Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Unlawfully Arrested
1Sep2008 Filed under: Take Action Author: ColeI don’t doubt y’all have been following the mass, unlawful preemptive raids by police happening in St. Paul and Minneapolis to squelch dissent at the Republican National Convention. Early today Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were unlawfully arrested. More info below, including numbers to call to demand their release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.democracynow.orgSeptember 1, 2008
Contact:
Dennis Moynihan
Mike BurkeST. PAUL, MN—Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.
Ramsey County Sherrif Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.
Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman’s office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).
Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amenmdent rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.
Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism’s top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation’s leading independent news outlet.
Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.
Video of Amy Goodman’s Arrest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
5 Responses to “Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Unlawfully Arrested”
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Aimee Kligman, nee Dassa
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Cole, I watch Democracy Now everyday, and yes it was absolutely shocking. Amy Goodman was back at her post today in Minneapolis reporting. All of them (3) were released, but there’s some heavy duty investigations going on. When I watched the videos on YouTube, it looked as if we were in an autocratic nation. Kouddous was actually “bloodied”. You never anything like that happening at Democratic National Conventions. I wish more people would watch Link TV.
SoUrban
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Indeed, we are all thankful that Sharif, Nicole and Amy emerged from those prisons. We know what kinds of “accidental deaths” happen when people are left in police custody too long..
Let us give thanks and also give generously to nonprofits like Democracy Now! who are bringing us the real news- in real time.
Peace to you all.
http://www.sourban.net/Riot-Geared-Feds-Abusing-and-Arresting-Peaceful-Members-of-the-Press-at-RNC
Daniel Zimnikov
September 4th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Her crime is for being an idiot and for insitigating stupidity, like those riots that the Democrats cause during every single Republican National Convention.
Do you ever hear of Republicans marching on the DNC? No. Thats because they have jobs, and kids, and responsibilities.
I’m glad they got arrested.
Cole Krawitz
September 4th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
You’re glad that journalists are being arrested?!!
Riots? They’re protesting. It’s called free speech. The choice of the St. Paul police to utilize military tactics and dress up in riot gear is about their wanting to stop people from exercising their free speech. So I guess you just want the First Amendment gone — that’s what you’re advocating, a world where journalists don’t get to report on the stories, and people aren’t able to express dissent.
Kerrick
September 4th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
The police are attacking people with children and families and responsibilities; I’ve been watching as moms with their young kids are held at gunpoint. I doubt seriously that you think police should burst into people’s homes on the mere suspicion that they might potentially attend a protest and hold four year olds at gunpoint and make children sit in handcuffs for hours, as has happened. I doubt seriously that you think that people exercising their legal rights should be knocked over, beaten, and tasered multiple times while unresisting, and then held without charge and without medical care, and beaten up while in custody. I don’t believe you’re that much of a fool, to give away your constitutional right to dissent or to humane treatment should you ever be arrested. But maybe you are, since as you point out Republicans tend not to exercise the right to protest very much. Perhaps that’s because there’s nothing to protest when you own the major media corporations and have controlled the tenor of discourse for eight years. Or perhaps that’s because Republicans believe the voices of ordinary people don’t belong in politics.
If you don’t want your free speech I’ll take it. But of course you prefer to make comments on blogs rather than talk to people face to face as the protesters are doing. If anyone deleted your small-spirited gloating you would go whine that they were violating your right to free speech. I’ve seen countless right wingers do that; it’s nothing new. Which takes more moral courage—to stand unarmed and unresisting in front of an armed officer and state your position, or to post a narrow, vicious little gloat on someone else’s website? Maybe it’s not that Republicans feel complacent in their tyrrany, or that they think ordinary people’s voices shouldn’t be heard—maybe it’s just general cowardice.