By Bobby Eberle
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The poor members of the media. They are such victims. They can spin a story. They can slant a story. They can push an ideology. And they can also be the biggest bunch of babies in the world. Unlike the Tea Party protesters who would have a rally and go home the Occupy protests like to camp out and stay... leaving filth and violence in their wake. This is a situation that is very hard for law enforcement to handle and yet members of the media are now complaining that they arent being treated fairly at the Occupy protests. Wheres my violin?
So heres the story.
Media organizations sent letters on Monday to city officials complaining about the police handling of journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street protests and called for meetings to address their concerns.
They said New York police blocked journalists from seeing when authorities cleared out the Occupy camp in lower Manhattans Zuccotti Park last week and said police officers used force and arrested some journalists as they were trying to do their jobs.
Now lets put this all in a little perspective. As ABC News reported a woman involved in the Occupy Philadelphia protests was raped in a tent by another protester. NY1.com reported a few days ago that 250 people were arrested and seven police officers were injured during Occupy Wall Street protests.One officer 24-year-old Matthew Walters received 24 stitches in his left hand after a demonstrator threw a star-shaped glass object toward him.
Another officer suffered irritation to his face after a demonstrator threw an unknown liquid similar to an incident earlier in the day.
The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month on the violent protests occurring in conjunction with the Occupy Oakland protests. Three protesters were
hospitalized and several officers received minor injuries after Occupy Oakland protesters took over a downtown office building and police in riot gear fired tear gas at them.
Penny Nace writing for National Review described some of the other episodes of violence:
In addition to rapists suicidal folks are causing emotional distress within the movement. After a 32-year-old man shot himself inside his tent at Occupy Burlington Vermont protesters were so traumatized that they readily agreed to pack up and end their demonstration.
Besides rapes and suicides occupiers have injured women in the midst of their shameless attempts to grab attention. A couple weeks ago I attended Americans for Prosperitys Defending the American Dream Summit which was crashed by Occupy D.C. I was able to depart safely with my frightened guests in tow as protesters hissed vile remarks in our direction.
Others werent that lucky. The Daily Caller reports that an elderly woman was pushed down the stairs during the occupiers stampede into the convention center. Not one protester stopped to help her even as she lay in pain from severe injuries to her wrists ankles and legs.
That is the situation. That is the reality. This is what law enforcement officials have to deal with. But the media are crying as if they are the victims:The police actions of last week have been more hostile to the press than any other event in recent memory a coalition of media organizations and journalist groups said in a letter to chief New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.
The New York Civil Liberties Union sent another letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and police Commissioner Raymond Kelly covering similar ground.
The numerous reports we have received and have learned of make clear to us that the NYPD is aggressively blocking journalists from doing their constitutionally protected work and in some instances is even targeting journalists for mistreatment that letter said.
Targeting journalists for mistreatment? I dont even know where to begin!The media groups in their letter cited numerous examples including an officer grabbing a photographer and dragging him from the park and another pushing a reporter who fell on the ground. They called for a meeting so that we may have full and frank discussions in order to resolve these issues and prevent further deterioration of the police-press relationship which is so critical to an informed public.
How about this... when a situation exists where there are rapes and suicides and rioting and other violence how about if you let the police officers do their jobs. Containing the situation and preventing people from getting hurt or killed is paramount. So there you have it... injured police officers versus bruised egos. Seems pretty black and white to me. Read more from Bobby Eberle & The Loft" by clicking here.
