Why should indy journalists like MacArthur, who serve
as a bulwark to abuse of power by all three branches of government, given the
yellow journalism spouted by the major (corporate) media outlets, be targets
for harassment, abuse, and detention--as if this were a Third World Country?
These are some of the questions to be tackled at this event.
On Thursday, December 20, friends of MacArthur will vigil
outside the detention center where he is being held during rush hour, to draw
attention to his plight. A brief press conference will also be held.
Please bring candles and signs saying "Free
MacArthur" (or other relevant signs of your choosing).
MacArthur's Baltimore Spectator may be viewed here:
http://baltimorespectator.com/
--------------------
Case details:
MacArthur was reporting from the scene of various police
brutality incidents. He used very rudimentary equipment, including a laptop, a
microphone, speakers, and maybe one or two other pieces of portable equipment.
But his radio program, which can be accessed through his webpage
(http://baltimorespectator.com/) had garnered a large audience, partially in
response to concerns about and dearth of reporting on police brutality.
(MacArthur's past programs are still archived there, and the most recent one,
which he recorded just prior to his recent arrest, appears on the main page).
In the process, he earned the wrath of the police. As he explains in his last
broadcast, he experienced a break-in at his house (around 3:00 AM) one day. He
called 9-11 (after getting the situation under control with a firearm he
legally owned). The police arrived, did not pursue any suspect, but instead
arrested him on gun charges. This occurred despite the fact that he was in his
own house for the duration of that incident.
Resultant from this concocted incident, there was an
outstanding warrant for MacArthur's arrest. He learned of the warrant as a
result of an anonymous tip (he frequently received anonymous tips). As he said
in his last broadcast, he had--upon receiving the tip--planned to surrender to
the authorities, but given his role as muckraking journalist and the
concomitant past gross violations of his rights by police, he wanted to make
sure he informed the right people (and enough of them) to look out for him
while he was gone--prior to making his surrender.
Before he could surrender, SWAT teams surrounded his house.
In fact, they cordoned off the entire block where he lived, creating a
situation so volatile that he feared for his life. Somehow, he remained calm,
speaking via telephone to them from inside his house, all the while
broadcasting the negotiation of his freedom over the Baltimore Spectator. He
criticized police mis-use of resources, pointing out that while his house and
block were cordoned off as if he were public enemy no. 1, drug running, rapes,
robberies, and the like continued unabated in the area. He told them they were
blackballing him to his neighbors, that his neighbors would never trust him
again, and that they (the police) were ruining his life, as they have done to
so many other innocent Baltimore natives.
They asked him why--if he were aware of the outstanding
warrant--he didn't voluntarily surrender on his own terms to prevent the
current situation. He reminded them it was a Saturday night, that it was next
to impossible to reach counsel on the weekend, and that he would rather not
spend the weekend locked up. After a few hours of this, he surrendered and was
taken to Central Booking.
The police did not have a warrant to enter his house, and he
made very clear that he did not want them there, out of fear that evidence
would be planted to incriminate him. This may be exactly what happened, because
they entered, searched the premises, and claimed to have found a sawed off shotgun
there. MacArthur supporters say the weapon was planted there. Some go to the
extent of saying it was the same gun which was confiscated from him in the
earlier incident, but sawed off and then returned to his property to
incriminate him (since a sawed off weapon carries a heavy penalty). He remains
in custody at Baltimore's infamous Central Booking, and is being denied bail.
Attempts are being made by local corporate media and others to paint this
courageous, cutting edge journalist as mentally unstable--although his
broadcasts clearly indicate otherwise--and it is likely he will be sent for
psychiatric evaluation at Springfield or another detention facility for the
mentally afflicted. He is scheduled for a hearing January 4.
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