Photo journalism activist Carlos Miller was arrested Tuesday evening while he was attempting to cover the police’s eviction of Occupy Miami. Carlos is no stranger to arrest for photography. He has beaten two separate prior charges for photographing police. This most recent arrest sounds very similar to what occurred during the Chalking 8 incident in Manchester, in which the police criminalize a group and then arrest all those they associate with the group. In my case, though it came up at one point, I did not need to address whether I was acting as press at the time of my arrest to demonstrate that the seizure was unfounded. In this case, protesters were ordered away from an area where press were allowed to remained. Carlos was swept up after the protesters had already been cleared despite identifying himself as press when addressed and being near other reporters.
Photo: Carlos Miller
The police have deleted the footage he had taken in the moments leading up to his arrest. Another journalist is believed to have captured footage of (more…)
Today marks the 67th anniversary of the execution of Private Eddie Slovik. His is a story that government education is often too ashamed to tell. Eddie was convicted during World War II of desertion after he told superiors that he was too afraid to participate in combat. Then-Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower felt the need to make an example out of Eddie, as desertion rates within the military began to rise. He was tried in a military court in November of 1944, and shot to death on January 31, 1945. He is the only American to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.
As he was being led to his death, Eddie said to his fellow soldiers, “They’re not shooting me for deserting the United States Army, thousands of guys have done that. They just need to make an example out of somebody and I’m it because I’m an ex-con. I used to steal things when I was a kid, and that’s what they are shooting me for. They’re shooting me for the bread and chewing gum I stole when I was 12 years old.” Eddie Slovik was 24 years old at the time of his death.
Since it was posted the day following the New Hampshire primary, a video by a watchdog group showcasing exploits of election security has reached over 350,000 views. I remember seeing several friends sharing the video on Facebook, and although I didn’t find it stimulating enough to watch from start to finish (it needed more editing for my taste), I found it to be an interesting piece of investigative journalism bound to start some heated debate over election security.
On January 9, the public hearing on Manchester police department’s CALEA accreditation was held. CALEA is the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Agencies seeking certification must pay CALEA for the process, which is administered by current and former law enforcement officers. CALEA certification is primarily intended for larger departments, and aids the department in insuring itself against liability. The biannual hearing is open to anyone with input, positive or negative, on whether a police department should be given passing certification. A quick Google search does not reveal evidence of a department ever having failed the CALEA certification process.
In the past, such hearings have been better attended by critics of departments. With this year’s hearing falling the night before the New Hampshire presidential primary, I was not surprised that I was the only voice critical of MPD at the event. I spoke about the Chalking 8 incident, which I had been swept up in and later found not guilty of two bogus criminal charges.
