Every time I think I'm beyond surprise or outrage over something, a new thing happens in Ferguson. Watch the video of the cops shoving CNN's reporter Don Lemon back in the middle of a live broadcast and let me know what you think about their attitudes and whether they look like 'public servants' or something more sinister.
As another long night in Ferguson begins, the National Guard is on the scene, but so too are the local police, who continue to demonstrate great judgment and a keen grasp on how they're coming across to the outside world. A few minutes ago, police tried to shut down CNN anchor Don Lemon's live broadcast as he stood on a sidewalk in the middle of a group of protesters.
"I think we're about to be arrested because we're standing on a sidewalk," Lemon told a studio anchor in New York, sounding quizzical. A police officer began to shove him backwards while shouting "Move out of the way!" Lemon added, with a bit of understated 'tude, "You can see what's happening. We've been standing here all day. They told us to come here. I can't move. I'm not going to resist a police officer."
After a little more jostling, the officer stomped away and began to corral people who aren't Don Lemon.
Weirdly, Lemon's camera operator seems to be behind the police and not being pushed, though it's hard to tell. More from TPM:
He said that he had been asked to move to his current location earlier in the day, and police were then moving everyone off of the sidewalk from which Lemon was reporting.
"Imagine what they are doing to people when you don't see on national television the people that don't have a voice like we do," he said. "People here are feeling like they are occupied on their streets. They are intimidated by police officers."
When he asked an officer why he needed to move, the officer said Lemon would have to ask his commander.
I added the emphasis there, because when you watch the video you see exactly what he's talking about. No respect, just total authoritarians.
By the way, these were St. Louis County police.
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