The New York Press Club Foundation is calling for an investigation into the reported police aggression against journalists covering the NYPD’s early morning raid of Zuccotti Park.
“As police officers acted to remove Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park, several reporters protested that they were the victims of harassment and that their rights under the First Amendment were violated,” wrote Gabe Pressman, longtime WNBC reporter and president of the New York Press Club Foundation, in a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
“The actions of some police officers were not consistent with the long-established relationship between the NYPD and the press,” Pressman added.
Here’s the full letter…
Dear Mr. Mayor and Police Commissioner Kelly:
On Tuesday morning, November 15th, as police officers acted to remove Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park, several reporters protested that they were the victims of harassment and that their rights under the First Amendment were violated.
A few were arrested or detained.
The actions of some police officers were not consistent with the long-established relationship between the NYPD and the press.
The brash manner in which officers ordered reporters off the streets and then made them back off until the actions of the police were almost invisible is outrageous.
We want the department to investigate the incidents involved this crackdown on Zuccotti Park and we want assurances it won’t happen again.
Sincerely,
Gabe Pressman
President, New York Press Club Foundation
Chairman, Freedom of the Press Committee
According to WCBS, several journalists were arrested while covering the raid, including reporters from The Wall Street Journal, Daily News, and Associated Press, as well as Manhattan local news site DNAinfo.com
WNBC’s Chris Glorioso reported being shoved by police this morning as they restricted his access to the area around Zuccotti Park.