Police to Al Jazeera journalist near Ferguson: "Don’t resist-I’ll bust your ass-I’ll bust your head"

[kpete]

Police to Al Jazeera journalist near Ferguson: 'I'll bust your head'
Producer Aaron Ernst looks back on an encounter with local police near Ferguson that almost led to his arrest
August 19, 2014 1:00PM ET
by Aaron Ernst @aaronernst


ST. LOUIS – It’s not every day that a police officer tells you he’s going to bust your head open.

.................

As we drove near Ferguson’s border with the neighboring town of Kinloch, JP was recording Lee, while I was recording Joie. When the interview was over, we got out of the cab to record a shot of it driving by.

Two Kinloch officers in a patrol car stopped and asked what we were doing. I identified JP and myself as a cameraman and producer working for Al Jazeera America for the show America Tonight. The officer who was driving told us to leave the area. When we asked why, he only said that it wasn’t safe to be there and we had to leave. Puzzled, we got in the cab and did as requested. A little further down the road, we saw a sign that JP wanted to shoot for our story, so we stopped and again got out.

The same officers, who had been following our car, pulled up and joined us in the street. Lee got out and asked the officers what was wrong.

.........................




After Lee asked the officer for his name, which he refused to divulge, the officer threatened to tow the cab for illegal parking. And then, he turned to us.

JP: I need to shoot the sign.

Officer 1 (To JP]: You don’t need to shoot nothing. Take a hike.

JP: No, I need to shoot the sign for our story.

Officer 1: (To me] You need to take a hike.

Me: We need to shoot the sign first.

Officer 1: No, you don’t.

Me: Yeah, we do.

Officer 1: No, you don’t. You come back when it’s daylight.

Me: Sir could you …

Officer 1: Did you hear what I said? … You want to go, we’ll go.

At this point, the officer approached me and grabbed my wrist.

Officer 1 (Holding my arm]: Don’t resist. I’ll bust your ass. I’ll bust your head right here.

Me: (To JP] Are you filming this?

Officer 1: Film it! I don’t give a sh*t. Because you’ll go, and I’ll sure confiscate your film for evidence.

JP: No, what I’m saying is …

Officer 1: I’m asking you to leave!

Officer 2: Go now, or you get locked up!

Officer 1: That’s it.


http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/8/18/police-to-al-jazeerajournalistinfergusonillbustyourass.html?utm_content=general&utm_campaign=ajam&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

[roguevalley]

1. these aren't police. they are a private army for the county

[HooptieWagon]

2. Exactly like sheriffs and police in the 50s deep south acted....

... when out of town reporters showed up and started asking questions.
I think a whole lot of people should start turning over rocks and asking questions about goings-on in St Louis County... beginning with DOJ. Theres a whole lot of corruption and criminal activity going on there.

[grasswire]

3. yes, the corruption and racketeering are the larger story

The community is oppressed. Squeezed. Kettled.

How many other communities are suffering similarly, under corrupt courts and police?

[woo me with science]

4. +1

[HooptieWagon]

6. Nearby town of Jennings fired the entire PD due to systemic corruption.

killer-cop Wilson was one of the fired officers, reported in another DU thread.

I imagine the entire St Louis County is pretty bad... DA has a history of protecting bad cops.

[RobertEarl]

5. Cops have nothing better to do?

There was no criminal activity going on that the cops had to tend to, so they followed the press around.

The whole scene there is a manufactured event to make the cops look like pigs, is all I can see.

[HooptieWagon]

8. The cops sure were willing to display their porcine behavior.

If they don't want to be portrayed as assholes, then they shouldn't act like them.

[Rex]

7. Nonesense! They are innocent just like the FPD, or so I am told.

Just angels behind a badge...mean old reporters!

[Bandit]

9. Since they hide their badges if they even have them how would one know?

They refuse to identify themselves and hide their badges so they can't be reported. That is nothing short of criminal behavior IMO. They know they are going to break the Law and want to hide from their actions.

[Rex]

10. Only one PD in town.

They have county PD, but on that day who else would it be but the people in charge of the town? The PD fucked up as soon as they decided to start arresting reporters illegally.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[cvoogt]

12. Just the level of professionalism

I would expect from the Ferguson police

[zentrum]

13. This fish stinks from the head.

There has to have been a long standing really ugly unquestioned culture in the Ferguson PD because they seem unable to stop now or to even be able to see how they appear to the outside world.

[VanGoghRocks]

14. Point of clarification; I believe the police officers in question were from the municipality of

Kinloch, which abuts Ferguson.

[zentrum]

15. Thanks, I take your point

But I still think there's a systemic problem in Missouri, or "Misery" as the BBC newsman pronounces it.