Posted on 10/22/2014 6:08:48 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
An independent journalist who has been live-streaming the Ferguson protests for several weeks says all of his equipment was robbed from his car after police searched his car and didn't lock his doors after they put him under arrest for unpaid traffic tickets.
Bassem Masri, a St. Louis native who works as a distribution manager by day and an activist journalist by night, is suspicious about the arrest because the night before it happened, state troopers pulled him over and tried to do a background check, but weren't able to because their system was temporarily down.
"I'm always honest with the police," Masri tells Daily RFT. "When they pulled me over, I tell them, 'Look, I have a few warrants.' But they couldn't look it up because their system was down, so they let me go."
The next morning, however, officers from the city pulled Masri over just minutes after he left his home and placed him under arrest for the traffic warrants. And Masri says they didn't bother to lock the doors to his car that had his valuables inside.
"They left my car on the side of the road, and everything got stolen: my clothes, my iPad, my equipment, everything got stolen. Gone," he says.
Masri, 27, is open about his traffic-ticket problem and says he has been arrested approximately 40 times for moving violations -- mostly for driving without a license. It all started back when he was nineteen and got into a car accident without insurance. He was ordered to pay $50,000 in damages, but he couldn't come up with the money. As a result, his license was suspended for fifteen years.
But he needed to drive, so he kept acquiring tickets for driving with a revoked license, which then turned into warrants -- a common problem that has been one of the main points of the Ferguson protests.
"I've been arrested 40 times, almost, for traffic tickets -- never did anything else besides that," Masri says. "I got behind once, and I've been in the cycle ever since."
Masri ended up spending twelve hours in the St. Louis City Justice Center. He says he was shocked that city cops arrested him because, from his experience, they usually don't bother people for traffic-ticket warrants unless there's a gun or drug charge involved. Plus, he explains, police know him and his family because they have close ties to the community.
"But all that went down the drain once I started doing Ferguson," explains Masri.
Despite the change in attitude, Masri says, there were some police officers who offered some words of encouragement.
"Not all of them are bad. Some of them even want to speak out," Masri says. "One of them told me that he comes down there and protests with us, but we don't know that he's a cop. Cops come and protest with us, too."
Losing all his equipment hasn't held Masri back. Shortly after getting out of jail, he started an online fundraiser to raise $5,000 to replace his equipment and to buy food and supplies for protesters.
He also has an old iPhone that he plans on using to live-stream the protests until he can replace his cameras and iPad.
"I'm just gonna get back in the streets and keep doing this," he says. "[My arrest] reaffirmed my position about why we're doing this. It became even more important to do it because this is not a way to live for nobody."
In his blog talk radio profile he says:
Born in St Louis and raised here I lived in East Jerusalem in Palestine from 98-00 Al Quds Wad IL Jos neighborhood where my father is from. My mom is from Ramallah West Bank....."
From Breitbart Oct 21, 2014: Watch this 4:48 video to learn about Bassem Masri (Masri is the one videoing and speaking). He rails against Israel.
The cops didn’t lock his car and his stuff got stolen so no doubt he will blame the cops.
Sucks to be him I guess.
A commie should be glad to share his belongings with the rest of Ferguson’s “oppressed.”
This is the guy who shut down the CNN report from Ferguson and was screaming how CNN is run by Israelis. Karma strikes again.
“he has been arrested approximately 40 times for moving violations — mostly for driving without a license.”
This bastard doesn’t understand why its bad to drive without a license...and undoubtedly without insurance? What if he ran into my car - he would effectively be ‘stealing’ the value of my car, legs, life....whatever he happens to destroy and can’t compensate me for.
Screw him.
How dumb can one Sand Rat be. First, he did not pay his traffic tickets. Second, he parked his car near a free fire zone. Probably near Martin Luther King Blvd. Third,he failed to realize that the POlice have no reason to lock his car. Especially since it might have to be towed.
Did you hear some of the interviews with the “occupy” commies about their iPhones and laptop computers, etc?
They tried to make a distinction between their “personal property” and “capital property” -
they should be able to own personal property,
but all capital property is supposed to be shared.
So he’s trying to bring the Gaza to St Louis?
This punk is a St. Louis “Native,” but while my family has been here since ca 1690, the left calls me an immigrant??
(1) Should have hired an attorney, both his suspension and penalties could have been drastically reduced.
(2) He could have still gotten a driver's license strictly used for work and emergencies.
(3) He could have signed up for SR-22 insurance.
After about 5 years or so he would have been eligible for a regular license again.
It's the least he can do... plus with all the warrants he's racked up - how can he look down on other criminals?
Bassem Masri's got his pity party excuses - they've got theirs. We have to assume he's 'innocent' - and so are the crooks who ripped him off. It's all someone else's fault. That's how it works right
And he was covered by a valid paid up in force insurance policy at the time of each of his ~40 traffics stops?
And valid license plates?
How do you purchase a car, plates or auto insurance without a drivers license?
Let me guess?... The car belongs to his disabled and elderly mother? (Not a citizen but on the dole.)
That’s how this works in Atlanta: When you are arrested and your car impounded, everything in it is stolen. The car is never locked and the impound lot seems to have a thriving business in fencing the merchandise it finds in there. Brown & Brown wrecking got my laptop, for example.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Before he was arrested he shot this . You can hear another big mouth in background, Bella Eiko from Oakland another roving troublemaker,participating in violating the rights of this reporter. Free speech for them , but not anyone else.
As well he should. Once they take control of his car, it’s their responsibility.
“Let me guess?... The car belongs to his disabled and elderly mother? (Not a citizen but on the dole.)”
Probably a pretty good guess. Every one of these man-children who drive around without insurance need an enabler - somebody to register the vehicle, etc. Usually either moma or baby moma.
But that costs money, and this creep is no doubt living on welfare.
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