Occupy Wall Street: NYPD Blocks Photographer Robert Stolarik, Journalists From Covering Protest (VIDEO)

Tensions between the NYPD and journalists continued to run high on Monday as police officers forcefully prevented New York Times photographer Robert Stolarik from taking pictures of Occupy Wall Street arrests.

Stolarik was covering the protests at the World Financial Center when police blocked him from getting shots of people being arrested. One police officer shoved Stolarik when ordering him off the stairs, and another pushed him back with a baton. The scene begins at 2:00 in the footage below.

The aggression set off a testy exchange between the police and Stolarik, who took down one officer's badge number. He later told the Village Voice that he had identified himself as a member of the press to the police, and had his press pass out. "It was clearly visible and he was very aware," he said. "That guy clearly didn't follow the departmental directive from Kelly."

Stolarik's scuffle is the one of the latest in the ongoing showdown between the police and journalists covering Occupy Wall Street. The crackdown began in November when police arrested or acted violently towards journalists in a surprise raid on Zuccotti Park, and again days later.

Since then, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has warned police officers against intentionally blocking journalists from photographing news in public places. The New York Times is also one of several news organizations that recently wrote to city officials complaining about police mistreatment of journalists.

WATCH (h/t New York Observer, starts at 2:00):

 

 

Comments

[phatemu]

08:58 AM on 12/16/2011

Future Riot Shields Will Suffocate Protestors with Low Frequency Speakers

It's not the first crowd control tool to use sound waves, but Raytheon's patent for a new type of riot shield that produces low frequency sound waves to disrupt the respiratory tract and hinder breathing, sounds a little scary.

http://gizmodo.com/5867984/future-riot-shields-will-suffocate-protestors-with-low-frequency-speakers

[dbrett480]

12:59 AM on 12/15/2011

Since there were tons of video and photographs from the OWS protest and arrests, I doubt the police are to blame in this case. If he was the only journalist to experience problems, maybe he should examine his own actions.

[Rodger leMonde]

09:47 PM on 12/15/2011

Apologist for the police state.

[dbrett480]

11:24 PM on 12/15/2011

Not really. I just don't see the evidence that police systematically covered up the press coverage. After all, there were many photos and videos from the OWS protests on many different media outlets. Only one person claims he was blocked.

[C Peele]

05:40 PM on 12/14/2011

Yes, arrest us all. Arrest every last one of us, except the guilty banksters who perpetrated the collapse of the economy through their greed, mismanagement, recklessness and fraud. Arrest the journalists too. The figures are a bit alarming, >5,500 Americans arrested across the nation in the last eight weeks. Shall we make it 4 million? How about 40 million! To the Gulag!

You know there is something rotten when this kind of harassment, arrest, restriction of speech and movement happens in America. It is tragic and un-American!

The real crime, the crime of the century played out right in front of our eyes. We need some accountability and indictments need to be brought against the real criminals on Wall Street. Arresting Americans for exercising constitutional rights is absurd while the ones who stole billions of “hardworking taxpayer’s” money - under the guise of “too big to fail” - walk free and receive bonuses from the people’s tax revenue.

What’s going on here? And don’t get me started about the ones who bow to the oligarchy’s machine, who undermine our constitutional rights by sanctioning state violence against Americans and pine for the status quo.

If unemployment was under 6 percent, there probably wouldn’t have been a movement.

[gungavin]

06:06 PM on 12/14/2011

You called it, babe. What audacity, and we ( 99% ) pay the price: over and over and over!

[JOHN PETRIONE]

02:45 PM on 12/15/2011

WELL, ACTUALLY IT IS QUITE 'AMERICAN". LOOK AT OUR HISTORY. FREEDOM IS SOMETHING THAT EXISTS ONLY IN OUR MINDS, AS THIS NATION BECOMES MORE AND MORE LIKE THE ROMAN EMPIRE.. SAD, VERY SAD.

[Kojak007]

02:22 PM on 12/14/2011

And so we descend into fascism. If we no longer have freedom of the press them we're in real trouble. Ask yourself, why would they not want this to be covered by the press. It seems clear that the protesters are being treated violently and the powers that be don't want this to create sympathy for the OWS movement and are willing to use whatever means to stop these protests.

www.currentlychicago.com

[foresure]

04:52 PM on 12/14/2011

Kojak007:

As a native Chicagoan, who was there for the wonderful events of August, 1968, how could I must ask you how you think that fascism is something new.

I had a friend who lived near Illinois Institute of Technology, which as you know is near where Mayor Daley I lived. I asked him how the neighborhood was strictly white, in view of the fact that was in the deep south side. My friends answer was, "that's they way Mayor Daley wants it".

Then I asked him what would happen in a black person moved in. He didn't hesitate to answer, "he would be killed".

After all we all know the police are there to "Serve and Protect".

Something I bet you don't know about. Google: "Summerdale Police Scandel" . That was in the days when the police really went at it. I lived at 2851 W. Summerdale Ave. 60625

[gungavin]

06:09 PM on 12/14/2011

Thanks for the 'real thing'! Some things never change, do they? Hell, this goes all the way back to Nazi Germany and the brown shirts.

[woody7]

12:49 PM on 12/14/2011

Is it legal for them to block the journalist?

[sbanana]

12:53 PM on 12/14/2011

No, it isn't legal. By beating and preventing journalists from doing their job, the police are engaging in censorship, which violates constitutional rights.

[t jane20]

12:43 AM on 12/15/2011

Apparently corporations (so-called people) have more rights than actual people.

[Doug MacKenzie]

09:23 AM on 12/14/2011

The only thing we can control is our legacy. the NYPD is re-writing their legacy as corporate-sponsored thugs, willing to beat unarmed women. They're pretty tough when beating on and pepper-spraying the peaceful. Their legacy is being torn to shreds by the actions they CHOOSE to take.

[Ed Trader]

02:38 PM on 12/14/2011

The only thing we can do is vote for a mayor that represents and protects the people! When Bloomberg is gone, so will the thugs in charge of the NYPD.

[t jane20]

12:45 AM on 12/15/2011

They're on the wrong side of history. This is stuff for the books, wonder if they realize that yet.

[Bflobaz]

08:30 AM on 12/14/2011

I'll bet there's a headline in the 1930's of newspapers in Germany something to the effect: "Police break-up demonstration" or "Journalists detained covering labor march". The difference between the two is what ... we're further to the west of Berlin and they came-up with social security first? That's not enough of a difference for me and I'd also be willing to wager, the Founding Fathers.

You know who the Founding Fathers are. Theyre' the folks the Conservatives elevate to the godhead when soundbyting those "liberal, activist judges"; but then when a protest involves those they’re not on-board about, the Bill of Rights doesn't have the same priority.

This is exactly when the power of the media; corporate or not, needs to be exercised with lawsuits and the Federal Dept of Justice look into these violations of civil rights as civil and criminal investigations. Prosecute those violating others' civil rights; be it on their own volition or under a wink and nod of superiors and/or all the way into mayors' offices across the continent, what its like to be a real defendant. We’ll see how quickly they ‘lawyer-up’ and gain an appreciation of the Bill of Rights.

[Ganon Banon]

07:35 AM on 12/14/2011

It really should come as no suprise that the percentage of police officers who commit criminal acts roughly mirrors the criminality rate of the general public.

What is a little eye-openig to behold, however, is the mental gymnastics police and elected officials will perform in order to obfuscate or rationalize police criminality when the price of not addressing such crimes sets the precedent for institutionalized corruption and crime.

[foresure]

04:41 PM on 12/14/2011

Ganon:

I would guess it was much higher. When the famous Frank Serpico case broke, the asked the guy if there were any honest New York Police Officers, His answer was that he didn't know if there were any. If you don't know the reference, check out Google.

Secondly, the opportunity to commit criminal acts, with a fair certainly that they will not be noticed, is much higher for police officers than civliians.

Consider the mildest: Cop: You were speeding. Young Woman: Oh no, I can't get another ticket, is there anything I could do? Cop: Well ...

[Tammy Tyler Palmisano]

03:34 AM on 12/14/2011

personally i think all these protestors should go home and let the states cut the police budget as they have planned and let them get laid off...maybe a good dose of reality might remind them they are the 99% too...

[SeattleNick]

09:50 AM on 12/14/2011

Personally Tammy if you are part of the 1% pony up your portion of taxes which you should be paying and help relieve the financial burden of the middle and lower class. If I have to pay 35% who shouldn't you have to pay the same rate.

[Tammy Tyler Palmisano]

03:27 AM on 12/15/2011

did you read my comment or did you stop after all the protestors should go home?

[rfstevens]

03:06 AM on 12/14/2011

Well, what is the 4th Estate going to do about it? Write a letter to the editor?

[Rodger leMonde]

09:45 PM on 12/15/2011

Headlines that get quoted all over the internet.

[rfstevens]

07:05 PM on 12/16/2011

Sounds a little meek to me.

[rpeterson2205]

02:12 AM on 12/14/2011

Seriously. . . journalists have better treatment covering wars in third world countries.

[michelv]

12:56 AM on 12/14/2011

Is this in Syria? Oh wait, it's in New York.

[Vapula]

12:25 AM on 12/14/2011

Fascist thugs are running amok in NYC.

[wlkcrk]

10:37 PM on 12/13/2011

The police can destroy the occupy camps forever but they can't change the thinking of the occupiers.

I don't really understand why the cities and mayors FEAR the occupy movement. If they worked with the movement it could bring about the change that could save some of the cities financially.

What is the real harm of the occupy?? Supply them with toilets and most of the problems are solved.

[TheBlueCoyote]

08:38 PM on 12/13/2011

This reminds me of the Bush policy of restricting press access to the war in Iraq. These people are ashamed and afraid of the truth getting out to the public. One thing that the right learned from the war in Vietnam, where a free press gave us the war every night on the news, is that when the populace has access to the truth they aren't easily fooled. The Fourth Estate protects our freedoms. Fox news is a propaganda tool of the right.

[rfstevens]

03:06 AM on 12/14/2011

That and the draft.