Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]After my own scary experience of being detained by police for completely inexplicable reasons, I wasn't surprised to see this. It only includes incidents reported to the hotline (which I had no knowledge of) there was an article in slate by an editor who was detained, and humorist Dave Barry of Fla. was also detained. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content _id=1000625171 Reporters' Legal Hotline Drew Nine Calls During GOP Convention By Joe Strupp Published: September 07, 2004 11:00 AM EDT A special legal support hotline for reporters covering the Republican National Convention, set up by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, received at least nine calls for help from journalists who were arrested or detained at the event, the RCFP said Tuesday. Although that may be considered low, since nearly 2,000 protesters were arrested during the week, RCFP leaders contend it is significant, since a similar hotline set up for the Democratic National Convention in Boston prompted no calls. Reporters Committee leaders also received a number of complaints from journalists about being hassled over credentials, especially if they lacked New York City press passes. "Despite assurances from New York City police that arrests of journalists would be minimized, numerous credentialed and uncredentialed journalists were detained during the Republican National Convention," the Reporters Committee said in a statement. "Some for extended periods of time." The hotline provided free legal assistance to journalists covering the convention, as it had at every national political convention since 1976, RCFP officials said. The hotline was staffed and co-sponsored by attorneys from the law firm of Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, who coordinated with volunteer attorneys from other firms. According to hotline attorney Halimah DeLaine, the hotline received at least nine calls between Friday, Aug. 27, when protesters began to arrive, and the end of the convention on Thursday, Sept. 2. In contrast, hotlines established at the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the 1992 Democratic convention in New York, the last time a presidential convention was held in the city, received no reports of journalists being detained. "Confusion, both by journalists and police, also arose over what credentials would be accepted," RCFP said in the statement. "Journalists with NYPD credentials were generally released immediately, while journalists with Republican National Convention or other credentials were not." RCFP officials added that some reporters with convention credentials only were turned over to the Secret Service for verification. The Secret Service then took the credentials, the group added, saying the journalists could get new ones the next day, and returned the journalists to the NYPD without any credentials to prove that they were journalists. Among those who sought assistance via the hotline, according to RCFP, were; * Newsday photographer Moises Saman, who was detained Aug. 29 while covering protesters. Stephanie Abrutyn, a Newsday attorney who had attended hotline training, contacted police and Saman was released when he arrived at Pier 57, a temporary processing center dubbed "Guantanamo on the Hudson" by protesters. He was held for about two hours. * A cameraman from WOWD TV News in Athens, Ohio, who was detained at the same time as Saman, but was released without being sent to Pier 57. The hotline was notified shortly before he was detained and contacted police, who said they already knew about him and would release him. * Associated Press photo runner Jeannette Warner, who was detained Aug. 31 when police closed an entire block of about 100 protesters. The AP photographer with Warner was also detained but was released upon displaying official NYPD credentials. Attorneys were able to secure Warner's release and have the arrest voided, but only after obtaining a letter from AP's New York bureau chief confirming Warner's status. Warner was held for about 12 hours. * Another AP photo runner, Tim Kulick, who was detained at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 31. Because he was a temporary employee, efforts to gain his release on Wednesday were unsuccessful. Hotline attorney Alia Smith secured his release at 6 a.m. on Sept. 2 after coming to an agreement that charges would be dismissed after six months if Kulick has no further legal trouble. * Annie Tritt, a photographer for the San Francisco Bay View , was stopped Aug. 31 but released after telling police she was awaiting credentials from the NYPD. * Daniel Jones, a journalist with WRDR radio in New York with both convention and NYPD credentials was stopped and searched Aug. 31. He was detained by police and the Secret Service when he was found to have protest schedules he had obtained from demonstrators that contained violent ant-Bush statements. His credentials were taken and he was released after about three and a half hours. * Jennifer Whitney, a reporter with Internet news service Narco News Bulletin , was detained Aug. 31 while covering. According to her attorney, Ronald Kuby, she did not have convention press credentials and was sent for processing at Pier 57 along with protesters. She was held until at least the evening of Sept. 1. * Nick Gehring and Beth Rankin, uncredentialed reporters from the Kent State University Daily Kent Stater, were both detained Aug. 31. Gehring was charged with disorderly conduct and released after about 22 hours. Hotline attorney Jeff Drichta was able to get Rankin released at 3 a.m. on Sept. 2. * Credentialed freelance photojournalist Geoffrey O'Connor was leaving his office for the convention Tuesday evening when he spotted a protest and started to film. He did not have his credentials with him and was detained. He was released when his credentials were delivered and resumed filming. The police officer who originally detained him again threatened to arrest him and said he would have his company's credentials reviewed and revoked. * Kelley Benjamin, a reporter with a Tampa, Fla. weekly, was arrested Aug. 31 and held until 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. Hotline attorneys were was unable to get police to release her because of a lawsuit filed by the National Lawyers Guild on behalf of all people held longer than 24 hours. Miller was in court with NLG lawyers on Thursday when the city was fined $1,000 for each person held longer than 24 hours and ordered to release them. Benjamin was ticketed and released. * Democracy Now reporter Daniel Cashin, who was detained on Sept. 1. Attorneys secured his release later that evening and his arrest was voided. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) senior editor