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

For those of you who always wanted to travel in a time machine, try taking a train down to Ferguson, Missouri.

a reply to: mrsdudara

I respect alternative opinions on current issues, but judging by your posts up to and including this one i'm responding to, i can't help but get the feeling you don't have much of a handle on the 1st amendment or the basic premise of freedom in your own country.

You seem more concerned with giving the police an 'out' when they deserve none (in this case at least), than you do about standing up for basic and fundamental American freedoms, long cherished by your country-folk...which is peculiar to say the least IMO.

The police are only authorised to enforce the law...THE law..not any damned corrupted version of it they choose to fit their actions.

Assaulting Journalists, and indeed anyone at all without justifiable cause, is not an entitlement for the police...it's not a separate right given to them by virtue of their job as a Police officer..they have no such right to break the law and hold the constitution in such contempt and disregard...none.

You're seemingly very keen to defend the indefensible actions of the police over and above defending the most important thing...the rights and freedoms of the people and their reasonable expectations to lawful and constitutional treatment and consideration from those police supposedly working for the people having sworn oaths to uphold and defend the rights and freedoms of the people...which clearly isn't happening in this case.

I would have expected to see more defence of that, most important aspect of what's going on, not looking for reasons to make the police look good for trampling journalists rights.

You say 'what if the journalists went and wrote something bad about the situation' (paraphrasing) in one of your posts...well, that is THE freedom of the press! That is what free speech and a free press is all about.

The police, state, government don't have to like or approve of whatever the press choose write or how they write it, they just have to uphold the rights of the people and the press to write it...not trample over those rights.

originally posted by: Indigo5
a reply to: kosmicjack

The embedded program in the Middle east was specifically designed to control the press by the Bush admin...keep your friends close and enemies closer etc. I won't scrounge for the links, but that all came out in planning docs for the "embedded program" it was a way to control where the reporters went and mute objective reporting.

As for Ferguson...this reminds me of the South during civil rights. When local police spun so far off the rails that the Feds had to get involved. We might be heading in the same direction to a lesser, more contemporary degree.

The Cops in Ferguson seem to be living like it is 50 years ago.

Mark my words...by the time this is over the Sheriff will resign and an investigation from the DOJ/FBI will ensue.

Whatever your politics, there is no debating the man in the Whitehouse is following this closely and thinking about intervention options. The Civil Rights plus Race issue?...Let's see what the next week brings.

Just have to engage in some self congratulating here..

I posted this yesterday afternoon and last night's breaking news was that the State Troopers took over security and the DOJ was supervising

originally posted by: Indigo5

originally posted by: Indigo5
a reply to: kosmicjack

The embedded program in the Middle east was specifically designed to control the press by the Bush admin...keep your friends close and enemies closer etc. I won't scrounge for the links, but that all came out in planning docs for the "embedded program" it was a way to control where the reporters went and mute objective reporting.

As for Ferguson...this reminds me of the South during civil rights. When local police spun so far off the rails that the Feds had to get involved. We might be heading in the same direction to a lesser, more contemporary degree.

The Cops in Ferguson seem to be living like it is 50 years ago.

Mark my words...by the time this is over the Sheriff will resign and an investigation from the DOJ/FBI will ensue.

Whatever your politics, there is no debating the man in the Whitehouse is following this closely and thinking about intervention options. The Civil Rights plus Race issue?...Let's see what the next week brings.

Just have to engage in some self congratulating here..

I posted this yesterday afternoon and last night's breaking news was that the State Troopers took over security and the DOJ was supervising

Hee hee, you called it though the sheriff hasn't resigned yet. YET. Pretty sure that he's going to be going out the door from all of this as well. Nice job on the call.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

Thanks. Ferguson is a big reminder that while we like to picture the USA as evolved, there are still pockets in this country where the police see themselves as the "walking law" that can do as they please. All the public needs to do is look away or for our Federal reps to become ever-so-slightly less concerned with law enforcement overreach in these scenarios and we slide back 50 years. For effs sake...one of these goons slammed a Huff-Post reporter into a wall in the middle of McDonalds...arrested a couple reporters and a Black State rep got tear-gassed while standing on a corner. No way the Sherriff keeps his job.

a reply to: Indigo5

He shouldn't and obviously, considering what occurred in the days following, there are decided issues between the police and a significant portion of the population. That needs to be remedied to a point where the community has more trust in the police and vice versa. With the current police chief whose decisions have not been very good at all, him being shoved out the door should be mandatory. Only way to start fixing what's wrong in Ferguson.

a reply to: NavyDoc

So you are there, protecting monetary assets, but ignoring the destruction of constitutional rights to protest. Yep, you act and sound like an American soldier. Thank you oh so much for your service

Here's the thing:

These two were reporters for national publications.

If you're some neighborhood schmuck, some working Joe and the cops do this..what recourse do you have?

None. Zero. Nada.

And they do this on a regular basis. I have seen it with my own eyes.

a reply to: elitelogic

This sadly true. The only way this will stop is to demand the entire training get audited and revised.

I see a lot of people on this website and on various threads regarding the events in Ferguson, stating that if it happened in their town they would do this or that. What does it matter which town it happens? This is happening right now in your country, peoples rights are being trampled on and press freedom is restricted and manipulated.
America was once a great country with opportunities and freedom to live your life as you please, it has now become a repressive land akin to Russia in the eighties or before. All the talk and bravado of many Americans has now been silenced by brutality, where are the brave men who know what freedom means? It is not selective, freedom is meant for everyone in America regardless of skin colour, religion or where you live. The silence of the people and media is deafining, it reflects badly on its entire population and its credibility around the world. I hear the words WAKE UP many times on this forum, it is now time to show you all as Americans are indeed awake and active.

Reporters that are actually in the fray and trying to honestly report injustices and brutality are one thing and I respect their tenacity in trying to do so. Folks here that are complaining against the reporters at Ferguson are not feeling the same as they do toward those fat a**ed, overly paid TV reporters that lie like a rug, read scripts and mostly report "fluff" while the world goes to hell in a hand basket. Who cares what monkey nurtured a dog or what the Kardashians or that creature Miley Cyrus is doing. Ever switch channels with your remote to all the major news stations. You can pretty much hear them all saying the same thing at the same time...from their scripted reporting. I'd rather have "real" reporters at the action and trying to film and record what is going on in a case such as is in Ferguson...not some phonie faced, over madeup bimbo yapping at me or some fat cat all dolled up in his $1,000 dollar suit telling me how to think, how to feel, and what to do...how to react.

I'd rather get my reporting from someone who may even be putting his life on the line to bring out the truth. There are still some good reporters out there who want to tell it like it is and the Constitution says they should be able to do so. When our own country starts being like a war zone and reporters have to start wearing flack jackets here too...we are all in big trouble. I don't see those snootie, high tone reporters from the nightly news out in the field much anymore...might muss their hair and their expensive manicures and duds. They worry more about what celebrity is sleeping with who instead of covering the issues that really matter. The dolts.

a reply to: mrsdudara

Understanding why someone wants to protect themselves from exposure of their illegal actions is OK?? Especially while in uniform, on the job and out in the public? While acting like moral morons?

You understand?

Perhaps you are a Buddha.

My understanding is that a criminal organization is flouting and flexing their muscles.

a reply to: largo

What illegal actions??? Good grief you are seriously exaggerating the events I was discussing.

Who exactly are you calling a "criminal organization"? The police department? Highway patrol? National Guard? Government? Judging by your comments I am assuming you mean the law enforcement are the criminals and not the people destroying businesses and throwing Molotov cocktails.

The entire story started out with a kid/young man who got into an altercation with a police officer and got shot. Then it morphed into one story after another until we got a story about how a white police officer shoots unarmed innocent college bound teen because he was black.

There is a difference between journalism where a person records events and shares them with the world, and people who create wild stories in order to make money and get people all riled up.

When there is an overwhelming amount of the latter, and people come from all over to destroy a town and riot because of it, I can understand why they would want to stop it for a while.

Now where are we?? They do not know for sure what happened but they are trying to figure it out. Meanwhile, the cops were forced into reveling the name of the officer by the group Anonymous who had threatened to give his address too (not sure if they ended up doing that) God, help his wife and kids. What if they find out this kid was charging the officer (which there are eye witness accounts of) and he was just protecting himself? Ya it could be the other way he could be a nasty cop who shot a kid who had his hands up doing nothing. We don't know yet. But people from all over have come up with their own stories and spread them about. Taking this picture our that and adding whatever words to it they want. For crying out loud, they have called in the National Guard because it has gotten so bad and they cancelled school because it is not safe for kids to be outside. All because people telling stories got carried away.

originally posted by: MysterX
a reply to: mrsdudara

I respect alternative opinions on current issues, but judging by your posts up to and including this one i'm responding to, i can't help but get the feeling you don't have much of a handle on the 1st amendment or the basic premise of freedom in your own country.

You seem more concerned with giving the police an 'out' when they deserve none (in this case at least), than you do about standing up for basic and fundamental American freedoms, long cherished by your country-folk...which is peculiar to say the least IMO.

I understand the 1st amendment quite well thank you. I also understand how many times it has been tested and the limits it has reached. Here is a quote from a highly regarded gentleman about how to decide the limits...

“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr..

What about the 5th amendment? Do you not have much of a "handle" on it? The government didn't even have to throw that out the window, all the citizens tossed it out for them.

To hell with due process is what you are saying? Sure sounds like it to me.

I stand up for ALL our freedoms not just one or two.

Unfortunately what is happening in Ferguson doesn't look like it is going to end anytime soon. My concern is that if this continues and grows like it has the potential to, you can bet our "freedoms" will be adjusted even further.