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A daily independent global news hour with Amy Goodman & Juan GonzĂĄlez
***EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS***
Amy Goodwin and the team at Democracy Now covers the insanity that is Frances police response to climate change protesters. Cops are carrying people away at random, civilians, protesters, journalists, and everyone in between.Â
Word of teen produced documentary on local police misconduct goes viral, CopBlock reports.
Share this around, surely both the film maker and CopBlock would appreciate the support.Â
Police misconduct documentary sneak peek 3: Speak Friend And Enter
Police misconduct documentary sneak peek 3: Speak Friend And Enter
The second sneak peek released for upcoming police documentary Speak Friend And Enter by Isiah Holmes. Speak Friend And Enter investigates reports of misconduct committed by Wisconsinsâs Wauwatosa Police Department, a suburb near Milwaukee. The film looks into the departments longstanding reputation for racial discrimination, itâs participation in several large scale teen drug use crackdowns, andâŠ
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When kings came with gold and rifles we bowed: Further evidence unearthed of direct American aid to Islamic State
When kings came with gold and rifles we bowed: Further evidence unearthed of direct American aid to Islamic State
Internationally sponsored warfare against the Islamic State took an unprecedented turn in recent weeks with Russia launching strikes against Syriaâs IS. Fears of US-Russian proxy clashes in the country fueled the near instantaneous backlash from the west . In Iraq, american operations are similarly under pressure as itâs government very reluctantly accepted Russian military aid despite USâŠ
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When kings came with gold and rifles we bowed: Further evidence unearthed of direct American aid to Islamic State
Internationally sponsored warfare against the Islamic State took an unprecedented turn in recent weeks with Russia launching strikes against Syriaâs IS. Fears of US-Russian proxy clashes in the country fueled the near instantaneous backlash from the west . In Iraq, american operations are similarly under pressure as itâs government very reluctantly accepted Russian military aid despite US warnings. Now less bound to its western keepers, the Iraqi government stands to do a great many things, including discuss American aid to IS ever so openly, and without trepidation.
Russian recent Syrian campaign in Assadâs defense seems entirely unimpeded by mounting US concerns. American officials fear Russian strikes will endanger CIA/JSOC rebel training programs which, according to recent coverage, have faulted. US operatives, due to these programâs shortcomings, may defend both rebels and themselves if certain groups are targeted. âItâs immoral to train people and watch them get destroyed and maimed and killedâ, says Sen. John McCain, according to the Wall Street Journal.
With public Russian-Syrian intervention so fresh, the end of the rabbit hole isnât exactly visible. Initially, American and Russian negotiations to avoid proxy confrontation in Syria appeared successful, with the US seemingly backing out of the region. That resolution changed seemingly overnight, as American strikes in Syria have now increased and Russian operations jumping to Iraq. Russiaâs Syrian air raids, per dictator Bashar al-Assadâs request, began on September 30th 2015, according to Todayâs Zaman.
Iraqi officials, the outlet reports, requested strikes shortly after the Kremlin arrived in Syria. Fearing Russian pressure in Syria would further force IS into Iraq, Baghdad hesitantly welcomed the Kremlinâs bombs. US Chief of General Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, Todayâs Zaman reports, told Iraqi officials that accepting Russian strikes would make the continuation of American operations impossible.
Baghdad's difficult policy decisions, interestingly, are much more complex than the well echoed, black and white US vs. Kremlin proxy narrative. It is essential, in any war, to know oneâs adversary nearly as well, if not better, than oneâs own forces. Iraqi defensive lines, intended specifically for US trained security forces, also shelter both numerous militias and an diverse tapestry of US intelligence and spec warfare operatives. Baghdad, commanding but a fraction of this overall force, has, over the last year, learned a great deal about its enemy.
Iraqâs first hand observations of the Islamic Statesâ capabilities, funding, and equipment suggest a well oiled and funded geo-political intimidation mechanism. For instance, it may surprise some to learn of attacks on Russian Army barracks by a self-proclaimed IS affiliate mear weeks ago. In similarly uncirculated reports, IS clashes in Afghanistan against the Taliban, militants obstructing US domination in the region, deeply troubled the Afghan government.
Ask yourself, who else, besides Americaâs stated political and military enemies, has IS mounted large scale organized assaults upon? Yes one could reference the several Americans publicly slaughtered, such as the late James Foley. However, these killings, including the ghastly act of burning a caged Jordanian pilot alive, were made into videos by the group. Though acts of evil, their purpose was simple: scare as many people around the world at once, weâre the new boogeyman. IS holding ground in Iraq and now pushing in Afghanistan ensures these governments remain dependent on American help- hostages of a different kind. If IS werenât so successful in sustaining its presence in Iraq, for instance, the the US would not be able to justify further occupying the country.
The terror group, according to a year old Daily Beast report by writer Josh Rogin, suspiciously enjoys a great deal of Persian Gulf, US allies, funding. âEverybody knows the money is going through Kuwaitâ, says senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Andrew Tabler, âand that itâs coming from the Arab Gulf.â According to the piece, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia- all key US allies- were instrumental early donors to IS. ISIS, Â like these countries, rakes in millions in oil sales, sometimes directly to the Assad regime, Daily Beast reports, as well as war booty captured from Mosulâs ransacked banks.
Kuwaitâs banking system is particularly notorious for being âa major conduit for money to extremist groups in Syria and now Iraqâ, says Tabler, Daily Beast reports. Iraqâs then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki publicly, and repeatedly, outed Saudi Arabia and Qatar as IS donors for several months.
Roginâs piece also cites a December 2013 report conducted by Washington think tank The Brookings Institution, which also receives some Qatari government funding. âTodayâ, the report read, âthere is evidence that Kuwaiti donors have backed rebels who have committed atrocities and who are either directly linked with al-Qaeda or cooperate with its affiliated brigades on the ground.â According to the Daily Beast, the report further reveals the US Treasuryâs  âaware of this activity and has expressed concern about this flow of private financing.â In conclusion, The Brooking Institution calls on the US action, not the âcollective shrugâ of its politicians.
Such apathy, though characteristic of American political enthusiasm, may be for more insidious reasons than many are willing to accept. A still growing mountain of evidence, much leaked late 2014, outs the US government as having directly and consciously provided IS with fighters, money, food, weapons, and training. Just days ago, a piece released by the Centre for Research on Globalization rehashed this particularly noisy elephant in the room.
It relies heavily on the testimony of increasingly frustrated, and desperate, Iraqi sources- from fighters to politicians. Months ago, Iraqâs parliament began serious inquiry into consistent accounts from itâs forces that US planes supplies IS quite blatantly. Some aircraft, CRG reports, were reputedly recognizable American hardware whereas others appeared unmarked or unidentifiable. For a relatively new group technically involved in multiple costly, violent wars, IS has held captured ground in Iraq superbly. Security forces, according to CRG, routinely recover âbrand newâ US rifles and high tech missile systems from âliberatedâ areas, oftentimes inside abandoned IS trenches.
Iraqâs parliament, to date, has not received an explanation for the British plane itâs soldiers shot down, reputedly whist dropping IS-bound food and munitions. The pilot'sâ fate has never been determined, as authorities have yet to publically acknowledge these claims to any extent.
âThere are proofs and evidenceâ, says Iraqi Parliament's National Security and Defense Committee Head Hakem al-Zameli, âfor the US-led coalition's military aid to ISIL terrorists though air (dropped cargos).â Others, such as Iraqi Parliamentâs al-Sadr Bloc member Jome Divan, have outed the coalition as âan excuse for protecting the ISIL and helping the terrorist group with equipment and weapons.â Divan goes onto say, CGR reports, âthe coalition has not targeted ISILâs main positions in Iraqâ. Interestingly, this particular accusation represents a uniform sentiment among the Iraqi government: more warfare continued US military occupation in the country.
An older report from January 2015, one DannyProtest missed, holds a latchkey bombshell which, although echoed across web outlets, was and is nonexistent in mainstream coverage. While focus centralized around a ghost hunt for Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, a more tangible Islamic State leader had already been captured- Yousaf al-Salafi.
Al-Salafi, considered commander of IS in Pakistan, CRG reports, was picked up during a government raid in Lahore, possibly with others. Yousaf, while in custody, reputedly admitted to having accepted American money in return for recruiting young people for the fight in Syria. Before you label this story as unreliable, consider it was echoed and investigated by RT, International Business times, Daily Beast, Breitbart, and many others whose reporting, on any given day, is considered reliable. CRG largely cited a secondary source, Daily Express, which both broke the story and cited sources close to the White House stating US Secretary of State John Kerry and CENCOM chief Gen. Lloyd Austin were aware of al-Salafiâs revelations.
While IS commanders snitched out their employers, US intelligence analysts had already come to their own disturbing conclusions. Former Obama Administration intelligence director Michael Flynn, according to CRG, warned the White House three years ago that they were funding extremists in Syria. Information backing the claims of both Flynn and Iraqi officials was released in leaked DIA reports, detailing the exact nature of IS-US cooperation.
Currently, according to the Centre for Research on Globalization, 50 intelligence analysts are outraged over alterations made to their IS reports. Analysts have accused unnamed senior officials as having doctored the reports, possibly some within CENCOM. These inaccurate, borderline fabricated DIA reports, which supported the public narrative that IS is losing, would then be presented before President Obama.
May no time be wasted on asking why all this hasnât been covered by the mainstream, most understand why. Thus, this final paragraph will not be allocated to further condemn an already broken, corrupted information funnel. Instead, this conclusion constitutes a call to action, an invocation of bloggers, videographers, unpaid reporters, hobby writers, techies and any other demographics unlisted herein. Many of us similarly frown at the deplorable state of journalism in this country, tolerating propaganda factories as they are. This is the primary reason why all capable hands should reach, not for tools of war, but tools which facilitate the sharing of ideas. Stories such as the leaked DIA reports or al-Salafiâs confession will likely never see mainstream airtime. In some cases, alternative outlets shy away from such leads as if theyâre tainted fruit. If we: an independent, decentralized, yet similarly motivated, cooperative mass united in the effort to spread any and all uncirculated information available, imagine what could be accomplished. The best part: no one will have to seek asylum in Russia for it, for itâs entirely legal and just.
Police misconduct documentary sneak peek 2: Speak Friend And Enter
Police misconduct documentary sneak peek 2: Speak Friend And Enter
The second sneak peek released for upcoming police documentary Speak Friend And Enter by Isiah Holmes. Speak Friend And Enter investigates reports of misconduct committed by Wisconsinsâs Wauwatosa Police Department, a suburb near Milwaukee. The film looks into the departments longstanding reputation for racial discrimination, itâs participation in several large scale teen drug use crackdowns, andâŠ
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**READ** ` The third and finial sneak peek, coming just before the feature Speak Friend and Enter re-edit trailer. `Speak Friend And Enter investigates repor...
Check out this sneak peek to an upcoming documentary re-edit by Isiah Holmes focused on the Wauwatosa Police Department. The film offers viewers a original, youth driven story possessing deep implications for policing throughout the country. Please like and share around, the full film is soon to come.Â
**READ** ` The second of three sneak peeks and a trailer which will proceed the releasing of the re-edited police documentary Speak Friend And Enter. `Speak ...
The second sneak peek to a upcoming documentary by a young Wisconsin film maker. Check it out, get it around, the audiences support is everything.
Please feel free to comment and discuss as well.
Vine Animal Abuse
https://vine.co/u/1264765208740995072
Reptile side of tumblr! I need your help. This vine account has some of the worst abuse of a bearded dragon Iâve ever seen. Posted by some obnoxious kid. Unfortunately the account doesnât state a name, e-mail or location or any details which would help identify this person and report them.
But all people with Vine accounts could at least leave comments pointing out just how wrong and horrible these videos are, and can also report the videos. If you have a vine account please help! Comment and report!
Fuck that.Â
Calling all freelance techies, open request- find out who this guy is and take down his account for him.
Anonymous maybe?
Reblog with your answer. Kurt for me.
The firefight no one is sure actually happened: Unconfirmed reports indicate Russian troops were engaged by ISIS-related jihadists in the region of Caucasus.
**Note**: Due to the controversial nature of some blog topics covered on DannyProtest, the main author has been forced to implement a very strict personal sourcing policy. A perspective headline which may be made into a blog must, for instance, have at least three credible sources which can be cited within the articles body. This blog, however, is in direct violation of the DP sourcing policy, as only one outlet controls most of the available information. Due to the perceived geopolitical importance of this particular headline, this blog is hereby exempt from DPâs sourcing policy.
Talk of the self-proclaimed Islamic Stateâs growing influence in the far east has largely existed as an obnoxious elephant in the room. If the infamous terror cult were to threaten, say, Afghanistan, as it has, the entire region, particularly near China and Russia, could destabilize. So far, reports of IS in the east are isolated, and the few Taliban-ISIS skirmishes which have occurred ended in the native mujaheddin forceâs favor. Recent reports of armed IS affiliates attacking Russian Army Barracks in the Caucasus region, however, represent a problematic and disturbing nuance.
Business Insider seems to be the only source pushing fresh information, as of September 2nd, on this recent reputed attack. According to the outlet, the Islamic Stateâs Caucus regional âprovinceâ has claimed the first attack of its year long presence in the area. Shortly after the attack the militants released an online statement claiming the assault, which was later translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.
SITE, according to its website, analyzes, tracks, and studies international terrorist organizations, including IS and Boko Haram. The organizationâs executive director, Iraq-born Rita Katz, according to her description on the page, has worked as a consultant for many governments, including the US. Sheâs aided in US investigations, having testified before congress regarding international jihadist terrorism in both the digital and material realms.
âThe soldiers of the caliphateâ, read SITEâs translation, Business Insider reports, âwere able to mount an attack on barracks of the Russian Army in southern Dagestan, in Magharamakint Village.â According to SITE, the militants claimed to have killed and wounded âa numberâ of Russian forces before looting their supplies. âThe soldiers of the caliphate returned to their positions safely and with spoils, and unto Allah is all praise and gratitudeâ, the translation concludes. As of yet the number of Russian casualties were sustained, and whether or not the attack ever occurred, remains unknown.
The Caucasus regionâs native jihadist force, al-Qaeda linked Islamic Caucasus Emirate, has seen its forces defect to IS much like groups elsewhere around the globe. The fightersâ pledge of allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was accepted by an Islamic State spokesman online, though how ratified the allegiance is has yet to be determined. This most recent allegiance, Business Insider points out, continues the worldwide trend of previously isolated jihadist outfits treating IS as an almost umbrella terrorist organization.
Although al-Baghdadiâs reputed new puppet militia in the Caucasus region is still in infancy, Islamic Caucasus Emirate (ICE) and Russian forces have been trading rounds for some time. According to Business Insider, Russian forces have conducted several kill/capture raids against ICE leadership, killing several including an emir. At one point, BI reports, new ICE leaders were assassinated by Russian raids mere weeks after taking power. Russian military elements, including advisers, have also been sent to Syria in response to the increasingly muddied, apocalyptic âcivilâ war there.
Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, when asked whether IS could gain power in his country, gave a very clear, concise answer. He said that if the only way the death cult could gain a foothold in Afghanistan is if it were rather insidiously supported by some foreign power. Although it is not clear whether IS leadership actually approved the reputed attack on Russian forces, the reports themselves are still new. Essentially no one, besides the fighters who were there, truly know what happened that day in the Caucasus region. Assuming they are true, however, this would mean IS is following another predictable trend: the proxy war agenda of the US. Syria and Ukraine are currently the most reported on proxy wars between NATO, Russia, Iran, and China. More inquiry into the exact relationship between this Caucasus jihadist offshoot and IS in Iraq and Syria, as well as who ordered the attack and why, is much needed in the coming days. If more detailed reports donât come out before the skirmishes there break out into yet another proxy way, then the writer personally fears for our speciesâ geo-political future.
i want you to remember that these people are just looking for freedom, somewhere to rest their head and be able to worship, live, and love in freedom.Â
appreciate what you have, appreciate the freedom your country allows you to have. if youre reading this and would like to do more research, please go to reliable news sources and do not check the hashtags on tumblr.
sources are important
âFirst we taught them how to be silentâ: Pentagon and Special Forces response to book written by former SEAL operator reveals policy of intimidation, active forces receive top-down gag order
For decades Americaâs clandestine community has largely operated within a profoundly impenetrable den of secrets. Itâs very culture is based on a rigid system of plausible deniability and compartmentalization, making many operations categorically unknowable to the public. Since the Osama Bin Laden raid in 2011, however, the community, particularly US special forces, has felt more pressure as a result of new levels of transparency. Now, two recently published books; one written by a former SEAL Team 6 operator, without the government's approval, have provoked both SOCOMM and the Pentagon to remind subordinates to keep quiet or face ominously vague consequences.
Since claiming credit for the reputed assassination of Bin Laden, special forces have become saturated in all forms of media from books to cinematic productions. Although this media demand creates a prime opportunity to spread pro-government propaganda, material to the contrary is seemingly just as common. In 2012, the bestseller No Easy Day, written by former SEAL Matt Bissonnette, hit American bookstores detailing his personal account of Operation: Neptune Spear. Bissonnette, the Guardian reports, was part of the 23 man ground force sent to capture or kill Bin Laden. Normally, operator names attached to covert action remain classified. Bissonnette and SEAL colleague Rob OâNeil are exceptions.
OâNeil, according to the Guardian, has seen deployed on 400 combat missions as a SEAL, and has been decorated 50 times. The clandestine veteranâs name went viral when sofrep.com, a popular special forces website, âunmaskedâ OâNeil as THE man who killed Osama. O'Neill's account is very similar to the governments, the difference being the latter has yet to name the SEAL who âneutralizedâ the âtargetâ.
According to his account, OâNeil was the first assassin inside the room where Bin Laden was found hiding behind a woman, later presumed to be a wife. OâNeil reportingly fired a single shot through Osamaâs forehead, âI watched him take his last breathsâ, he recalls.
This version of events was played and replayed on cable access television in the months following the raid, without identifying OâNeil of course. Eventually, however, certain people started asking certain questions, and the government's story increasingly became suspect. Former operators, like Matt Bissonnette, started writing books detailing their experiences, as permitted under their first amendment rights. Thereâs only one problem, Bissonnetteâs story contradicts OâNeilâs, further calling the commonly recited narrative into question.
Bissonnette, according to the Guardian, wrote in his book that another SEAL, not OâNeil, was on point and killed Osama. If Bissonnette is to be believed, he and OâNeil shot several rounds into Bin Ladenâs body, or âdead checkedâ him. âTwo different people telling two different stories for two different reasonsâ, Bissonnette said to NBC News. âWhatever he saysâ, Matt remarks, the Guardian reports, âhe says. I donât want to touch that.â Despite the growing list of questions concerning Operation: Neptune Spear, the US Department of Defence declined to verify which story is accurate. Seeing as how no autopsy was ever conducted on Bin Laden's body, and other SEALS back both OâNeil and Bissonette, the truth remains elusive. âThe specifics relating to operations and personnel is classifiedâ, bluntly explains Naval Commander Amy Derrick-Frost.
âAs private citizensâ, she continues, the Guardian reports, âformer members can speak to the media under their first amendment rights.â Frost goes on to cite the ânon-disclosure agreements they [operator's] signed on joining and any breach of that places our national security at risk.â Apparently, although former members are entitled to first amendment rights, and thus may disclose information to the media, they must do it at their own paral.
Matt Bissonette was placed under investigation following No Easy Dayâs publication, the Guardian reports, over certain details it contained. When asked what type of punishment former members, specifically Bissonette, may face Frost replied, âwe do not speculate on what actions might or might not be taken.â
Former commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOMM) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Admiral William Mcraven was more specific in regard to punishing leakers. According to USA Today, the controversial admiral issued a letter to his troops which was later obtained by journalists. The letter essentially warned former and current members that they could face prosecution for leaking classified information.
âAs former members of our special forces community, authors have a moral obligation, and a legal duty, to submit their works for pre-publication security reviewâ, read part of the letter, USA Today reports. Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon affiliated colleague of Mcraven, also denounced the book saying it âdid not have our support.â On the issue of what punishments talkers may face Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Steve Warren stated, âwe will review it and will take actions as appropriate.â
âObviously, itâs not up to any individual who is entrusted with national security secrets to disclose themâ, says Defence Secretary Ash Carter. âEspecially when it would affect the ability to protect our peopleâ, he continues, Defence One reports, âand our country, our compromised secrets.â Carter, however, isnât talking about Matt Bissonnette's book, heâs talking about another book written by defence journalist Sean Naylor.
The book, âRelentless strike: The secret history of the Joint Special Operations Commandâ, provides information via a network of sources from within the clandestine community. â I obviously trusted my sources not to give the information for publication as experts with a stake in the matter that I knew would be dangerousâ, says Naylor, Defence One reports. Sean goes onto explain that information which he believed couldâve put âspecific individualsâ at risk was withheld from publication under his independent discretion. Naylorâs book, Defence One reports, also contained previously classified intel on not only Operation: Neptuneâs Spear but other JSOC operations from Panama to Iraq and Tora Bora.
It is the responsibility of journalists, upon obtaining sensitive information from sources, to handle said information responsibly. Before publishing anything, may it be a article or video, the responsible journalist must conduct a kind of risk evaluation of his or her work. For instance, whatâs the works potential for societal impact? Who may object to the work and what external measures may be taken to either suppress or condemn it? The Intercept, a online media outlet with which renowned investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is intimately involved, utilizes highly sensitive government information in its works routinely. A responsibility to protect their sources and anticipate the worksâ ripple effect and blowback potential has pushed even these reporters, whoâve called for greater government transparency, to withhold information which poses very particular, very wide reaching risks.
Stating this does little to negate from the federal governmentâs worries, in fact their system of pre-publication review is understandable. Is it necessary or appropriate, however, to issue cryptic threats to oneâs subordinates on the grounds that they may reveal something compromising to a vaster agenda? Often times these individuals do keep their oath of secrecy, sometimes taking what they know with them to the grave. Other times former clandestine operators choose to distribute clues on their deathbeds, knowing itâs difficult to retaliate against a corpse.
The ones whoâre still young, however, with 60 years or so of life ahead of them, sometimes speak to reveal fatal failures in our system. Had Chelsea Manning never leaked the vast scale of unconstitutional NSA surveillance Americans wouldâve continued to live in the dark. In Jeremy Scahillâs documentary Dirty Wars a anonymous JSOC source, who actually found Jeremy first, disclosed information pointing to activities of âquestionable legality.â
We often preach for the rights of people outside the blacked out international system, but what about the people directly involved? The climate for whistleblowers in this country is already extremely tense, but some of these people are simply recounting their version of events simply relating to a concurrently classified situation. What rights do they have? Certainly they have a responsibility, but there are other systems, independent of the federal government, which filter out especially risky information. In a world where information is obtainable at the touch of a button, or screen, is it possible for the government to fully police and thus seal leaks? And finally, when it does seek to control the info flow how far is too far?
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Check it out! The second sneak peak to the upcoming, fully re-edited police misconduct documentary Speak Friend And Enter produced by: Isiah Holmes. Make sure to subscribe to the young film makers YouTube channel, stay tuned for further trailers and the full film!
Shooting the messenger..again: Huffington and Washington Post reporters charged by St. Louis County for covering Ferguson
Ferguson's police department is pressing charges against two journalists essentially for doing their jobs. The duo were part of a press pool covering the riots which followed the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by an officer. With the journalism community now condemning the government for daring to criminalizing their profession, Americaâs civil liberties conversation sprouts yet another nuance.
As protesters marched, thieves looted, and police policed, a growing press contingent flooded the predominantly black St. Louis suburb. Every press outlet imaginable from Fox and CNN to bloggers, kids with cameras, and professional columnists amassed to document the upheaval. Some arrived the day Michael Brown was gunned down by former officer Darren Wilson, others were drawn in by the riots. The cat also dragged in Ryan J. Reilly and Wesley Lowery of the Huffington and Washington Postâs, doing computer work when officers approached them on the 13th of August, 2014. Brown died just four days prior in the now chaos stricken city, the press were using a Mcdonalds as a kind of staging area.
According to the Huffington Post, police requested I.D before ordering journalists to vacate, they were compliant. Officers, Huff Post reports, felt reporters werenât leaving quickly enough and thus began forcibly removing them from the restaurant. Lowery, Boston Globe reports, claiming police werenât clear on where to exit, was grabbed while gathering his bags. During the struggle Reilly, by his own account, had his head shoved into glass by an officer and Lowery reported being pushed into a soda machine. Though most simply relocated Lowery and Reilly were detained and taken into custody, no charges were filed and the two were swiftly released.
According to the Huffington Post, Wesley Lowery has actually received formal notification of the charges while Ryan Reilly is expecting. Lowery, Huff Post reports, received trespassing charges and could face a $1000 fine, a year incarceration, or both. Both of the outlets the reporters worked for, Huffington and Washington Posts, have begun a defensive mobilization to support their journalists.
âThe Huffington Postâ, says its bureau chief Ryan Grim, âcondemns the charges filed by St. Louis County against our justice reporter Ryan Reilly, while covering the protests in Ferguson last year.â According to Grim Reilly has âthe full supportâ of the Huffington Post in combatting any charges. âA crime was committed at the Mcdonald'sâ, Grim continues, ânot by journalists, but by local police who assaulted both Ryan and Wes Lowery.â Grim concluded by alluding to the reality that if St. Louis County has the audacity to press these kinds of charges when the whole country is watching, just imagine what happens before Ferguson became worthy of corporate Americaâs headline attention.
Lowery, Boston Globe reports, will appear in a St. Louis County municipal court on August 24th, 2015. Martin Baron, former Editor of the Boston Globe, accused prosecutors of having âno regard for the role of journalists seeking to cover a major story.â During initial inquiry into the story Boston Globe; by its own account, was referred to the St. Louis County councilors office; then to County Executive Spokesperson Cordell Whitlock only to find out he couldnât discuss a pending legal matter. Whitlock did, however, admit he didnât know why the charges took a year to file.
âI maintained from the first day that our detention was illegal and unnecessaryâ, says Lowery, Boston Globe reports. Truth be told heâs right, what officers did wasnât simply obstruction, it flies in the face of the constitution theyâre sworn to protect. Journalism has a unique place in American society simply by virtue that itâs one of the only professions specifically mentioned in the constitution. Freedom of the press is protected alongside free speech, assembly, etc, to violate it would be unamerican by principal.
Due to this storyâs intimate connection to the constitution, some have condemned the prosecution as working against the public interest. âUS officials have no business hauling reporters into court for doing their jobs, especially on a world story like Fergusonâ, proclaims Deputy Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists Robert Mahoney, Columbia Journalism Review reports. Others have been quick to criticize the prosecution for even considering this case, citing a responsibility to uphold the constitution. In the event that the charges are upheld by a judge, Wes and Ryan may consider the entirely legal avenue of suing the government for violating their constitutional rights, CJR reports.
Ideally the charges will not go through and the authorities in question will wake up and fully understand the implications of their actions. We live in a time where the public, whether theyâre liberal or conservative, are either suspicious of the government or simply donât trust it. Just think about how armed right-wing militia groups, whoâd jump at any sign of the constitution  being violated, would react if the reporters were charged. Americans, especially those involved in media; whether youâre a tech kid, hacker, or budding reporter, need to come together and push back against this inexcusable act. If we continue to turn a blind eye and be complacent weâll one day wake up to a world where the idea of constitutional rights has become a overlooked formality.
