Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Scary. Why were these 200 protesters arrested? Michiel Fokkema Kyle Cassidy wrote: > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >