...

How many cities do you regularly have armed patrol on the street flashing their guns?

How many American cities have even half as many state-sponsored CCTV cameras? With microphones?

While both countries speak English, there are certainly differences, especially in these regards.

What about it though - I'm just pointing out that there are any number of precedents where the cops have overreacted in violent ways, sometimes with tragic results. In the case of the guy in the UK - he was gunned down despite the huge amount of electronic surveillance.