Hawaiin Police Injure Journalist Trying To Cover Obama's Visit

[mudwhistle]

December 30, a local TV investigative journalist was injured when a uniformed policeman grabbed a camera out of her hand which he then smashed on the roof of her car.

It was like a scene out of the Godfather.

The story

HONOLULU -- A public access television crew complained of police mistreatment Thursday, after trying to get a picture of President Barrack Obama.

Just after dawn Wednesday, the three-woman crew for a Big Island public access program called "We Are Change Hawaii" drove up to the barricade near the president's vacation home in Kailua.

The crew was video-taping vehicle searches along the potential motorcade route as they left the neighborhood. They noticed a van behind them.

At this point Sherri Kane, who describes herself as an investigative journalist, looked into the camera and said, “Behind us we have the Secret Service following us now so this is kind of exciting.”

Exciting turned to scary after they pulled into a gas station. On their video, a police officer approached the car and said, “Stay in the car. Put that camera off of me.”

Producer Sativa Jones can be heard saying “OK.”

The women said police vehicles and up to five officers surrounded the car, demanded IDs and registration without explanation. Then without warning an officer reached into the car and grabbed Jones’ camera.

“He grabbed it out of my hand and then he slammed it on top of the car,” Jones said. She said the camera was damaged – the automatic lens cover no longer worked.

Jones’ fingers were gashed by the sharp edge on the camera mount. She said the officer appeared shaken by what he'd done and courteously showed her how to complain, writing his name and badge number on a card with contact information for the Honolulu Police Commission.

Kane said other officers on the scene would not let them make a criminal complaint against the officer who grabbed the camera.

“What went down was something that should not happen here in the United States of America,” Kane said. “You have all of these police officers that could be looking at legitimate or people who are really trying to harm the president. Instead, you have so many of them on us.”

Police would not comment on the specific incident but a spokesman said in protecting the President suspicious vehicles are taken very seriously.

Asked if it was legal for police officers to stop someone from videotaping an officer in a public place, the department said citizens are allowed to video in public places.

The Secret Service Office in Honolulu did not respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment.
Read the story here.

Can you tell me how many laws were broken here?

Not only was this an assault but it was an unconstitutional act. Some will claim that the TV crew filming vehicle searches was a breach of security, but whenever it is done out in the open, as in this case, officials have no legal right to prevent you from filming it.

Perhaps Obama thinks he's the Godfather and our rights don't matter to him. Perhaps he's so paranoid that he has security on orders to not only stretch the legal boundaries but step over them when necessary. This is supposed to be a free country. There must be a balance between keeping the President safe and allowing access of the press in coverage.

I submit that this is yet another example of a President that holds himself above the law and wants to remain detached from the people. You could expect this of countries like Russian, Iran, Venezuela, and China, but not here in what used to be the United States of America. Maybe we should just call ourselves the U.S.S.A.

United Soviet States of America.

Are we going to stand for this from a man who's supposed to be a public-servant? If we allow this to continue what comes next? With every new breach of our constitutional rights will we become more and more oblivious to the consequences of our waning liberties? Is the running down and assault of private citizens by representatives of this thuggish government to be the new norm? We know that this Administration considers guns to be a threat to it, but now cameras as well?

Here are similar stories in other countries where an autocracy exists:

Russia
Iran

 

[xotoxi]

What does this have to do with Obama?

It sounds to me more like improper police activity.

 

[mudwhistle]

What does this have to do with Obama?

It sounds to me more like improper police activity.

Yes, Obama has surrounded himself with jack-booted thugs and communists but he's not at fault.

If you think Bush was responsible for Abu Grab and everything else that happened during his two terms then Obama is responsible for this. He's got Honolulu's government in his hip pocket.

Lay off the double-standards.

The mayor is an advocate for him. The mayor controls the police. They are under orders from him and Obama controls him. It's how they do things in Chicago and now it's how they do things in Honolulu Hawaii.

 

[Toro]

The journalist was about to release his long form birth certificate, so they beat him...

 

[mudwhistle]

The journalist was about to release his long form birth certificate, so they beat him...

Ha ha ha

Make light of this but these people were followed and the police waited till there were no witnesses when they assaulted them just for taking pictures.

You have not problem with this???

When it starts to effect you personally will you complain then?

Are you willing to wait till that becomes a reality?

 

[Toro]

Having read the story, I think this is now common practice in the post-9/11 era.

This happened after a few guys took pictures of an oil refinery back in the summer.

BP, cops detain reporter for taking pictures of oil refinery | Raw Story

Security is going overboard in this country.

 

[xotoxi]

If you think Bush was responsible for Abu Grab and everything else that happened during his two terms then Obama is responsible for this. He's got Honolulu's government in his hip pocket.

Lay off the double-standards.

The problem is that I don't. So it's not a double standard.

But clearly you do.

 

[Sallow]

What does this have to do with Obama?

It sounds to me more like improper police activity.

Yes, Obama has surrounded himself with jack-booted thugs and communists but he's not at fault.

If you think Bush was responsible for Abu Grab and everything else that happened during his two terms then Obama is responsible for this. He's got Honolulu's government in his hip pocket.

Lay off the double-standards.

The mayor is an advocate for him. The mayor controls the police. They are under orders from him and Obama controls him. It's how they do things in Chicago and now it's how they do things in Honolulu Hawaii.

That's ridiculous.

 

[mudwhistle]

Having read the story, I think this is now common practice in the post-9/11 era.

This happened after a few guys took pictures of an oil refinery back in the summer.

BP, cops detain reporter for taking pictures of oil refinery | Raw Story

Security is going overboard in this country.

The problem isn't the laws. It's how they are applied.

We keep hearing that everything that Obama wants silenced is a matter of national security.

Btw. BP is a strong Obama supporter. Don't let their little tiff over the oil-spill fool you.

 

[mudwhistle]

If you think Bush was responsible for Abu Grab and everything else that happened during his two terms then Obama is responsible for this. He's got Honolulu's government in his hip pocket.

Lay off the double-standards.

The problem is that I don't. So it's not a double standard.

But clearly you do.

So clearly security for the President went overboard in this case, yet you feel Obama has nothing to do with that. You're just being naive.

There are numerous double-standards where this guy is concerned. Too many to mention here.

War coverage, his vacation schedule, the list goes on and on.

He is never gonna be held up to the same standards as his predecessor. And anything that he does will be pooh, poohed as acceptable because of his historic significance.

 

[mudwhistle]

I guess the need for a free press isn't a concern here.

Figures.

 

[xotoxi]

If you think Bush was responsible for Abu Grab and everything else that happened during his two terms then Obama is responsible for this. He's got Honolulu's government in his hip pocket.

Lay off the double-standards.

The problem is that I don't. So it's not a double standard.

But clearly you do.

So clearly security for the President went overboard in this case, yet you feel Obama has nothing to do with that. You're just being naive.

There are numerous double-standards where this guy is concerned. Too many to mention here.

War coverage, his vacation schedule, the list goes on and on.

He is never gonna be held up to the same standards as his predecessor. And anything that he does will be pooh, poohed as acceptable because of his historic significance.

Meh. It's not my concern.

 

[mudwhistle]

The problem is that I don't. So it's not a double standard.

But clearly you do.

So clearly security for the President went overboard in this case, yet you feel Obama has nothing to do with that. You're just being naive.

There are numerous double-standards where this guy is concerned. Too many to mention here.

War coverage, his vacation schedule, the list goes on and on.

He is never gonna be held up to the same standards as his predecessor. And anything that he does will be pooh, poohed as acceptable because of his historic significance.

Meh. It's not my concern.

I'm not surprised. Unless you've been fed the issues they don't matter.

Guess CNN and MSNBC haven't made clear to you how important a free press is to this country. Without it we cannot maintain a Democracy or even a Republic.

If this assault was caught on film it would be all over the news. As it is it's just page 20 fodder.

Instead let's focus on Don't Ask Don't Tell, fat kids in schools, and other manufactured hot-button issues. Silly shit like government corruption and abuse of power is just a minor inconvenience.