23 June 2011 - The Mad Filkentist (original) (raw)

| | June 23rd, 2011**06:17 am - Reporter arrested for engaging in journalism**There's a short item on Reason's blog reporting that Jim Epstein was arrested for videotaping a public hearing in Washington, DC. The Washington Post article says: "District law requires meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public, with few exceptions. It does not, however, specifically address whether photographs or recordings are permitted." That says, unless there's some other applicable law, that photographs and recordings are legal. Epstein was subsequently released, and neither article mentions charges against him, though another reporter may have been charged with disorderly conduct. This appears to have been purely a matter of intimidation. The WP article says of the other reporter who was arrested: "Tucker was then arrested and taken to a holding cell elsewhere in the building. An officer, he said, offered to let him out without charges if he promised not to take pictures or return to the meeting. He refused to do so." If that's what happened, it was plain and simple extortion.While I don't know any of the Reason people personally, I very frequently see their names on articles, and this brings the changes that have been happening in America frighteningly close to home for me.(2 comments | Leave a comment)**03:42 pm - More on the Epstein arrest**Here's Jim Epstein's account and video of his arrest. The cop can plainly be heard saying, "I can arrest you for not obeying an order," just before arresting him. Not for any crime or violation of the law, but for failing to obey the arbitrary decree of a government official.Current Mood: angry(Leave a comment) | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | LiveJournal.com |