Numbers to call to protest the arrest of Amy Goodman at RNC

[zanne]

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).

---When I called the mayor's office, I got a message telling me that the voicemail was full. They provided a different extension # and when I called that my call was not picked up.

Same thing happened when I called the jail. I guess the city of St. Paul's Mayor's Office is not accepting phone calls today!

[iamjoy]

1. Is It Denver or St Paul?

:shrug:

[zanne]

2. DUH. Thanks; I just edited. nt

[billyoc]

3. She did her show this morning, I think they released her.

:hi:

[annabanana]

4. Yes they did... and their two reporters were released this morning. .

You got to start getting up earlier, Zanne

[aikoaiko]

5. I just watched the video -- she was arrested for physically resisting police commands to step back

I would expect to be arrested if I did that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ&feature=related

The original arrests of Democracy Now producers may have been bogus, but they had probably cause on Amy. Her video shows it.

edited: typo

[zanne]

6. She's an accredited journalist who was trying to gain access.

Far from "deserved it". I'm sure the mayor's office and the jail aren't accepting calls because everybody feels the way you do.:sarcasm:

[aikoaiko]

7. Yes, she is an accredited journalist, but did she really think that police commanders would take her

word that her producers weren't doing anything wrong and just let them out. No of course not. Press credentials does not get your colleagues out of jail for free. You bail your colleagues out and fight the processes through the usual means like everyone else.

[Subdivisions]

10. How does one become an "accredited" journalist and does

that involve some sort of quality standard that ensures responsibility as a journalist and what is to stop a blogger from being "accredited".

[aikoaiko]

12. She applied for and received the credentials of her profession for that event.

ac·cred·it·ed
1. officially recognized as meeting the essential requirements, as of academic excellence: accredited schools.
2. provided with official credentials, as by a government: an accredited diplomatic representative.
3. accepted as authoritative: an accredited theory.


eta: Other than that I don't know what the criterion was for getting press credentials for the convention.

[Subdivisions]

13. Thanks. But, I think you missed my point. Let me rephrase it:

Are the "journalists" at fox, cnn, msnbc, et. al., "accredited" and, if so, are they supposed to be held to a certain standard of practice and responsibility. In other words, are they allowed to be "accredited" even as they lie their assess off?

[aikoaiko]

14. Oh, I see, you were being rhetorical.

carry on.

[zanne]

15. You obviously don't watch her news program. nt

[aikoaiko]

17. I do on Democracy Now when I can, but I don't get your point.

[Subdivisions]

19. I think you may have been addressing me. I do watch

Democracy Now and I consider Amy Goodman a REAL JOURNALIST.

And, as for my original rhetorical point, nevermind.

[zanne]

38. I was addressing aikoaiko but I think you have a good point. nt

[EFerrari]

26. They were all wearing big hanging press passes and filming.

They weren't marching, they weren't chanting. They should never have been swept up in the first place.

The police were clearly attempting to suppress the media. They also picked up an AP photographer and a NY Post journalist.

I hope they get their thug @sses sued.

[aikoaiko]

27. I agree that the original arrests sound very wrong, but Amy's is plausibly justified when...

...when she failed to move away from the police when told to and she resisted being escorted (arm grabbed and pushed). That would get anyone arrested.

Is there video of the first arrests of the Democracy Now! journalists?

[EFerrari]

28. There is video but since NIcole was holding the camera

all you see is advancing cops, the camera going down and then her screaming as one cop pushes her into the ground while another one tries to drag her.

Amy had apparently called the PD before arriving and she'd been given instructions by someone because you can hear her calling out a name to a fourth DN! person in the crowd. She mentioned on her show that this happened before in NYC and that the "confusion" had been worked out.

ETA: There is one other thing you can see. Nicole was off to the left side filming what looks like hundreds of cops marching up the street -- she's not in the middle of them. Then, cops start coming from other directions.

[azurnoir]

8. What video did you watch?

the cop tells her to step back and then immediately grabs her and starts pushing her states she is under arrest she did not resist anything because she did not have the chance she was arrested because she questioned the arrest of her producers period no other reason

[aikoaiko]

9. It doesn't take much, but any person would have been arrested for doing what she did.

Does anyone have a less edited video of the arrest?

I'm not sure how you can claim they arrested her for questioning the arrest of her colleagues when they are shouting at her immediately to get back before she can say very much.

[azurnoir]

11. My point exactly

her arrest was a given she did not resist until the officer grabbed her, which was immediately, also at@ 30 seconds there is another officer brandishing a baton licking his lips approaching the who ever was filming with "com'on give me a reason I want to so bad" attitude that is obvious. The cops here are pumped, primed and want to bust some head.

[zanne]

16. Aikoaiko...Should she have brought her gun? nt

[aikoaiko]

18. What a zaney question to ask in this thread.

[zanne]

20. Thank you. nt

[azurnoir]

22. Ummm I'm not Aikoaiko

does she own a gun?

[zanne]

23. I was referring to Aikoaiko's fondness for guns (see gun forum). nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

21. Just Watched The Video. What's Wrong With The Arrest?

I don't know what happened to the others since I didn't see video of that, but upon watching the video of Amy's arrest the arrest was completely justified and the police seemed to have acted quite professionally. Obviously there was a line they are not supposed to physically cross and she crossed it. They gave her repeated warnings to get back on the sidewalk. She refused, so they gently tried escorting her back while she was shouting. She continued to refuse. The officer then calmly stated to others to arrest her for refusal. It all seemed textbook and justified. Why the outrage?

[Junkdrawer]

24. "Textbook and justified"...

:wow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ&feature=related

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

25. Are You A Parrot Or Something? Yes, Textbook And Justified, As Explained.

Can you point out what was worthy of outrage or was inappropriate?

[Junkdrawer]

29. I was just pointing out your response to that video....

And I'll avoid the personal attacks...

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

30. So Are You Gonna Point Out Where It Isn't Or What?

[Junkdrawer]

31. I think others should watch the video and decide for themselves..n/t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ&feature=related

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

32. That's A Cop Out. Does That Mean You're Just Knee Jerking And Over Reacting, And Deciding For

yourself based on nothing more than you KNOWING what the response expected from you is? I mean, how hard is it to explain where the outrageous behavior in the video is? Why are you copping out? Do you have no leg to stand on? Are you simply thinking no further or critically than mere popular opinion and lockstepping? How sad.

[Junkdrawer]

33. Nah...I'm just using your increasing frustration to get people to watch the video...

and decide for themselves if your take is accurate ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ&feature=related

Hey...maybe you'll get people to change their minds.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

34. Frustration? LMAO. Don't Flatter Yourself.

I'd hope everyone would be watching the video regardless.

Fact stands though, that you can't put into words where the outrageous behavior is. You have no rebuttal, and have thought this through no further than simply knee jerk reacting to the popular stance on DU that you know you're supposed to take. But when challenged to actually provide the specifics seen within the video that make the police action so worthy of outrage, you can't even begin to do it. With all due respect, that's pretty pathetic.

[zanne]

35. You do seem to be over reacting. nt

[Bonobo]

36. Your logic is circular.

Goodman is a journalist with clear credentials on her. She was asking to see the commanding officer. She was arrested for "not complying"?

But it was the demand of compliance that was ridiculous in this case. Is the policeman a stupid robot? Can he not differentiate between an anarchist and a national, ward-winning journalist with credentials that prove her to be press.

Do you have no respect for the concept of a free press?

[zanne]

37. What he said. nt