Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel.
Police on the scene refused to tell ABC lawyers the charges against the producer, Asa Eslocker, who works with the ABC News investigative unit.
A cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker’s neck, then twisted the producer’s arm behind him to put on handcuffs…Video taken at the scene shows a man, wearing the uniform of a Boulder County sheriff, ordering Eslocker off the sidewalk in front of the hotel, to the side of the entrance.
The sheriff’s officer is seen telling Eslocker the sidewalk is owned by the hotel. Later, he is seen pushing Eslocker off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic, forcing him to the other side of the street.
A police official later told lawyers for ABC News that Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order. He also said the arrest followed a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel.
During the arrest, one of the officers can be heard saying to Eslocker, “You’re lucky I didn’t knock the f..k out of you.”
Eslocker and his ABC News colleagues are spending the week investigating the role of corporate lobbyists and wealthy donors at the convention for a series of Money Trail reports on ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson.”
Welcome to the Obama Age.
Found by Wayne Bronikowski.
“Welcome to the Obama Age.”?!? Are you kidding me? Obama’s not even the President and yet, he’s somehow responsible for this behavior? Given the past 8 years of crimes, human rights violations, constitutional degradation and an increasing police state, don’t you think you should have said something like, “We need Obama NOW!!!”?
It doesn’t matter if this is the Obama age or the McCain age. All politicians will make sure they write laws that benefit them and their benefactors, not the public. It’s a shame that people are arrested when trying to report on it, but we now live in a police state, thanks to those same politicians. This has been happening for quite some time. It only gets worse from here.
“Land of the Free”… Bush style. At least it keeps the lid on what’s really happening…
It’s shocking that political people are acting political.
I personally think that the length of US political campaigns (and the funding of them) is a huge contributor to this problem. In Canada, we will probably have a federal election called next week and I would bet money that we’ll vote before the US.
#11, Dallas,
Good post.
How does one express their outrage at this? This isn’t about the Hotel or who was in the Hotel. It is about police brutality, plain and simple.
Complain all you want about “hypocrites” or whomever. Remember, after they have taken all the protesters and reporters, there will be no one left to cry to when they take you away.
I can’t tell from the article: were the police on the scene in an “official” capacity as police officers, or were they hired by the hotel as security guards?
It’s not that uncommon for individual police officers to hire themselves out as private security — and wear their uniforms while doing so.
The one smoking the cigar — I must imagine there’s a police regulation against smoking, at least while performing an arrest.
#35 “This isn’t about the Hotel or who was in the Hotel. It is about police brutality, plain and simple.”
I’m sure the leadership of the party you support (who were in the hotel & and run Denver) will handle it. Right?
I don’t think writing a letter is going to help unless you live in CO, Denver specifically. Once Obama is elected you can complain to him…
I just had a disturbing thought:
Obama/Biden
vs.
McCain/Clinton (Hillary)
which is worse?
Gaaaaah!
#37, Ignorant Cow-Paddy,
I’m sure the leadership of the party you support (who were in the hotel & and run Denver) will handle it. Right?
Neither the Hotel nor the residents went outside onto public property and arrested the producer. The first requirement before the police may arrest someone is that there is probable cause. Even if the police took orders from the Hotel, that will not absolve them of this crime.
I guess you don’t get out much.
#15 Don’t fool yourself. The Patriot Act was reauthorized by a Democrat controlled congress. If you think they didn’t have a hard-on thinking about thier guy (or gal) in the Oval Office with that law in place you are nuts.
He will sue and get a million bucks. Its the same thing as in New York.
The Obama campaign has also called on the Justice Department to prosecute a group putting out ads mentioning his working relationship with bombers from the Weather Underground. In Chicago a journalist went on the air to talk about it, and they orchestrated a campaign of callers to shut down the interview.
Why is Obama so sensitive about being connected to a guy who taught English?
#3 – BillM
>>There you go John, making stuff up about the
>>Demos again. Mustard is not going to be happy!
Hey, buster. When the Dems do something wrong, I’m all for them being pounded to bits.
So far, I haven’t seen anything that links this flagrant example of abuse of police authority to the Dems, though.
Somebody out to knock the f..k out of that cigar-chomping needle-dicked sarge.
As they used to say in ’68 … “off the pigs”.
And that guy in the video certainly is a pig.
The old sixties street term for police seems particularly apropos to describing Denver’s finest: “PIGS.”
#42 “The Obama campaign has also called on the Justice Department to prosecute a group putting out ads mentioning”
Any details, links?
Show me the money.
Who exactly in Denver is getting paid off for the cops to be acting in this manner? It seems awfully suspicious.
Nothing like a good political story to run up the number of posts on the BLOG!
Don
#39 “Neither the Hotel nor the residents went outside onto public property and arrested the producer.”
No, the Hotel mgmnt asked the police to do so…
But, as I said, the Dems run Denver so I’m sure this will be cleared up soon…
wearing the uniform of a Boulder County sheriff
How could he possibly have jurisdiction? Denver isn’t in Boulder county.
It’s the same ads Dallas complained about before.
#49 Oh, the ads that are true. 🙂
I meant any link to data about the Justice Dept stuff..
He was arrested because he was being a prick.
The First Amendment. Void where prohibited.
we have rights to take MILLIONS of pictures of celebrities, as can blind them and photo them in there OWN backyards…
BUT, we cant document the ONGOING, lives of those RESPONSIBLE for our country??
this sounds like we have the ability to Picture the ANT, but we arnt supposed to take pics of the ROCK that is about to fall on us..
Well, I fully expect the Republican party to stand shoulder to shoulder with the ACLU over this incident. The ACLU had filed a lawsuit in advance of the DNC to preserve the public interest in May and expect swift response.
Although I did not see any GOP support for the May lawsuit, this is a great opportunity for the GOP to partly redeem themselves for leaving the task of civil liberties protection to us Liberals. You’re welcome.
Anyway, does anyone know if that joint announcement might happen at the GOP convention?
#48 – Bernie
>>How could he possibly have jurisdiction?
>>Denver isn’t in Boulder county.
Woops!
Either the guy was moonlighting for Blackwater, or we’re witnessing the birth of an urban myth.
i-j-a-e said, “He was arrested because he was being a prick”.
So, those of us who have a prick can be charged with an accessory to the crime.
The OBAMA age??? This has been going on for a long long time. Anybody with anything to say is restricted to a “free speech zone” out next to the airport where they can rant to their heart’s content and no one need ever see them. That has been happening since Reagan’s first term.
And do we recall Bloomberg’s goon squads at the NY Republican convention? People were arrested for no reason and kept in jail just long enough for the convention to blow out of town.
This sort of thing is not the candidate’s fault. It is the direct responsibility of, and on the direct orders of, the host city whose mayor and council are terrified of looking like Daley in 1968. So instead they look like Louis in Casablanca, rounding up the usual suspects, except they don’t have the excuse of a war zone.
Somebody stole my line. This is sold out criminal cops police state.
They’re still new at it though. Next time they’ll smash the camera.
It’s apparent Johnny C. has a big anti-Obama streak running through him…
“Welcome to the Obama Age”? How exactly does this pertain to Obama, John?
Bias, much?
#56 “GOP to partly redeem themselves for leaving the task of civil liberties protection to us Liberals.”
Like we did with 2nd Amend civil liberty? No thanks.