The police force in this highly segregated town have clamped down on protests over one of the latest in a terrifyingly long string of Police shootings of unarmed young black men here in the US. They aren't just trying to silence amateurs with cell phone cameras this time but also media professionals. Here's an account of one of at least two reporters, who along with others had peacefully been using the local wi-fi enabled McDonald's as a base of operations, who were assaulted by Police and arrested without charge or cause.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-ferguson-washington-post-reporter-wesley-lowery-gives-account-of-his-arrest/2014/08/13/0fe25c0e-2359-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html [http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-ferguson-washington-post-reporter-wesley-lowery-gives-account-of-his-arrest/2014/08/13/0fe25c0e-2359-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html]
Here are some highlights from that:
"?My hands are behind my back,? I said. ?I?m not resisting. I?m not resisting.? At which point one officer said: ?You?re resisting. Stop resisting.?
That was when I was most afraid ? more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets.
As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door."
"The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: ?I can?t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!?
Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van.
?I?m going to die!? he screamed. ?I?m going to die! I can?t breathe! I?m going to die!? "
Both the reporters were later released without any charges. Though they were told they were arrested for "trespassing on a McDonalds" and that's how they treat the PRESS.
There are also reports that Police are jamming cell phone signals going out of the town.
Here are some statistics on the town. From Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/10-insane-numbers-ferguson-killing [http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/10-insane-numbers-ferguson-killing]
In a town that's 60% black, only 3 of the 53 police officers are black. 1 city council member and no members of the school board are black. Blacks are disproportionately arrested and searched even though whites are more often found to be carrying illegal substances when they are searched, with a ratio of 1/3 whites to 1/5 blacks. 25% of the town overall is below the poverty line, 28% of blacks are below the poverty line. And now with this shooting of an unarmed young man peaceful protests are being dispersed with tear gas and other brutal methods while the police try to silence both the public and the media. Amazingly even as this story is front page news as far away as Australia, most mainstream news networks have ignored or completely sugarcoated what's going on in the United States.
Here's some of the protestors. Their hands up to show they are unarmed and won't violently resist arrest.
Here's the police mocking the protestors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-ferguson-washington-post-reporter-wesley-lowery-gives-account-of-his-arrest/2014/08/13/0fe25c0e-2359-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html [http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-ferguson-washington-post-reporter-wesley-lowery-gives-account-of-his-arrest/2014/08/13/0fe25c0e-2359-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html]
Here are some highlights from that:
"?My hands are behind my back,? I said. ?I?m not resisting. I?m not resisting.? At which point one officer said: ?You?re resisting. Stop resisting.?
That was when I was most afraid ? more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets.
As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door."
"The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: ?I can?t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!?
Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van.
?I?m going to die!? he screamed. ?I?m going to die! I can?t breathe! I?m going to die!? "
Both the reporters were later released without any charges. Though they were told they were arrested for "trespassing on a McDonalds" and that's how they treat the PRESS.
There are also reports that Police are jamming cell phone signals going out of the town.
Here are some statistics on the town. From Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/10-insane-numbers-ferguson-killing [http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/10-insane-numbers-ferguson-killing]
In a town that's 60% black, only 3 of the 53 police officers are black. 1 city council member and no members of the school board are black. Blacks are disproportionately arrested and searched even though whites are more often found to be carrying illegal substances when they are searched, with a ratio of 1/3 whites to 1/5 blacks. 25% of the town overall is below the poverty line, 28% of blacks are below the poverty line. And now with this shooting of an unarmed young man peaceful protests are being dispersed with tear gas and other brutal methods while the police try to silence both the public and the media. Amazingly even as this story is front page news as far away as Australia, most mainstream news networks have ignored or completely sugarcoated what's going on in the United States.
Here's some of the protestors. Their hands up to show they are unarmed and won't violently resist arrest.
Here's the police mocking the protestors.
