In Ferguson, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery gives account of his arrest

Mayor is full of it also...

No has brought up the fact that it was Mcdonalds called the police and asked them to remove the reporters.

originally posted by: coop039
No has brought up the fact that it was Mcdonalds called the police and asked them to remove the reporters.

Because that doesn't seem to be the case. Is there a report to that effect somewhere?

My understanding from everything I have seen and read was that they were clearing McDonald's out of everyone. Not just the reporters. Just because you are a reporter does not mean that you are above everyone else and can stay put if the cops clear an area. I also saw a video where the cops were trying to keep back a mob of people chanting and waving their fists. The cops shot rubber bullets at the crowd. This person/journalist in the crowd was appalled that he was getting fired at too. Not sure why he was so surprised... he was in mixed in the mob of people.

That all being said, I have to add that I actually approved of the speech Obama just gave on TV. He chastised the people for rioting and told the cops to be sure they allow peaceful protest and to be mindful of the reporters. He called for peace in Ferguson and transparency where the cops are concerned. Not sure they will stop just because he said so, but it could happen.

originally posted by: mrsdudara
My understanding from everything I have seen and read was that they were clearing McDonald's out of everyone. Not just the reporters. Just because you are a reporter does not mean that you are above everyone else and can stay put if the cops clear an area. I also saw a video where the cops were trying to keep back a mob of people chanting and waving their fists. The cops shot rubber bullets at the crowd. This person/journalist in the crowd was appalled that he was getting fired at too. Not sure why he was so surprised... he was in mixed in the mob of people.

That all being said, I have to add that I actually approved of the speech Obama just gave on TV. He chastised the people for rioting and told the cops to be sure they allow peaceful protest and to be mindful of the reporters.

He called for peace in Ferguson and transparency where the cops are concerned. Not sure they will stop just because he said so, but it could happen.

A cameraman from KSDK News Channel 5 was hit with a bean bag round. Two journalists were assaulted and arrested at the McDonald's. Al Jazheera's journalist and cameraman were fired upon with rubber bullets and tear gas beyond a doubt to which the KSDK cameraman stated "See? It's happening to them, too". A St. Louis American journalist reported having a gun pointed at her chest.

If you look at the Al Jazheera and Washington Post footage, you won't see an "angry mob" surrounding either. Nobody else there. Pretty quiet scenes actually and, considering that KSDK and Al Jazheera were filming at night, they were off the sides of the street and brightly lit. Very visible. So an absolute NO to this not being deliberate. That's why the tone of the majority of the press today is largely condemning of what has occurred. This one is blistering.

It's vitally important that Americans receive as richly detailed a picture as possible of what is happening in this fraught situation.

To do that, they need journalists on the scene to chronicle the events. But the journalists can't do their jobs if they are harassed and obstructed by the police.

Make no make mistake, this isn't just a problem for journalists. The First Amendment is a critical element of American democracy. The American people suffer when it is trampled.

www.usatoday.com...

Don't mess with the First Amendment. Don't target the press. Period or god forbid, they'll do their jobs.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

That is all awful. I have apparently only seen edited versions of what you are talking about.

Hope the whole situation calms down soon.

Where are the militias?

www.missourimilitia.com...

Apparently they only respond to old, rich white guys in cowboy hats?

originally posted by: mrsdudara
a reply to: WhiteAlice

That is all awful. I have apparently only seen edited versions of what you are talking about.

Hope the whole situation calms down soon.

Me, too. There are very serious issues at work here and I sincerely hope that they actually get appropriately sorted out and correct as peaceably as possible.

This is the full footage of what occurred to Al'Jazeera and includes the KSDK cameraman's remark right at the beginning. What is equally disturbing was the footage at 1:26 where SWAT start disassembling the Al'Jazheera equipment while another one is standing guard, looking down his scope. It's quiet before and after. The only noise you hear are coming from the PD.



Here's the footage from Al Jazeera so obviously they got their equipment back including the footage. That, at least, is good.

america.aljazeera.com...

The president specifically referenced the actions of the police in Ferguson. “There is no excuse for police to use excessive force,” Obama said, “or to throw people in jail” for exercising their 1st amendment rights.

america.aljazeera.com...

originally posted by: amazing
Where are the militias?

www.missourimilitia.com...

Apparently they only respond to old, rich white guys in cowboy hats?

Militias only care about federal government overreach. They could care less about state & local government overreach because of states rights, blah, blah, blah...

a reply to: WhiteAlice
Don't you think you are over reacting a bit? They didn't disassemble anything they just put the lights down, and the camera that had a light on it. AND they did it very carefully so to not break anything.

If they were not supposed to be in the area and refused to leave, all while having bright lights set up that kept the cops from seeing past then the cops were very nice. They didn't hurt anyone or break anything. What I heard in that video was the swat team insisting they need to be on "that corner over there" because they didn't want them to get hurt.

Maybe you meant a different video??

originally posted by: mrsdudara
a reply to: WhiteAlice
Don't you think you are over reacting a bit? They didn't disassemble anything they just put the lights down, and the camera that had a light on it. AND they did it very carefully so to not break anything.

If they were not supposed to be in the area and refused to leave, all while having bright lights set up that kept the cops from seeing past then the cops were very nice. They didn't hurt anyone or break anything. What I heard in that video was the swat team insisting they need to be on "that corner over there" because they didn't want them to get hurt.

Maybe you meant a different video??

Nope, I'm not over reacting at all and really, you should learn to read what is actually linked for you to read. Neither KSDK or Al Jazeera were ever told to leave. It's in the above articles. Didn't hurt anyone? Tell that to the Al Jazeera and KSDK crews as both got hit. Have you ever been tear gassed or shot by a bean bag round or rubber bullet, Mrs Dudara?

Telling them to move came AFTER they already fired upon both crews.

a reply to: amazing

This is what the original Black Panthers were created to fight. The individuals personal choices was more sensational news than the issues they were fighting and society thought change occurred. We are exactly where we were way back then, except noone is singing, "we shall overcome".

It is funny how the majority are all for freedom of the press while at the same time many have immersed themselves into conspiracies that claim the press is always lieing to the masses covering up things and misleading the people.

originally posted by: deadeyedick
It is funny how the majority are all for freedom of the press while at the same time many have immersed themselves into conspiracies that claim the press is always lieing to the masses covering up things and misleading the people.

I think the reason why you find it funny is because you're making the assumption that anyone posting on this site has those opinions. I personally find more of an issue with misinformation, disinformation, and bias coming from "alternative" sources of media, particularly those on the internet. Just saying that one shouldn't paint an entire crowd under the same brush.

originally posted by: amazing
Where are the militias?

www.missourimilitia.com...

Apparently they only respond to old, rich white guys in cowboy hats?

The militia is there--comprised of private citizens, they stand guard outside their shops to prevent looting and arson. We are all the militia.

a reply to: WhiteAlice No doubt. However you can not deny that conspiracy is the back bone that keeps some sites going and the validity of reports is always in question here. Either way ferguson is tax dollars hard at work.

originally posted by: deadeyedick
a reply to: WhiteAlice No doubt. However you can not deny that conspiracy is the back bone that keeps some sites going and the validity of reports is always in question here. Either way ferguson is tax dollars hard at work.

I honestly hold a more pragmatic position when it comes to conspiracy, especially in today's age. I think that we, the public, have grown to soft and allowed ourselves to not necessarily pay attention to the variety of things that are occurring both within this country and without. I was never raised to simply accept authority but to reasonably question it as history has shown that various governmental entities will engage in things that would be unsupported by the public if they were aware. Kind of like the outrage after the uncovering of MK-ULTRA by the NY Times. That was a very real conspiracy. Iran-Contra was another. Or, more recently, some of the activities within the Bush Administration in regards to the Iraq War.

This is a democracy. We are supposed to be well informed in order to make proper judgments in both the electoral process and in state legislation as well. It's not those who speak the same line that are the most at risk for being silenced by a majority. It is those who speak those things that people don't want to hear. In that sense, although I'm not a conspiracy theorist myself, I have a healthy respect for sites such as these. If you look at the history of some of the conversations on these boards, one of those subjects was collecting information in regards to the militarization of the police forces across the nation. ATS beat the media to uncovering that. In this era where our media has been driven more towards op-ed than investigative journalism, I'd say that sites like ATS fill a gap. At least somebody is investigating.

Weird addition at the end of Ferguson being tax dollars at work. You're absolutely right. Those are the American tax dollars at work. As such, if those tax dollars are working improperly, then those tax payers have both the right to state as much as well as make sure that the issues uncovered are adequately corrected. Would you buy something you knew nothing about?

originally posted by: mrsdudara
a reply to: WhiteAlice
Don't you think you are over reacting a bit? They didn't disassemble anything they just put the lights down, and the camera that had a light on it. AND they did it very carefully so to not break anything.

If they were not supposed to be in the area and refused to leave, all while having bright lights set up that kept the cops from seeing past then the cops were very nice. They didn't hurt anyone or break anything. What I heard in that video was the swat team insisting they need to be on "that corner over there" because they didn't want them to get hurt.

Maybe you meant a different video??

LoL! And you know this how? Shooting tear gas at reporters on a public street covering breaking news isn't being careful...it's being callous and unconstitutional.

Did you read the statements from Al Jazeera or WaPo?

what i find funny is reporters always want in the $hit, and when the $hit gets real they cry about it. Reporters that want to go to combat know that enemy bullets and IEDs don’t stop just because they are journalists. If you want to report on a riot expect riot related things to happen to you. If you stand with the police you might get hit with rocks or molotov cocktails, if you stand with the rioters you might get hit with LTL rounds or gas. Your press badge doesn’t make you immune to life. The cops freak out if these people go where they are not supposed to because certain areas are restricted for a reason, if reporters wander off into a bad place and get surrounded by violence the police have to get involved to save them and put themselves at risk. Same things happen overseas with reporters.

Now show me how they are infringing on their right to report? are they smashing cameras and stealing footage? are they detaining press member indefinitely?

and as for the guys at McDonald's, i heard the same thing someone else said about they were asked to leave by the management and didn’t so cops were called in. I heard it on the radio, it was a caller to a radio show saying he lived close and heard it from his local news. So I don’t know what actually happened i wasn’t there. But i know we are a long way from suppressing media, as it obvious they let them go and they are reporting on it....

Statisically 50% of americans recieve some form of gov. help. So it seems that both sides arre being funded by the same group. One side is just more funded. The police are more state funded while the people are gov. funded. That kinda flows with the reaction of the gov. today. I think in my first post i was not taking into account that some group may have influence over information and that causes the need for alternative media sites but they are among a large group that are not all on the same page.