Video of Ferguson police gassing news crew and dismantling their equipment

boingboing ^ | Aug 14, 2014 | Rob Beschizza

[slumber1]

A news crew, clearly no threat or impediment to the cops, films from a verge in Ferguson, Missouri. A pop and a cloud of white smoke marks the arrival of a tear gas canister at their feet, and the newscrew is forced to flee. Moments later, police pull up in an armored van and hurriedly try to break down the film equipment--until they notice that another crew is still filming them from across the street.

[slumber1]

The news crew was from Al-Jazeera America but still this crosses the line

[circlecity]

"A news crew, clearly no threat or impediment to the cops, films from a verge in Ferguson, Missouri."

A "verge"?

[Scrambler Bob]

Gee I thought SWAT was for me, not the “News”.

[BigEdLB]

I don’t think it would be dismantled if it were a TRULY domestic media. Even the creepy MSMs. There is something viscerally despicable about Al-Jazz.

[Zhang Fei]

Boingboing is a far left website. Hard to tell what is happening from the carefully-edited footage alone.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

A "verge"?

According to Wikipedia, "verge" is one term (among many) for the strip of grass between the sidewalk and thre street. I'd never heard it used that way either.

[Red Badger]

verge1
[vurj]

Synonyms
Examples
Word Origin

noun
1.
the edge, rim, or margin of something:
the verge of a desert; to operate on the verge of fraud.
2.
the limit or point beyond which something begins or occurs; brink:
on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
3.
a limiting belt, strip, or border of something.
4.
British. a narrow strip of turf bordering on a pathway, sidewalk, roadway, etc.
5.
a decorative border, as on or around an object, structural part, etc.
6.
limited room or scope for something:
an action within the verge of one’s abilities.
7.
an area or district subject to a particular jurisdiction.

[Red Badger]

It’s mainly a British-ism................

[cripplecreek]

The media needs a kick in the teeth.

(Twitchy)‘Mic’ editor: Reporters’ rights ‘rise above’ average citizens'; Tweet deleted

[manc]

Isn’t that website a left wing group ?

Also left wing media promoting left wing agendas to get the left wing outraged and get left wing votes out for the elections.

I have no sympathy for them

[First_Salute]

2 bottles were thrown last night. 1 toward a vehicle operated by the police (at their right flank). The 2nd bottle, apparently a "Molotov," was thrown up on to the roof of a small car wash to the left rear flank of (and at some distance from the end of) the police line. Pic taken while the sun was still up and *before* the bottle tosses and agitator's political chanting thru the bullhorn.

Map of the area. The police line crosses W. Florissant Ave., north of Maline Creek.

We presume to be a police officer, on top of a vehicle operated by the police. The fully-automatic rifle is magazine-fed; and possibly this man and rifle are the source of a number of rubber bullets fired - carelessly, despite the sniper-scope - into the crowd. Members of the media were targeted, an unwise police action.

Prior to the bottle tosses, there had been distinctly different views on the Michael Brown death - events - and what was happening, both locally and nationally as a result, among people in the crowd/protest last evening, in Ferguson, MO.

There were people who said that Obama and The Race Card Players (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton et al) are all talk, which was countered by some Chicago area stalwart union types whose comments amounted to "Don't diss Obama." The people in general were *not* in agreement about the "black power politicians" interests and intent.

Such distinctions changed a lot, over the evening leading to dusk, as local people went home for dinner and the evening, but out-of-towners showed up with determination to confront (at a distance) the police line.

Other than a fellow who showed up after the sun went down, and he had a bullhorn and led chants trying to whip up the crowd of about 150 people, there were some young black men who were prepared to launch bottles --- these may be the people who caused the police to change tune, from "You can continue to protest peaceably" to "You are no longer protesting peaceably and must leave the area."

After the bottle tosses, the police quickly responded with a warning and commenced to fire rubber bullets and tear gas. That caused the protesters and media to flee away from the police, more than 200 ft. Followed by the police repeatedly stating that "You must leave the area; return to your cars and homes; or you will be subject to arrest." The police said that *a lot.* There was plenty of warning and opportunity to "call it a night."

There were several different news media types present. Some, local TV; some, Internet-based. For unknown reasons, at least 2 separate local TV news teams were attacked by the police

... again, an unwise police action. While the other more footloose, Internet-based media who kept video rolling, were at times accurately relating events but at other times were *over-stating* events.

One team, I believe it was from infowars.com, retreated along Lang Dr. to the west of Florissant Ave. At some distance along Lang Dr., they encountered a husband and wife standing outside their home. The wife did a pretty good job of summing up the situation. She squarely said, that the violent protestors and thieves (of the previous destruction re the QT store) were in the wrong, but she added that the police had made a number of mistakes and were in the wrong on those counts, too.

One thing that the police and public officials seem to be unaware of, is how good the intel is among the neighborhoods. Certainly, people are unhappy about events, and there is some bias regarding what happened to young Michael Brown, but the awareness - among the local people - of who are the good cops and who are the bad cops, seems to very specific.

Overall, the "unrest" of last night (Wed., Aug. 13th), was the result of some out-of-town agitators - about 2 dozen - plus some young men who piled on.

Some of such, who like to pile on, picked on a white man, accusing him of "being with the cops," and they pummeled him for a bit --- while locals kept telling the "boys" to stop.

To the limited extent of the travels of the video-graphers, it seemed clear that the local residents are unhappy and willing to protest, but they do *not* seem to be the cause of violence and destruction.

[DJ MacWoW]

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[Red Badger]

Al-Gas-here-a....................

[dfwgator]

A pox on all their houses.

[Fido969]

I thought the Ferguson police were NOT using armored cars.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Hard to tell what is happening from the carefully-edited footage alone."

I had no problem telling what they were doing.

The laid the lights down then pointed the camera to the ground.

They apparently did not want the camera aimed in the direction it was aimed.

not hard to figure out.

[wbill]

Hmmm....

Well, in general, I had a generally unfavorable opinion of the rioters, and a generally favorable opinion of the police. It looked like they removed a undesirable from the gene pool this past weekend, and all of the ensuing riots were predictable.

Now ..... I'm not so sure. The shoot is looking worse and worse, and the local police's behavior is bordering on criminal. Between them, and the rioters, this is looking like a Stupid + Stupid = More Stupid -type situation.

[MarMema]

Yes it does, politely telling them they had to leave would have been ok. Tear gas was not.

[gdani]

Today it is Al Jazeera & these protestors. Tomorrow, it could just as easily be tea partiers & conservative media.

Just give the police/Govt the chance & they'll prove me right.

Our government & their armed enforcers are making this country more "us vs. them" every day. And, if you're reading this - guess what? The Govt considers you a them, not an us.

[donozark]

Not trying to take sides nor justify police actions, however, many cops are vets. Combat vets. Suspect if/when they saw Al-Jazeera guys, they may have “flashed.”