The Oakland Police Department on Monday returned a videotape confiscated last week from an Oakland Tribune staffer by Oakland school district police during an immigration rights protest at the Fruitvale BART station.
Tyska had the video camera running as she was detained by Art Michel, Oakland Unified School District police chief. On tape, he accuses Tyska of hitting his car, orders her into the patrol car’s back seat and at one point accuses her of inciting a riot. The encounter lasts a little over two minutes, before ending when the officer demands the tape. Tyska said the officer grazed her with his car as she was walking backward, videotaping protesters in the middle of the street. He then stopped his car, began yelling profanities at her and accused her of hitting his car and inciting a riot, Tyska said. Michel’s report states that Tyska was detained for blocking the roadway, inciting a riot and breaking a vehicle.
“Her arm struck my vehicle’s right-side view mirror. She yelled something that I could not understand, and the crowd started to yell. I immediately stopped and exited my patrol vehicle to detain Tyska for vandalism and blocking the roadway.” “I have spoken at length with Chief Michel about this incident several times since it happened and he has professed regret that the situation ever occurred,” said Pete Wevurski, managing editor of Bay Area News Group-East Bay, which publishes Tribune. “Even so, we could not ignore what’s on the tape because we take freedom of the press very seriously. It conveys the right for journalists to perform their jobs without interference by any government agency.
This is difficult to watch. Obviously we didn’t see the egregious incident this moron is so upset about, but does he really need to act like such a psychopath?
Updated: Thanks to dannyhaase.
When and where?
Who knows what happened? If you could show context it would be meaningful. Otherwise, it means nothing.
#3. Sorry, but the verbal abuse is unprofessional and provocative.
come one JCD! you need to vet these moderators a little bit better. once again posting videos that are just snippets that dont really explain anything. there was no actual police violence here, in fact, the reporter (i think since there is no other background on this video) was disobeying direct orders by the police officer. i think cops do get ‘jacked up’ from time to time and do go off the deep end, but to just post this video, which obviously is just a snippet of a MUCH larger incident is very irresponsible, McCullough, unless you are in the camp of ‘every cop is a bad cop’. seems to me that you are….
I believe him. I bet she hit the car.
Awesome. Does he put anyone in the back of his patrol car without checking them for weapons? Tough guy, rules.
#4. Well I used to be a cop. And any idiot knows bad behavior when they see it.
calling her a son of a bitch was wrong – fucking hilarious, but wrong.
Even the officers in the other cops are like “Aw crap… oh forget it… I’m out”
Anyone with half a brain knows this cop is acting like a total asshole. How unexpected! Inciting a riot? I’d like to see the whole incident, but just look at how this guy acts.
Now it’s time to ask yourself, is he acting like a “peace officer” like we used to have, or a “law enforcement officer” like we have now.
What a bitch!
All she was doing was trying to egg him on.
He showed remarkable restraint.
I wonder if she’ll strike a passing cruiser again? I seriously doubt it…
12# Who knows what happened? If you could show context it would be meaningful. Otherwise, it means nothing.
Remember: five Supreme court jesters (Rehnquist, Scalia, Kennedy, O’Connor, Thomas) ruled in 1999 that print press is protected free speech, but radio and television are not.
Milwaukee police under a different mayor (Norquist) than they now have used to arrest members of the press on a routine basis — often, once a month. The police always lost their cases.
Typical cop. Typical journalist. What’s all the fuss? No story here. Move along…
One side of the argument is: she hit the car.
The other side is: the car hit her.
This situation is often called a “car accident”.
# 14 Balbas said, “Remember: five Supreme court jesters (Rehnquist, Scalia, Kennedy, O’Connor, Thomas) ruled in 1999 that print press is protected free speech, but radio and television are not.”
Really? Do you know the case name?
Hit his car? In what way? Her elbow? What is meant her by hit? This is not clear. Her car to his car? Her hand? And in any case this freak is way out of control. Beyond unprofessional. Clearly he deals only with brute force, his. Talking, figuring out what was what? No way, this cop. Unfortunately they almost all seem to be agressive anymore, long before anything other else.
You’ve gotta love his professionalism. Threats, cursing, intimidation…I’m so proud we have guys like this to push us around. Seems to be his normal way of handling things, too, since the other cops were acting cool with it. I’m so glad we have video cameras now to document this kind of behavior.
Here is a link to the story
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_10891759
It looks like two people have a bad day.
So a school cop, real cop wanna be, hits a pedestrian, then blames her for the incident.
Sounds like he was overcompensating for scaring the crap out of himself when he realized he could have killed the woman.
I’ve been in a similar situation; Riding motorcycle, fuse blows, everything dies, cop blasts out of shopping center driveway barely missing me as I pull over. Asshole give me a ticket for operating without lights even though I explain the malfunction. Judge throws the case out of court NOT GUILTY.
A total disgrace to the uniform.
A clear attempt to intimidate.
It is frightening that this officer is licenced to carry a loaded weapon.
Clearly, and demonstrably, this officer is so psychologically near to the edge of his sanity that he should be suspended from duty immediately.
ALL the signs are present that this officer is not rational, is not in full command of his faculties, is out of control and is using his position the bully and intimidate the other person. Absolutely frightening.
So. Where are his superiors in this matter? Defence of this behaviour is most certainly not an option. Any court Judge worthy of the title would insist on a complete investigation and a suspension whilst this was in progress (and I work for the Courts every day of the week just so the ‘what does he know’ brigade know where I’m coming from).
Sheesh, what’s all the fuss about? This guys a pussycat compared to some of the asshole cops I’ve met. Oakland no less, those cops are streessed out and with good reason. She’s lucky she didn’t get her sassy little reporter’s butt zapped by a taser!
I agree. I thought he handled it pretty well. He didn’t take her phone and camera. He didn’t frisk her for weapons. He didn’t put her in cuffs. He didn’t slam the door on her leg. He didn’t even touch her. He just told her get in the car.
She is one nervous nelly. I think if she had been calmer it would have helped defuse the tension.
If she had just shut up and did what he said he probably would have calmed down… but his attitude sucks. He should be reprimanded for that.
What I want to know is why she was allowed to keep her video camera after she was placed in the back of the patrol car. If she was being arrested, she should have been searched and handcuffed before being placed there. As for the cops behavior, while some might think it over the top, this happens quite a bit in the real world when dealing with an uncooperative prisoner. He didn’t use excessive force and with the exception of not searching her, didn’t do anything that would get himself jammed up.
That’s right, but it certainly didn’t stop you from having a biased opinion of the incident.
Last time I checked, cops were supposed to be professionals serving the public.
#27 Easier said then done. We don’t live in a perfect world and cops are human too.
#17:
I was under the impression that this was the case. It could’ve been different year …
As I recall, the argument centered on whether “freedom of the press” meant print or modern electronic press. The right-wing members claimed that since the founding fathers didn’t have radio or television, that form of journalism wasn’t protected.
Police somewhere wanted to prevent journalists from taping their arrests, and it all wound up before the Supremes.
Gosh … I hope this isn’t an urban myth.
#26. gquaglia said: “That’s right, but it certainly didn’t stop you from having a biased opinion of the incident.”
I am entitled to a certain bias, like I said, at one time I was a cop, a Federal officer to be exact, and this type of abuse is contrary to any training I ever received. Maybe training has changed, or people are just being intimidated into accepting this type of police abuse…kind of like yourself…you know, sheep like. I suspect cops are being trained to be our overlords, and people like you are enablers.
A little professionalism would have avoided the whole incident.
If a cop acted like this in “cop school,” he would flunk.