citizen journalism

FBI agents in Texas ripped two cameras out of the hands of a PINAC reporter who was standing in front of a federal building legally recording from a public sidewalk Thursday, claiming they were in fear for their safety.
“I don’t want to be struck in the face,” said Keith A. Byers, an Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the El Paso FBI office at 660 South Mesa Hills Drive.
However, David Worden made no indication he would strike the agents in the face with his cameras.

Michigan cops arrested six people at a town hall meeting centered around the water system in Flint, where cost-cutting measures led to drinking water tainted with lead and other dangerous toxins, according to MLive.
Flint police say they were charged for disorderly conduct because they refused to remove their hats during the town hall meeting.

A 10-year-old autistic Florida boy who had been expelled from school last year returned to the same school last week after receiving an invitation to take a standard assessment test.
But he was promptly arrested for a warrant neither he or his mother were aware even existed.
His mother, Luanne Haygood, recorded the arrest on Wednesday, informing the Okeechobee County sheriff’s deputies that her son is on the autism spectrum.

Two Georgia cops were fired Thursday after videos surfaced showing them punching and stomping on the head of an unarmed non-resisting man.
But they should also be criminally charged, so let’s see how that pans out.
From the looks of it, it is something the two Gwinnett County police officers have been doing on a regular basis.
This time, it just happened to be caught on camera by a pair of witness, which is why the cops are also under criminal investigation.

The Sacramento police officer caught on video choking and punching a man for jaywalking was suspended Tuesday after his supervisors viewed the footage.
The cop claimed he feared for his safety because the man removed a jacket and dropped it on the street, indicating he was challenging the cop to fight.
But the man, Nandi Cain Jr., said he was just taking off his jacket to show he was not armed.

A Colorado cop was caught on a Snapchat video Thursday slamming a female college student to the ground during an arrest outside of a bar after she allegedly shoulder checked him.
The Thin Blue Line remains supportive of the officer, claiming the 22-year-old Colorado State University student committed felony assault seconds before he body slammed her.
However, they are refusing to release body cam footage that would prove their allegations.

A California cop choked and beat a man for jaywalking Monday in an incident captured on video that is now going viral.
The video was recorded by a woman named Naomi Montaie, who was sitting in her car as the altercation unfolded in front of her, showing a Sacramento police officer grabbing the young man by the neck while shoving him down on the street.
The Sacramento cop then sits on top of the man while throwing several punches to his face.

It may sound crazy to someone who doesn’t regularly participate in the decision-making process of the government that people like me would feel the need to be informed about what government officials are doing in our name and at our expense.
Those of us who actively participate in the process are generally labeled by public officials and their supporters as being disruptive; unruly troublemakers hell bent on tearing the community apart. It’s a common attitude that people like myself face and it scares away many people who may be interested in what the government is doing.

A Florida sheriff violated PINAC reporter Jeff Gray’s right to record public officials in a public setting during his silent protest at the department’s annual awards banquet, which was held at the tax-funded St. Johns Convention Center in St. Augustine last month.
But St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar insisted it was “private property.”
“You go outside. And hold your sign,” Shoar told Gray, threatening him with arrest. “But you’re not going to stand in here and hold your sign. This is our party. This is our special night.”

A New York cop racially profiled a man, approaching the front door of his house, insisting the man identify himself because he “looked back” at the officer as he drove past his house.
Rochester cop Jonathan Laureano then began demaning Nishean Napier provide him with identification after Napier walked outside to move his mother’s car to the other side of the street so she wouldn’t get a ticket.
As Napier walked outside to move the car while in the middle of making an Instagram post, Laureano crept down his street in a police cruiser.