Christmas Convictions for Trespassing Press Members
May 4, 2023 8:07 AM Subscribe
Last month, an Asheville, North Carolina, judge convicted two journalists of trespassing for doing nothing more than recording police conducting a homeless encampment sweep at a public park on Dec. 25, 2021. The journalists, Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit, are entitled under North Carolina law to a second trial, this time with a jury.
“This prosecution is both unconstitutional and pointless. The First Amendment prohibits using trespassing laws as a pretext to retaliate against journalists for doing their jobs. And nobody in Asheville stands to benefit from government resources being wasted to criminalize journalism,” said FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern.
Of course, there is one group that benefits immensely from preventing journalists from filming the police: the police.
Of course, there is one group that benefits immensely from preventing journalists from filming the police: the police.
The prosecution is sort-of a test, or probe, of how far the right can go in marginalizing the press. Given that the judge knew the reporters were entitled to a second trial, it’s not wrong to think conservatives want the jury trial, to test how comfortable the public is with actions such as this. A jury upholding the conviction will not be good.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:22 AM on May 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 9:22 AM on May 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Body camera footage, released after a petition filed by FPF, CPJ and the ACLU of North Carolina, shows officers deciding to arrest the journalists before clearing the camp “because they’re videotaping” and wondering aloud if one journalist would “wise up” after the other’s arrest.
in ATL, some folks filed a FOIA request for emails APD and city govt officials based on activity surrounding their Cop City arrests and there is a literal thread where 1) the APD reaches out to their FBI/DHS contacts, 2) "accuses" all the signees of an open letter against the construction of Cop City of being associated with a Muslim org despite 3) their not being associated with that org at all and instead with a totally different immigration/refugee organization and 4) only one of the signees even being affiliated with that org anyway and 5) I guess implying that the Muslim org in question is associated with terrorism?
it literally is all fucking cops - conspiratorial assholes hellbent on ruining the lives of anybody who opposes their politics
posted by paimapi at 9:23 AM on May 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
in ATL, some folks filed a FOIA request for emails APD and city govt officials based on activity surrounding their Cop City arrests and there is a literal thread where 1) the APD reaches out to their FBI/DHS contacts, 2) "accuses" all the signees of an open letter against the construction of Cop City of being associated with a Muslim org despite 3) their not being associated with that org at all and instead with a totally different immigration/refugee organization and 4) only one of the signees even being affiliated with that org anyway and 5) I guess implying that the Muslim org in question is associated with terrorism?
it literally is all fucking cops - conspiratorial assholes hellbent on ruining the lives of anybody who opposes their politics
posted by paimapi at 9:23 AM on May 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
Now that the courts are fully stacked and compromised to uphold all of the fascism, they want all this shit to land in front of their feet so they can enshrine their fascism through the guise of a so called justice system. America is such a broken place, its hateful and really sad.
posted by Fizz at 9:24 AM on May 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:24 AM on May 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
If I were a citizen of the United States, I would be very, very, very concerned.
The race to fascism is increasing in speed, and they are winning.
As your neighbour, you're scaring the ever-loving FUCK outta me. I feel like I'm living next to Germany in 1935.
posted by Savannah at 9:29 AM on May 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
The race to fascism is increasing in speed, and they are winning.
As your neighbour, you're scaring the ever-loving FUCK outta me. I feel like I'm living next to Germany in 1935.
posted by Savannah at 9:29 AM on May 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
If I were a citizen of the United States, I would be very, very, very concerned.
I'm a dual Canadian-American living in Tennessee. People here are very concerned, but there's still a sense that everything will basically be fine. My comfortable white middle-class friends will bitch on Facebook but for the most part they won't do the tiniest amount of political organizing. The exceptions are all LGBTQ+.
To be fair, my friends who did have what I consider the appropriate level of concern have all moved to blue states and think I'm crazy to still be in TN.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:15 AM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm a dual Canadian-American living in Tennessee. People here are very concerned, but there's still a sense that everything will basically be fine. My comfortable white middle-class friends will bitch on Facebook but for the most part they won't do the tiniest amount of political organizing. The exceptions are all LGBTQ+.
To be fair, my friends who did have what I consider the appropriate level of concern have all moved to blue states and think I'm crazy to still be in TN.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:15 AM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sadly, moving to a blue state is NOT going to solve the problem of fascism. It may extend your life a little bit but unless there's a fundamental change in governance at ALL levels: municipal, state, & federal, we're not going to get away from this fast creep into pure fascism. It's basically already here, there are just layers of distance depending on your spawn point and level of income.
posted by Fizz at 10:18 AM on May 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 10:18 AM on May 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
A big part of how the fascists took power in the 1930s was political paramilitary forces with a huge membership among cops that could wield violence without accountability to a chain of command or elected government. The innovation of the 21st century is that political paramilitary can just be the police itself, rather than its members when they’re off-duty.
posted by Jon_Evil at 2:10 PM on May 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 2:10 PM on May 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
ARGH
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:07 PM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:07 PM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Have I mentioned how much I miss the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers? Fuck, I hate this world.
posted by evilDoug at 10:19 PM on May 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by evilDoug at 10:19 PM on May 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
The innovation of the 21st century is that political paramilitary can just be the police itself, rather than its members when they’re off-duty.
That's not that unique or new an innovation, as peoples from Brazilians to Turks would be sure to tell you. It's the fascist variety of regulatory capture.
posted by jaduncan at 12:21 AM on May 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
That's not that unique or new an innovation, as peoples from Brazilians to Turks would be sure to tell you. It's the fascist variety of regulatory capture.
posted by jaduncan at 12:21 AM on May 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by xedrik at 8:40 AM on May 4, 2023 [26 favorites]