Russia Today is showing a less than positive image of the United States as a video shows its reporter trying to report on the protests in Baltimore last week only to be mugged on camera. Fortunately, police were in the area and apprehended the suspect. In the meantime, another disturbing video shows City Paper Photo Editor J.M. Giordano was tackled and beaten by Baltimore City police outside of Western District headquarters last night while covering the protests. The attack on a journalist by police was accompanied by the arrest and charging of another reporter for disorderly conduct.
The protests have followed the death of an African American man, Freddie Gray, in police custody. Six officers have been injured in the later protests and 34 people arrested.
One group looted a convenience stores and broke store windows. Another group smashed the front window of a department stores and threw flaming debris at police.
The group involved in the attack on the journalist was shown yelling profanities before the mugging:
The majority of protesters however remained peaceful.
City Paper Photo Editor J.M. Giordano was beaten outside of Western District headquarters. He was standing next to the protester in the video and facing the police line, at about 12:30 when someone threw a rock which hit a police officer’s shield. That appears to have triggered the violent response. The video was shot by City Paper Managing Editor Baynard Woods who is heard yelling, “He’s a photographer! He’s press!” Giordano was not arrested though the man next to him was, even though Giordano says that he did not throw anything. However, he says that Reuters photographer Sait Serkan Gurbuz, was arrested nearby and taken away in the police van. Gurbuz was later released and cited for disorderly conduct.
Police apologizes later for the confusion with the reporters.
Baltimore, today:
Derbyshire was right.
And?
Pogo, there are innocent people in those black neighborhoods too.
US out of Baltimore!
I’d favor the police remove themselves from all black neighborhoods.
They can’t win as it is.
let Sharpton, Jackson, the Black Panthers, and the Nation of Islam show us how a chocolate city is run.
Pogo – The Nation of Islam does run (or used to run) security services on some buildings in NYC. My understanding is that the building are very secure.
Unless the journalist had a clearly identifiable and unforgable (sic) ID that showed he was press – its perfectly understandable the Police whacked him in the heat of battle. How absurd, standing next to a demonstrator who just hurled a rock and expecting to be unharmed by both sides by merely yelling “I’m press”.
Nick:
“…cop hating JT!”
I think that a better description would be “justice loving JT”.
If cops are stupid enough to continue this kind of destructive behavior while the publicity spotlight is on them, then let the adverse publicity flow.
TJustice
You rant and rave about the disadvantaged and the voiceless, yet you believe that certain businesses destroyed and looted will be just fine? Do you not appreciate the inconsistency of your fervently held beliefs? The businesses, and their respective owners, are innocent victims of this mad and crazed destruction and looting. Livelihoods have vanished. It happened in Ferguson. Businesses that closed and lives destroyed. Why would you not feel their pain and devastation if you claim to be on the side of justice? I don’t decide whether a crime occurred by first deciding whether or not I believe the victim can take the hit, like you do. That’s a very warped sense of justice, indeed.
By the way, as one who has suffered through my share of law school exams, if you argue your points this way on a Crim Law exam, you’re screwed.
DBQ
I said it was quite tragic. If the protests had more thought than emotion people would realize they are destroying parts of the community that likely help them the most.
Its terrible to see the unrest and looting and much of it is criminal. I hated seeing parts of my city burn. Or to know the land you live on was looted is not that comforting.
Nevertheless, I’m not morally bankrupt to the point that I can’t understand their actions. I guess I haven’t had a valuable enough position to fear losing in society.
It’s really too bad that these protests cannot remain civil. However I understand the anger that one after another black man has been killed at the hands of police under questionable circumstances. Reform isn’t going to happen without violence it seems, that is truly unfortunate. I’m watching coverage of the skirmishes in the streets of Baltimore now, I wonder what tonight will bring?
BamBam,
The moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter is aligning with Mars….
I. Annie
Could it be that you and I actually agree on SOMETHING? Does this signal the coming of the Apocalypse? What other possible explanation could there be? 🙂
TJustice
So…..screw the small businessman whose life work is now trashed?
Screw the people who will have lost their jobs because the small business guy isn’t able to open up?
Screw the people who will not be able to shop locally anymore?
Is that your attitude? Really?
Give me a break there is not a wholesale destruction of the city. It’s quite tragic that local businesses and franchise stores will face damage. But as for what runs american cities, large corps and banks – they will be just fine.
BamBam, I thought so too looking at the way his legs were dragging. The further rough treatment and lack of medical treatment may have sealed this poor man’s fate.
I. Annie
While I am certainly not a medical professional, my first reaction was that a spinal injury may have already transpired from the manner in which his motionless legs seemed to be dead weights. I guess that he could’ve been behaving in a defiant manner, by refusing to walk, but it seemed more like he was incapable of moving.
Regardless of what happened, there is no justification for the rampant looting and wholesale destruction of a city. The police have their hands tied and are basically told to let this mayhem play out.
Bam bam
You make valid points. I never said convict these officers immediately. but we do know that the last people to see gray alive were the police. And we do know they were physical with gray maybe without lawful justification (for anybody that claims to enjoy liberty).
The part of lack of car for a suspect in custody is troubling. At the point of being in custody the state is responsible for you now that they choose to take your liberty. If he died without getting care, it was in their hands regardless of the particularity of the crime. (Systemic issue).
And Justice at all costs in the United states relates to one’s wealth. I’m a law student with no wealth, I don’t expect Justice in the vast majority of legal cases.
I’ve read about our system.
@ Bam Bam
Well, perhaps I have become jaded. What with a lifetime of this dog an pony show put on by the media and people telling me what I must think or feel and if I don’t toe the politically correct group mind think that I am somehow bad.
Then when many of those breathless stories that I am supposed to care about turn out to be just another made up or distorted story…..yeah…..I get a bit jaded.
Here’s the deal. I don’t feel sorry for people who purposely put themselves in danger. Who commit crimes. Who harm others. You have lots of opportunities to make the right decisions. Poverty or being of a certain ethnicity is NOT an excuse. Others in the same positions have made good choices. They can too.
However, I DO care if the police have overstepped their bounds, have gone rogue and have harmed a person who is in their custody. Not even if he is a guilty person who committed a heinous crime, do they have the right to do this. If they did this then they are just as criminal as the people they are supposed to be stopping. If this IS the case then they should be punished just as a civilian would be punished.
But….we don’t know what the case IS right now and to defend the rioters as if this excuses them (I’m not saying you are doing this) only makes the situation worse. How does it help anyone, including perhaps the wronged Mr. Gray to burn down innocent people’s livelihoods and beat up innocents?
It doesn’t . All it does is further alienate those who might have some sympathy to their cause and make the I don’t care contingent even more determined to not care.
@KarenS
You asked, “Why is being angry now a justification for violence?”
Because any other justification would either sound silly, or destroy the leftish victimization agenda. I mean why are young black men angry in the first place??? My goodness, it’s mostly White people who are paying the taxes and incurring the debt to pay for their food stamps, and pay their rent, and pay the baby mommas to raise their children for them, and pay for the trauma teams to patch them up when they shoot and stab each other. If it wasn’t for us White people, they would have to go get jobs, and work, and pay the bills for their kids themselves. I think we ought to have a “Thank Whitey Day” where young Black men could bake us cakes and buy us gifts and say “thank you” to us!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Ah good to hear that someone ( BamBam) besides bleeding heart liberals care that this young man needlessly died.