Asa Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order, according to Denver police officials. The charges are apparently based on a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel, which is a central location for Democratic officials.
Jeffrey W. Schneider, SVP of ABC News tells us: "We might expect to see that kind of police behavior in Myanmar but not on a public sidewalk in Denver. Our reporter was simply trying to shoot video on a public sidewalk of publicly elected officials going in to meet with big money donors."
According to Schneider, Eslocker and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures of Democratic senators and VIP donors who were leaving a private meeting on the public sidewalk in front of the Brown Palace Hotel. The shoot was part of an investigation into the role of corporate lobbyists and wealthy donors at the DNC for "World News with Charles Gibson."
Denver authorities say: "Eslocker was advised many times starting at 9:00 a.m. to stop blocking the sidewalk and entryway to hotel prior to the arrest.
Video taken at the scene shows Eslocker being ordered to the side of the Brown Palace Hotel sidewalk entrance by a man in a Boulder County Sheriff's uniform, then being forced to the other side of the street.
"You're pushing me into the street!" exclaims Eslocker. "I was on public property on the sidewalk!"
Eslocker was later confronted by a team of five officers and a cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, who first put his hand on Eslocker's neck, then twisted the producer's arm behind him to put on handcuffs and loaded him into the back of a police van.
He was released late in the day after posting $500 bond and is due in Court September 25 at 8:15 a.m.
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Comments (8)
2) The fat slob cop WILL be fired, for sure, no doubt about it. I know how that system operates. He's gone.
3) The cops that had the reporter by the throat and calling him "buster" will be demoted and suspended without pay for a while. Their careers are for the most part, over. Once that's in your file, you're essentially done and will never be promoted.
I could not have restrained myself personally, on that fat slob. Oh well, he'll be permanently working security for the rest of his days.
Pathetic!
I am astounded by the ignorance that surrounds free speech, The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled towards maintaing the integrity of the First Amendment. In fact it has called the press "The fourth branch of government". For those Conservatives railing against the "Liberal Reporter", remember ABC broadcasts Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and more Conservative voices. Would you want them shoved into the street too? All Conservatives, Liberals and Americans rely on freedom of speech. As far as the police, I think they're in need of some basic civil rights education. They didn't violate some obscure rule known only to those who it's important to, they shoved the FIRST AMENDMENT, along with the reporter, into the street! THE FIRST! What's up with that? They have a tough job yes but we don't give the hard working postal worker a pass after they shoot up the place do we?
As far as where the reporter was standing, the sidewalk, here's what the U.S. Supreme Court ruled about that. I think it's even simple enough for a thug to understand.
The more that a sidewalk or street resembles other sidewalks or streets, the more likely it is that courts will consider it a protected public forum. For instance, the Supreme Court found that the sidewalk surrounding the Supreme Court building itself was a public forum because it was indistinguishable from other sidewalks in Washington, D.C. Grace, 461 U.S. at 179 (“The sidewalks comprising the outer boundaries . . . are indistinguishable from any other sidewalks in Washington, D.C., and we can discern no reason why they should be treated any differently.”).
Let's look at the charges, trespass, interference and failure to follow a lawful order. Ok, looks like the U.S. Supreme Court has covered trespass and interference, and since the reporter was well within his rights, the request from the police was actually UNLAWFUL! Thank you Asa, you risked your life as you were shoved into traffic, protecting our rights! We need to demand that the police learn to respect the citizens, we're the ones who have empowered them and we actually have the ability to disempower them. They work for us, as much as they may not want to admit it, we're their bosses. Let's get that straight.