When is a Journalist a Rioting Protestor - Freedom of Speech

[Gatito]

In North Dakota, documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg has been charged with three felonies for filming one of five coordinated acts of civil disobedience earlier this week, in which climate activists manually turned off the safety valves to stop the flow of tar sands oil through pipelines spanning the U.S. and Canada. The actions took place in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Washington state. Award-winning filmmaker Schlosberg was the producer of Josh Fox’s recent documentary "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change." She was filming the action at a valve station owned by TransCanada in Walhalla, North Dakota. She was arrested along with the activists, and her footage was confiscated. On Thursday, she was charged with a Class A felony and two Class C felonies, which combined carry a 45-year maximum sentence.

Source from DN (where the quote's from)
Source from RT
Source from IndieWire


Personally, I don't see any freedom here. The only thing I'm seeing is a tinpot police state. Not quite sure why we all call this place the land of the free if you can potentially get 3 felony charges and half of your life behind bars for merely filming an act of disobedience.

[Geilinor]

Democracy Now and RT?

[Galloism]

I guess the question is whether she conspired to commit the crime, or if she was a journalist passively reporting on it.

[Targovia]

She absolutely should not get arrested for fucking filming a disobedient and stupid action.
God, what is the US coming to.

[Navaronia]

Russia Today isn't the best source.

[The first Galactic Republic]

Democracy Now and RT?

Any other sources?

[Salus Maior]

Honestly, the whole way that the government is dealing with the pipeline issue is pretty damn awful.

[Grinning Dragon]

She absolutely should not get arrested for fucking filming a disobedient and stupid action.
God, what is the US coming to.

oligarchy?

[Community Values]

Yeah, no. First of all, the activists should have been arrested for shutting down the pipes, and second of all, we don't know whether or not the filmmaker was working with the activists or not. It'd be bad if the filmmaker was arrested for no reason, but we just don't know whether or not that is the case.

[Ectique]

She absolutely should not get arrested for fucking filming a disobedient and stupid action.
God, what is the US coming to.

oligarchy?

*Ehem* Oil-igarchy...

[Radiatia]

Obviously I'm outraged that this freedom hating commie is facing only 45 years for this heinous act. Back in my day you'd spend 50 years on the electric chair for this!

Actually, in all seriousness, it depends on whether or not they actually did it or just filmed it. If the former then, absolutely, they should have the book thrown at them - I have no time for so-called "civil disobedience". If the latter then at worst they were an accomplice, so 45 years in prison is over the top.

[Superpower America]

I find it funny that they were trying to protect the environment yet by their actions of turning off the safety valves they could have caused an environmental disaster. Plus they were trespassing on private property, and I don't know what interference with the pipelines operation would be called but let me tell y'all something she wasn't arrested for making the film she was arrested becuase she trespassed and had knowledge of the crimes. She deserves to go to jail but 45 is much for me I say something like 20-25 years is reasonable

[Ganonsyoni]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

This bring to mind Malhuer. There was at least one alt-right journalist notably arrested as part of the Bundy roundup there, and charged alongside them. He was one of those who, down the road, had charges dropped. All in all, about half of all charges pressed in those arrests were dropped, with the Gov't mostly focusing on the most clear and strong charges against the ringleaders. It may well be a similar case, where the charges serve to get them out of play, and scare off others from joining in, and could well be dropped before coming to trial.

Edit: case I'm referencing - http://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-or ... s-request/

[Minzerland II]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

And fucking proud of it!

[Community Values]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

Eh? Which government corruption were they filming? The one where environmentalist activists, independent of any government or corporation, stop pipelines that go from Canada to America?

[Cetacea]

Journalist Amy Goodman faces Rioting charges for filming Sioux Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline an outrageous charge which threatens the Freedom of Speech and liberty of the Press.

Back in September private security guards working on behalf of the Dakota Access pipeline company clashed with protesters led by members of the Standing Rock Sioux who are opposing work which they say will affect local water supplies and bulldoze Standing Rock Sioux tribal burial site in southern North Dakota.

Journalist Amy Goodman and a DemocracyNow! crew filmed the protest where Pipeline security guards are seen spraying protesters with pepper spray and unleashing attack dogs on the crowd.

Democracy Now! quoted a protester at the time describing the dogs violently attacking activists: “These people are just threatening all of us with these dogs. And she, that woman over there, she was charging, and it bit somebody right in the face.”
“The dog has blood in its nose and its mouth,” Goodman said. “Why are you letting their, her dog go after the protesters? It’s covered in blood.”

In the video Goodman can be seen on fenced land which prosecutors say is private land and in response Tresspass charges were issued against Goodman. However Dakota state prosecutor is now seeking to charge Goodman with participating in a "riot" and this goes before District Judge on October 17.

The Dakota Prosecutor has admitted that there are legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing and has already dismissed that Goodman was acting as a Journalist stating that "She’s a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions."

So, what do you all think?
I think the charge of rioting against a journalist is ridiculous and shows a terribly authoritarian disregard to Free speech and liberty of the press. It shouldnt matter what the Prosecurot thinks of the journalist and whether she is sympathetic to the protestors surely she has a right to go in and report it. Lets hope the judge chucks this out on its ass

Of course there are also the issues of corporate power from the Dakota Pipeline company (whatever its called), the suppression of Native American voices and growing tyranny of the State - feel free to raise them:)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ne-protest
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/ta ... ry-w444754

[The 93rd Coalition]

hahahahahahahano

[The Serbian Empire]

oligarchy?

*Ehem* Oil-igarchy...

Edmonton's hockey doesn't get paid if the oil isn't pumped out of Edmonton to Texas refineries.

[New haven america]

No other sources other DN, RT, and Indiewire?

Yep, I'm sold, the US is becoming a police state.

[Lady Scylla]

In North Dakota, documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg has been charged with three felonies for filming one of five coordinated acts of civil disobedience earlier this week, in which climate activists manually turned off the safety valves to stop the flow of tar sands oil through pipelines spanning the U.S. and Canada. The actions took place in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Washington state. Award-winning filmmaker Schlosberg was the producer of Josh Fox’s recent documentary "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change." She was filming the action at a valve station owned by TransCanada in Walhalla, North Dakota. She was arrested along with the activists, and her footage was confiscated. On Thursday, she was charged with a Class A felony and two Class C felonies, which combined carry a 45-year maximum sentence.

Source from DN (where the quote's from)
Source from RT
Source from IndieWire


Personally, I don't see any freedom here. The only thing I'm seeing is a tinpot police state. Not quite sure why we all call this place the land of the free if you can potentially get 3 felony charges and half of your life behind bars for merely filming an act of disobedience.

Pretty sure filming doesn't exclude you from criminal trespass, which is what this sounds like. The activists were doing something obviously illegal, and she was filming it there.

[Neutraligon]

There is another thread on this.
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=391990

Based on the other thread, it seems to me to be pretty much against the first amendment.

The Dakota Prosecutor has admitted that there are legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing and has already dismissed that Goodman was acting as a Journalist stating that "She’s a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions."

This quote in particular is pretty telling.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

That prosecutor needs a judge to smack him back so hard that he travels back in time, and regains consciousness in his first year of law school.

[Mushet]

Come to think of it not really much talk of the pipeline protests on NSG for the last couple months.

[The Romulan Republic]

In North Dakota, documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg has been charged with three felonies for filming one of five coordinated acts of civil disobedience earlier this week, in which climate activists manually turned off the safety valves to stop the flow of tar sands oil through pipelines spanning the U.S. and Canada. The actions took place in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Washington state. Award-winning filmmaker Schlosberg was the producer of Josh Fox’s recent documentary "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change." She was filming the action at a valve station owned by TransCanada in Walhalla, North Dakota. She was arrested along with the activists, and her footage was confiscated. On Thursday, she was charged with a Class A felony and two Class C felonies, which combined carry a 45-year maximum sentence.

Source from DN (where the quote's from)
Source from RT
Source from IndieWire


Personally, I don't see any freedom here. The only thing I'm seeing is a tinpot police state. Not quite sure why we all call this place the land of the free if you can potentially get 3 felony charges and half of your life behind bars for merely filming an act of disobedience.

Okay, first of all, RT is essentially a mouthpiece of the Kremlin, and I would not trust anything it reports on politics, particularly American politics.

Secondly, our country is not a "tinpot police state" because of one bullshit arrest, even if your description of events is accurate.

In all likelihood, if this person is being charge and facing prison simply for filming a protest, the courts will overturn it. The First Amendment is still generally respected by the courts.