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Democratic Convention 2008: Film, Beefy Police Manhandle Skinny ABC Journo?

August 28th, 2008
By DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, Assistant Editor, TMV Columnist

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This story is a little too reminiscent of the moat Dick Cheney dug around his secret meetings with lobbyists and elected officials re oil legislation/favors et al when he first came into office a million years ago under George Bush. Cheney claimed he didn’t need to let any journo in, that his private meetings with influential people were not under ‘the people’s right to know.’ None of our beezwax. He stonewalled Freedom of Information Act requests repeatedly. Got away with it too. Not enough peasants, pitchforks and torches, it would seem.

At the Democratic National Convention in Denver today though, it seems like ‘the old way’ is still being promulgated. I sincerely hope not.

But you decide: Here’s the story, and below is the video.

ABC producer, Asa Eslocker is in Denver, working with Brian Ross the well known investigative reporter who covers lobbyists and looks into ‘under the table’ hand-holding where influential people seek to broker favor and deals with those in governmental power.

Mr. Eslocker was at the Brown Palace Hotel with a film crew to cover a meeting between Democratic legislative higher-ups and major-domo donors… who were meeting there in private-private.

The film below opens as an off-duty Denver police officer hired as a security officer to ‘guard’ the sequestered meeting seemingly uses excessive aggression… to what? Latest reportage is, to keep said Asa Eslocker from ‘blocking’ the sidewalk and the entrance to the Brown Palace Hotel.

Firstly, the entrance to the Brown is wide and huge, opening into a palatial many stories high lobby which is surrounded by upscale restaurants, Ellingtons, Ships Tavern, et al. Old fashioned but time honored hotel, but you’d need approximately twenty people standing side-by-side, arms locked, to block the entrance, and another 20 persons or so to block the sidewalk at the Brown.

Secondly Mr. Eslocker is thin and spindly (sorry Asa, ’slender’ is probably a better term) and the police officer looks like he outweighs Asa by double…

Thirdly, why is grabbing a fellow by the throat suddenly Denver Police, Mayor John Hickenlooper, Governor Bill Ritter, and DNC protocol for dealing with pesky, nosy journos?

Fourthly, note officer with the cigar hanging out of mouth, joining in… Can it be that this casual Kojak approach to strong-arming and arresting a person is new protocol for Denver officers?

That can’t be. There’s a dress-and-conduct-code for DPD on or off-duty. And, most officers are lief to be violent when a person is not resisting and the ‘crime’ is non existent. Most of the officers I know, and care about, are regular people, often enough brave. They are most often family men who truly try to keep the peace. They’re interested in helping people, apprehending ‘the bad guys,’ and trying to stay alive to take their grandchildren to Boy Scouts. Few have phony-wannabe Blackwater dreams.

Fifthly, we do know that people sitting down in front of a recruiting office and blocking the entrance to anyone attempting to pass through, is against the law.

Sixthly, I’m not sure we ever knew that people talking on the telephone while covering a political story are not allowed to stand on the public sidewalk.

Seventhly…. Or… Is the real deal that the ABC journo/ producer was arrested to prevent him from covering a Democratic function… one that surely comes under the category of ‘the people’s right to know’?

But then, after eight years of “no right to know nuttin” no matter who asks, inquires, investigates… maybe quashing of free flow of information has somehow jumped like fire from one party to the other? Let it not be so. Otherwise Barack’s idea of ‘new America’ will just turn into ’same ‘ol, same ‘ol America’, instead.

Here is the film clip for you to view:

—-the street the ABC producer is being pushed into is a one-way street which is blocked with a few cones, and is still open to buses and other ‘people transporter’ vehicles that can come barreling through at any time.



This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 1:07 am and is filed under Democratic Party, Newsweek Blogitics, ABC News, Denver Democratic National Convention, Law Enforcement, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, TV News, Civil Liberties, Law & Legal Matters. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 6 Comments

    • ^
    • v
    All he needed to do to avoid all of that was not pop off to the officer when he was asked to move at the outset of that clip.

    When an officer asks you to move, the correct response is not "Okay, hold on" as if your shit doesn't stink.

    (Interestingly enough, what we don't see is what happened right before this clip began. Based on how the officer asked him to move in the clip, I'd bet that the producer had been asked to move prior to the point when we joined in.)
    • ^
    • v
    But was he asked by an on-duty police officer or a hired security guard (who happens to be a police officer)? Cause sorry, he doesn't have to listen to a private security guard for any reason. And even if he was a police officer, pushing someone into a street is not SOP.
    • ^
    • v
    I'm not defending all of the officer's actions... I think he clearly got wrapped up in his authority and crossed a line. I was criticizing Eslocker's behavior... which absolutely had a hand in how things escalated. He's not innocent in this matter.

    It's pretty simple: When a guy who's been tasked with keeping an area clear asks you to move, your response shouldn't be a dismissive "Okay, hold on." Eslocker didn't do himself any favors by behaving like a self-important brat.

    All he had to do was take a few strides and all of this likely would've never happened..
    • ^
    • v
    I think we should always defend police abuse of authority. They are always right. Public property is actually police property because they are more public than you. When anyone asks you to do something, no matter how ridiculous, you should immediately comply, because they could be an off duty police officer. Police should be allowed to physically assault you whenever they feel like it because thats what any reasonable person would do. You should never attempt to clarify a police officer's instructions no matter how confusing or dangerous because they are superintelligent and never make mistakes like mere mortals. The first amendment doesn't really apply anymore because back when it was written they didn't have sidewalks to contend with.

    It is doubtful that there will be a prosecution for this, it is simply the police abusing their authority to remove a nuisance as opposed to dutifully enforcing the law. Isn't there some old adage about picking fights with people who buy their ink by the barrel? Or in this case, sell their advertising air time by the millions?
    • ^
    • v
    I agree there was abuse of authority. But to suggest that Eslocker was 100 percent innocent is a crock. The tape doesn't lie: he decided to get mouthy with a cop. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that's rarely the smart play.

    Conveniently, the interaction between the two men just prior to when it got ugly is missing... and there's a hole in the tape just prior to Eslocker's arrest.

    It makes me wonder why.
    • ^
    • v
    I cannot believe your comments! Have you lost your minds! You have a right to stand on any sidewalk in america and protest or interview anyone who passes by as long as you do not impeed their movement. To say you have to obey every command of police when they they give you an unlawful order is the very reason the country is in the mess we are in. This is not 1942 Germany yet! If good men do not stand up for our rights, then tyranny will rule our land. Let me see, when it comes to america, we only have two rights when it comes to police, Sit Down And Shut Up?!
 
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