Crossing the line: Activist Detroit reporter arrested

>> WELL, ELECTION DAY, LAST
NOVEMBER, A DIFFERENT SORT OF
DRAMA WAS PLAYING OUT ON THE
STREETS OF DETROIT -- A STOLEN
MOTORCYCLE BEING CHASED BY
POLICE CRASHED ON TO A SIDEWALK,
KILLING THE DRIVER AND A PASSING
PEDESTRIAN.
NOW, A REPORTER IS FACING JAIL
TIME FOR GETTING TOO CLOSE TO
THE STORY.
MICHIGAN CITIZEN REPORTER DIANE
BUKOWSKY IS KNOWN FOR HER
CRITICAL COVERAGE OF POLICE IN
THE NEIGHBORHOODS SO IT WAS NO
SURPRISE SHE COVERED THIS POLICE
CHASE GONE BAD.
>> SHE SAYS SHE WAS JUST TRYING
TO DO HER JOB WHEN THE TROOPERS
GOT PHYSICAL, TOOK HER CAMERA
AND THEN HAULED HER AWAY.
>> SHE WAS PHOTOGRAPHING THE
BODIES OF AN ALLEGED MOTORCYCLE
THIEF AND A PEDESTRIAN WHEN
POLICE SAY SHE CROSSED A YELLOW
CRIME SCENE TAPE.
A CHARGE SHE DENIES.
>> I HAD ALREADY IDENTIFIED
MYSELF TO HER.
I SHOWED HER THIS BADGE.
MY PRESS BADGE.
SHE WRENCHED MY ARM UP BEHIND MY
BACK AS HARD AS SHE COULD.
SHE BASICALLY ASSAULTED ME.
>> BUT SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR
ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER.
EVEN THOUGH THIS AMATEUR VIDEO
DOES NOT SHOW HER PUTTING UP ANY
RESISTANCE.
SHE WAS CONVICTED ON TWO OF FIVE
FELONY COUNTS AND FACES UP TO
FIVE YEARS IN PRISON.
HER LAWYER SAYS THE PROSECUTION
WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AND
THAT POLICE WERE MOSTLY
INTERESTED IN A COVER-UP.
>> SHE GRABS MS. BUKOWSKY'S
CAMERA AND ERASES EVERY PICTURE
IN IT THAT SHE TOOK OF THIS
ACCIDENT SCENE.
>> BUT PROSECUTORS INSIST SHE
WAS TREATED FAIRLY.
AND THAT THEY OFFERED HER A
MISDEMEANOR PLEA DEAL WHICH SHE
REFUSED.
>> MY ROLE IS WELL KNOWN AS
COVERING POLICE BRUTALITY.
>> NOW THE QUESTION IS WHETHER
HER NEW ROLE WILL BE AS MARTYR
OR SYMBOL OF FREEDOM OF THE
PRESS.
>> WELL, LET'S FACE IT, SHE
LIVED OUT EVERYBODY'S FANTASY.
YOU WANT TO BUST THROUGH THE
YELLOW TAPE, GET IN THERE AND
GET THE PICTURE, FIND OUT WHAT
THE STORY WAS.
HAVING SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE
CROSSED A POLICE TAPE LINE.
THERE'S A REASON THEY PUT THAT
POLICE TAPE UP THERE.
NOW, THE FACT THAT THEY GRABBED
THE CAMERA AND ERASED THE
PHOTOGRAPHS IS FAIRLY SHOCKING.
UNLESS THEY THOUGHT, NO MATTER
WHAT SHE'S GOING TO USE GRUESOME
AND FRANKLY PRIVATE PHOTOGRAPHS
WHICH ONLY THE POLICE IN THAT
SITUATION SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT
TO RELEASE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE NO
DOUBT THAT THIS WAS A VENDETTA
AGAINST HER.
SHE HAS BEEN COVERING THE POLICE
THERE FOR YEARS APPARENTLY.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE CLASSIC
CASES THE POLICE CHASE GONE BAD.
>> SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT
CAME OUT OF THIS WERE REALLY
TROUBLING.
THE WAYNE COUNTY PROSECUTOR, YOU
KNOW, THAT'S PROSECUTING HER
SAYING THAT THAT DELETING THE
PICTURES WAS HELPFUL BECAUSE IT
HELPED TO KEEP THE PEACE.
IS THAT HOW WE DECIDE WHETHER,
YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF PICTURES
GET OUT THERE?
I MEAN, THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT
COMES OUT OF THE SOVIET UNION.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER -- RIGHT,
WHETHER YOU SHOULD BE TAKING
PICTURES.
SO I THINK THAT'S TROUBLING.
THE OTHER THING IS I WONDER IF
THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE HAPPENING
MORE OFTEN.
AS REPORTING IS INCREASINGLY
TURNED OVER FROM BIG NAMES TO
SORT OF CITIZEN JOURNALISTS, WHO
WORK FOR SMALL PAPERS, WHO ARE
NOT NECESSARILY -- WHO THE
POLICE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN PUSH
AROUND MORE THAN SOMEBODY FROM
"THE NEW YORK TIMES."
>> WELL, OF COURSE, ONE OF THEM
SAID THAT.
IF SOMEBODY SAID IF IT WAS, YOU
WOULDN'T HAVE TRIED THAT.
IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THAT SHE
DID CLEAR THE LINE.
THEY HAVE NO PROOF THAT SHE DID.
IN FACT, THEY WERE BREAKING THE
LAW BECAUSE THEY CAME THROUGH
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NO SIREN
WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW IN
MICHIGAN.
SO ALREADY THERE SHOULD BE --
AND THEN ERASING HER
PHOTOGRAPHS, I DON'T CARE, YOU
KNOW, WHAT SHE DID SHORT OF
STRIPPING AT THE SCENE, THEY
HAVE NO BUSINESS DOING THAT.
IF THEY HAVE A BEEF WITH HER,
SHOW THE PICTURES SAYING -- IN
FACT, THE PICTURES SHOULD SHOW
WHETHER SHE CROSSED THE LINE OR
NOT.
>> EXACTLY.
>> BY ERASING THAT --
>> HOW CAN THEY CONVICT HER
WITHOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS?
BECAUSE IT'S A VENDETTA AS YOU
SAID.
>> IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU A RIGHT
TO CROSS A POLICE LINE, AND
OBVIOUSLY IT DOESN'T, BUT NO
DOUBT THEY TARGETED HER BECAUSE
OF HER PAST REPORTING AND THEY
HAD NO RIGHT TO ERASE THE THINGS
ON THE CAMERA.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, YOU HAVE
TO SORT OF WONDER -- I DON'T
KNOW ALL THE DETAILS TO THIS
CASE AND I DON'T KNOW ESPECIALLY
THE POLICE SIDE OF THE STORY SO
MUCH, AS THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED
THE CHORUS, A VIOLATION OF
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO WONDER
WHETHER THIS PERSON IS REALLY
MORE OF AN ACTIVIST THAN A
REPORTER.
SHE DOESN'T COVER POLICE, SHE
COVERS POLICE BRUTALITY.
THE POLICE KNOW WHO SHE IS, AND
WHAT HER TAPE IS GOING TO BE.
WHICH IS FINE.
BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE THEM THE
RIGHT TO BEHAVE THE WAY THEY
BEHAVED.
>> BUT FIVE YEARS IN JAIL?
>> THAT'S RIDICULOUS.
>> BUT SHE'S ABSOLUTELY AN
ACTIVIST, BUT THE POLICE ARE NOT
TELLING A CREDIBLE STORY HERE.
AS KELLY SAID, SHE DENIES THAT
SHE CROSSES THE POLICE LINE AND
THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT SHE DID
CROSS THE POLICE LINE.
THEY DELETED HER PICTURES.
I WATCHED THAT WHOLE VIDEO AND
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE --
THERE ARE THINGS NOT SEEN ON THE
VIDEO.
>> NO.
>> I MEAN, SHE'S ALREADY IN THE
PROCESS OF BEING ARRESTED BY THE
TIME YOU SEE IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAINLY
NO SIGN --
>> RODNEY KING MISSING 113 --
>> CERTAINLY.
BUT THERE'S NO SIGN SHE IS BEING
DIFFICULT OR RESISTING IN ANY
WAY.
I MEAN, THERE WAS A REPORT THAT
SHE WAS SQUIRMING AND SHE SAID,
WELL, SHE HAS SCOLIOSIS AND SHE
WAS IN QUITE A BIT OF PAIN AT
THE TIME.
>> IT DIDN'T LOOK SHE WAS
SQUIRMING ON THE TAPE.
>> NO.
THIS DESERVES A FULL BLOWN
INVESTIGATION TO SEE WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THAT IT IS FOR "GREATER BOSTON".
WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT THE
WEBSITE.
GO TO BEATTHEPRESS.ORG.
AND YOU WILL SEE THE BLOG,
TALKING BACK TO THE MEDIA.
AND YOU CAN TALK BACK TO US OR
IF YOU'D LIKE TO E-MAIL US.
MONDAY, THE BERNARD MADOFF
AFFAIR, WE'LL TALK WITH ONE OF
THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO SUSPECTED
HIM OF FRAUD.
AND SPRING AWAKENING, THE
MUSICAL.
THAT'S AT 7:00.
FROM ALL OF US, I'M EMILY ROONEY,
GOOD NIGHT.