DENVER
A member of the women's peace group CODEPINK was arrested Tuesday after a police officer yelled, "Back it up, bitch" and struck her with his baton, knocking her to the ground.
Alicia Forrest, 24, of Los Angeles, was knocked off her feet onto the pavement and appeared in pain.
A few minutes later, she began answering reporter's questions when police pulled her away and took her to jail.
She was booked for investigation of interference.
Forrest said she saw an unidentified man arrested in the street near Civic Center Park and was asking why the man was being arrested. That's when the officer moved in and confronted her.
Police to Forrest to the warehouse processing center, dubbed "Gitmo on the Platte" by protesters. She was then transferred to the city jail and posted a $580 bond.
The Rocky Mountain News posted video of the confrontation on YouTube.
Officers from several departments were working in the park at the time, and it is not clear on the tape what department the officer works for, though Denver police said they would begin a review of complaints about the incident.
Concerns Raised
A journalism advocacy group raised concerns Wednesday about whether police are interfering with press coverage of anti-war protests at the Democratic convention.
Washington-based Reporters Without Borders cited a video posted by USA Today in which a videographer taping protesters and police is knocked to the ground by an officer trying to clear a street.
Police Chief Gerald Whitman reminded officers in writing Tuesday that Colorado law gives journalists some privileges when they are covering riots.
Whitman said reporters and photographers don't have to obey any order to disperse in riot conditions, though they are supposed to move to the edge of the crowd.
No comments:
Post a Comment