Last week I reported on the arrest of Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman (pictured at left) and other journalists covering the Republican National Convention (RNC) here in St. Paul.Last Friday Goodman was interviewed by David Brancaccio of the PBS program, Now. In this interview (see below) Goodman discusses her arrest, the arrests of her colleagues, police response to demonstrators (including preemptive raids on the homes of activists), and freedom of the press at the RNC.
Goodman raises a number of important points. She’s adamant, for instance, that it’s not enough to simply demand that charges against journalists and others arrested in police sweeps during the RNC be dropped. We must also demand that charges be brought against those responsible for these false arrests, those in authority who abused their power.
She also notes how Democracy Now!’s coverage of both the Democratic and Republican conventions was called “Breaking with Convention: War, Peace, and the Presidency - From the Suites to the Streets, to the Convention Floor.”
“It is very important that we cover all aspects [of the conventions],” she says. “The people in the streets . . . represent many grassroots movements not invited inside.” For Goodman, their voices are just as significant and newsworthy as those of the politicians and pundits.
Recommended Off-site Link:
Why We Were Falsely Arrested - Amy Goodman (TruthDig.com, September 3, 2008).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Amy Goodman Arrested at the RNC
• Amy Goodman and the “Sacred Responsibility” of Listening
• Democracy Now!: The Exception to the Rulers Marching on the RNC
• Saying “No” to Torture and the Republican Agenda
• Walking for Peace, Witnessing Against War
In 2006 over 40,000 people marched for immigrant rights in St. Paul. There was about 3 police there. Everything was peaceful.
ReplyDeleteAnarchists of the black bloc, substitute themselves for a mass movement.