http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/19/1322981/-What-a-stupid-excuse-for-arresting-reporters?detail=email
Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, rationalizing the coordinated campaign against the media covering the Ferguson unrest:
"I'm going to tell you in the midst of chaos, when officers are running around, we're not sure who's a journalist and who's not," Johnson said, according to an audio recording. "Yes, if I see somebody with a $50,000 camera on their shoulder, I'm pretty sure. But some journalists are walking around, and all you have is a cellphone because you're from a small media outlet. Some of you may just have a camera around your neck."
These assholes are not even pretending to make sense anymore. Look above at the picture of the arrest of Getty's superstar photographer Scott Olson. It's broad daylight. He's got extensive and expensive photography equipment wrapped around his neck and waist. There is no crowd, so no chaos. He's got a lanyard with his press credentials. And he calmly told police who he was, and explained his media role.
But these asshole out-of-control cops didn't care. They knew Olson was a journalist and they willfully didn't give a shit.
"Capt Johnson said walk away or be arrested. I started walking away. They followed and arrested us," one of the reporters, Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated, tweeted. Another of the reporters posted a video clip showing Johnson ordering that the journalists be arrested and cuffed.
don't envy his position if he is genuine he still has to stand with the good ol boyz, and execute what the law says not what they create within the moment.
this IMO goes to the unreasonable exertion of power these cops exhibit, sounds like they were afraid of being photographed doing something that could be used against him, that is what foreign dictators do when they don't want their deeds to be seen by the world what's next in Ferguson will they complete the parody and start chopping off the heads of those in the press, don't mean to be facetious but if killing a kid according to their first excuse for blocking traffic while walking in the street not a far stretch.
