A photojournalist taking a video after a deadly shooting next to the Occupy Oakland camp in San Francisco last week was attacked by members of the movement. The shooting appears to be unrelated to the movement.
Randy Davis, a photojournalist for ABC7, was beaten by members of the Occupy Oakland group when he tried to film the crime scene of a fatal shooting, just metres from the Occupy Oakland campsite. Occupy protesters reportedly formed a chain around the shooting victim and shouted: “No cameras” and “No media”.
Davis, who suffered a concussion, was reportedly punched in the head several times. Also that evening, online journalist Aimee Allison tried to film the scene of the shooting on her mobile phone when it was slapped out of her hand and she was thrown to the ground.
After the shooting, one of the protesters reportedly asked: “Why are the media even here? This happens every day in Oakland.”
IPI has previously reported on cases in which the police have intimidated or even arrested journalists trying to work. For example, Susie Cagle, a journalist and cartoonist, was detained for 15 hours on 3 November in Oakland. She was told by the police that they had never heard of any of the websites she writes for. Cagle is being charged with presence at the scene of a riot.
The relationship between the media and Occupy Oakland organisers has been strained. In October many journalists were removed from the Occupy Oakland camp and protesters set up some specialised rules for journalists. There were even restricted areas in which journalists were allowed to interview certain protesters, which would suggest that some protesters are seeking to control the portrayal of the demonstration. There is a fear that free press is being stifled.
IPI Executive Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie, said: “We are outraged at the treatment of journalists by the some of protesters and the authorities. It is a basic right for journalists to be able to work freely and safely in order to provide us with information. Intimidation and harassment, whether from the side of the protesters or authorities, is simply unacceptable.”