Yesterday we reported that members of the Glass Bead Collective, a group of video artists and documentarians, were detained and interrogated in Minneapolis. Their video equipment, cell phones, hard drive, notes, and even clothes were seized. The police are now trying to secure a search warrant in order to examine the video and still cameras, what Bruce Nestor of the National Lawyers Guild calls, "absolutely outrageous behavior for a police department towards individuals who are engaged in protected first amendment activity and who have a documented record of exposing police misconduct." In addition to the cameras, notebooks containing the names of activists and information about upcoming protests were also confiscated.
In a press conference, Vlad Teichberg of the Glass Bead Collective and Bruce Nestor of the National Lawyers Guild explain what happened and how the Minneapolis Police Department is cracking down before the Republican National Convention even begins.
Is this being covered in the Minnesota papers? Star Trib or Pioneer press? City pages?
By GRITtv on August 27th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
sure is – and in NYC papers too
STAR_TRIB: Visiting journalists say police acted improperly
Independent: Pre-RNC homeland insecurity: Police abuses of power ramping up as convention nears
Pioneer Press: 3 N.Y. videographers in town for RNC claim police harassment in Minneapolis
By LisaG on August 27th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Here’s what the Fox News local reports (zoinks)
Minnesota Public Radio was one of the first on the story.
Go MPR!
By LisaG on August 27th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Here’s the latest:
This is true: Ever since 9/11, railroads have really cracked down on allowing the public to access their property. This is partly out of genuine security worries, but also to cut down on railfanning. (To be fair, many railfans are in the habit of swiping things like signage and the like.)
By Phoenix Woman on August 28th, 2008 at 3:14 pm