Thanks abb! CHECK THIS OUT!
From Ruth Sheehan's Metro Blog:
07/29/06 at 13:01
Ms, Sill,
I'm Walter Abbott and I live in Ruston, LA. I'm in the phone book, if you want to contact me.
I have a question. Is this why you are scared of the Durham PD? This was uncovered earlier today.
Published: November 18, 2004
Last Updated: November 18, 2004
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Mr. James E. Hardin Jr.
District Attorney
Durham Co. Judicial Building
201 East Main Street, 6th Floor
Durham, NC 27701
Dear Mr. Hardin,
On behalf of the American Society of Newspapers Editors, I am writing to protest the recent arrest of Raleigh News & Observer reporter Demorris Lee.
As you know, Mr. Lee was charged with making harassing telephone calls after leaving two voice messages on the home answering machine of an individual from whom he sought comment for a news story. If the facts in this case are as we understand them, it is Mr. Lee who is being subjected to harassment by legal authorities as a result of doing his job as a reporter. Surely it cannot be illegal for a journalist to make a good faith effort to seek fair comment for a news story.
We also find the timing of Mr. Lee's arrest curious. Ruth A. Brown, employed by the Durham Police Department, filed her complaint against Mr. Lee and an arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 22. But Mr. Lee was not arrested until Sunday, Nov. 14, which was several days after he had filed a request with the Durham Police Department seeking additional public records in a case involving one of its employees, Ms. Brown.
Speaking for the hundreds of member editors of ASNE, we condemn this arrest in the strongest terms. Based on the facts as we know them, it is an affront to the First Amendment and constitutes an unwarranted attack on a reporter who was seeking to interview an individual to ensure accuracy and fairness.
We insist that these charges be dropped immediately.
Sincerely,
Karla Garrett Harshaw
ASNE President
Editor, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun
cc: Chief Steven W. Chalmers
Judge Orlando F. Hudson, Jr.
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=5307
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/editor/index.php?title=a_few_responses&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Sorry if this has already been posted.
From abb's links:
"If one of the officers is found to have hurled a racial slur at Thomas, it is difficult to see how he could continue on the job in a town that places such a high value on racial diversity. Such behavior erodes the public's confidence in the department. It also tears down trust in predominant black neighborhoods, and especially in those where the residents don't feel they get a fair shake from the police."
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsedits/56-756593.html
The BALD Officer is the one accused of the racial slurs and Boy comments (along with alleged assault)