anarchists... are people
So I was watching the evening news with my parents and they do a 2 second blurb on the RNC protests. It was something along the lines of: "police were forced to use rubber bullets and gas to control a group of SELF-DESCRIBED ANARCHISTS!." The news caster says it like it's armageddon. They show a clip of a few dudes in black clothes and masks walking around. I said out loud "God damnit! I mean, Salvador Dali was an anarchist! They're not a bunch of animals!" I got into an argument with my parents about how I'm sure the cops started it, because at like every protest I've been to, the anarchists and other protesters were non-violent. Any scuffle is almost always caused by the cops. My parents argued that I was being naive and seeing things from only one side. I argued that they were getting their 2 second story from the corporate media, which as far as I'm concerned isn't even a "side" because the corporate influence makes their side of any story contaminated and useless. So anyway I go online to see what democracy now has to say and I find that AMY GOODMAN WAS ARRESTED!
Here's the story from DN!:
"Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC
Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending Against Kouddous and Salazar
ST. PAUL--Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody in St. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on Monday afternoon.
All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms scraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar’s violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was slammed to the ground while yelling, “I’m Press! Press!,” resulted in her nose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman’s arm was violently yanked by police as she was arrested.
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! will broadcast video of these arrests, as well as the broader police action. These will also be available on: www.democracynow.org
Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Kouddous and Salazar who 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 Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a felony. While the three have been released, they all still face charges stemming from their unlawful arrest. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of suspicion of felony riot, while Goodman has been officially charged with obstruction of a legal process and interference with a “peace officer.”
Democracy Now! forcefully rejects all of these charges as false and an attempt at intimidation of these journalists. We demand that the charges be immediately and completely dropped.
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 Amendment rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, including a photographer for the Associated Press.
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 and the subsequent criminal charges and threat of charges are a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists.
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."
I also learned this from DN!, "Armed groups of police in the Twin Cities have raided more than half-a-dozen locations since Friday night in a series of “preemptive raids” before the Republican National Convention. The raids and detentions have targeted activists planning to protest the convention, as well as journalists and videographers documenting police actions at protests."
So I go downstairs to tell my parents what I saw and they say, "Steve, we watched it on another channel and there were 2 kids in BLACK MASKS, SMASHING UP STORE FRONTS!" I tell them that Amy Goodman was arrested, basically for trying to tell the real story. They ask, "who's that?"
Strangely enough, the reporters who shot video of the 2 kids smashing a store front were not arrested, their bullshit story was turned into a 2 second blurb and shown to the masses.
we.
are.
not.
free.
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