lotus | 21.01.2005 15:41

Press Conference today at the Hall Justice at 4pm to demand that all charges be dropped. Please come!

Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: San Diego Independent Media Center

What: Press Conference

Where:
Hall of Justice
330 W. Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101

When: 4:00PM

San Diego Hostile To Free Speech, Independent Journalist Arrested

A reporter with the San Diego Independent Media Center and radioActive sanDiego was arrested last night at a demonstration and is being accused of hitting a police officer. Not only was she reporting on the event and would in no way hit an officer, she is well known and respected in the San Diego community.

While George W. Bush was making proclamations about freedom, in San
Diego, journalists were being arrested for simply documenting the
protests happening here. The United States is rated 24th in press
freedom by the international human rights group Reporters Without
Borders, ranking lower than Bosnia and Lithuania. Reporters without
borders reports that "the arrest of several journalists during anti
Bush demonstrations" is one of the main causes for the low ranking. [1]
The Bush administration is clearly tied to the complete suppression of
speech and dissent with policies like the Patriot act. As presidential the motorcade drove down Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday with the illusion of a unified country, demonstrators in DC were being subject to tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray.

Prior to the demonstration in downtown San Diego, the incident commander
and captain of central division claimed that "the police are here to make
sure that everyone can fully utilize their first amendment rights." In
contrast, the actions of the San Diego police during the demonstration
were openly hostile to free speech, including beating demonstrators,
blocking them into small areas of the street and refusing to let them
leave for extended periods of time, using unnecessary violence in
arresting demonstrators -one arrestee was "hog tied"- and repeatedly
theatening a completely peaceful demonnstration with the use of chemical
weapons. The violent arrest of the reporter on completely false and
unsupported charges is clearly an attempt to intimidate the citizens of
San Diego from exercising their first amendment rights.

The freedom of the press is guaranteed under the first amendment, as the right to express ourselves through publication and dissemination is critical [3]. The arrest of journalists is part of a larger campaign to attack and erode the bill of rights. Without a press which is safe to operate without fear of arrest, we cannot have democracy.

We demand the immediate release of the reporter who was arrested last
night, who will remain unnamed for her protection, and that her charges be
dropped.

We also call on the people of San Diego to call the City Attorney, City
Council and the Mayor to demand that the absolute hostility to free
speech in San Diego be stopped immediately.

[1]  http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Am_index_Eng_2004.pdf
[2]  http://dc.indymedia.org/feature/display/115229/index.php
[3]  http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/first_amendment.html

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Here's the contact info for local government officials. Let's flood their offices with calls and demand them to take a stand against the unlawful arrests last night!

Mayor Dick Murphy: 619-236-6330; fax 619-236-7228;  DickMurphy@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Scott Peters: 619-236-6611 (from North County 858-484-3808); fax 619-236-6999;  ScottPeters@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Michael Zucchet: 619-236-6622; fax 619-236-6996;  mzucchet@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Toni Atkins: 619-236-6633; fax 619-595-1481;  toniatkins@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Brian Maienschein: 619-236-6655 (from North County 858-673-5304); fax 619-238-0915;  bmaienschein@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Donna Frye: 619-236-6616; fax 619-236-7329;  donnafrye@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Jim Madaffer: 619-236-6677; fax 619-238-1360;  jmadaffer@sandiego.gov


Councilmember Ralph Inzunza: 619-236-6688; fax 619-231-7918;  rinzunza@sandiego.gov