The video of a Los Angeles police officer shooting a rubber bullet at
Channel Nine reporter Lauren Tomasi is as shocking as it is revealing.
In her live broadcast, Tomasi is standing to the side of a rank of
police in riot gear. She describes the way they have begun firing rubber bullets to disperse protesters angry with US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
As Tomasi finishes her sentence, the camera pans to the left, just in
time to catch the officer raising his gun and firing a non-lethal round
into her leg. She said a day later she is sore, but otherwise OK.
Although a more thorough investigation might find mitigating
circumstances, from the video evidence, it is hard to dismiss the shot
as “crossfire”. The reporter and cameraman were off to one side of the police, clearly identified and working legitimately.
The shooting is also not a one-off. Since the protests against Trump’s
mass deportations policy began three days ago, a reporter with the LA
Daily News and a freelance journalist have been hit with pepper balls
and tear gas.
British freelance photojournalist Nick Stern also had emergency surgery
to remove a three-inch plastic bullet from his leg.
In all, the Los Angeles Press Club has documented more than 30 incidents
of obstruction and attacks on journalists during the protests.
https://theconversation.com/in-trumps-america-the-shooting-of-a-journalist-is-not-a-one-off-press-freedom-itself-is-under-attack-258578
Disturbing.
--
"Sinners don't make demands. They make confessions"
-- Septa Unella
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)