In an open letter to the documentary community published today at The Talkhouse, filmmaker David Felix Sutcliffe describes a disturbing pattern of citizen journalists - those who document police killings of black and brown civilians - being targeted and arrested by law enforcement in response to their reporting. Most recently the pattern includes Diamond Reynolds who livestreamed the aftermath of Philando Castile's shooting, Abdullah Muflahi who documented Alton Sterling's shooting, and Chris LeDay who uploaded a video of the shooting. Other targets of arrest - and harassment - include Kevin Moore, who filmed Baltimore police dragging Freddie Gray into the back of a van, as well as Ramsey Orta, who documented a Staten Island officer asphyxiating Eric Garner.
Reynolds and Muflahi were arrested immediately and LeDay was arrested 26 hours later by a dozen armed officers. Orta was arrested the day after a medical examiner ruled Eric Garner's death a homicide, and Moore was arrested the evening before a medical examiner's ruling of death by homicide were made public, and charges against six Baltimore police officers were announced.
In response, the International Documentary Association has issued the following statement, asking the Department of Justice to investigate and for our peers in the journalistic community to contribute additional reporting. The statement has been signed by some of our community's most-respected filmmakers. We ask all community members to read the letter, and to add your support by signing.
STATEMENT BY THE INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION:
"We, the documentary community, call upon the Department of Justice to investigate a troubling pattern of abuse of power: the pervasive harassment of citizens who use cameras and social media to document and distribute footage of law enforcement. Whether they identify as citizen journalists, activists, or civilians, it is vital we defend the rights of these individuals to use video as a means of criticizing unjust police activity. We ask for a full investigation into any and all actions taken against them by police departments, and the larger pattern of abuse that has emerged on a federal, state, and local level, and the threat it poses to free speech and a free press.
We also call upon our peers in the journalistic community to investigate and report on these abuses. Chris LeDay, Abdullah Muflahi, Diamond Reynolds, Kevin Moore and Ramsey Orta are just a few of the names of the individuals who have used personal cameras and social media to shine a light on police brutality. By investigating other instances of police violence captured on video by citizens, and what consequences they may have faced, we can expand our awareness of the problem and take stock of the damages."
We invite all individuals to sign and show their support, whether they are filmmakers or concerned citizens.
Click here to sign the statement
(* Academy Award winner / ** Academy Award nominee)
David Felix Sutcliffe - (T)ERROR Simon Kilmurry - International Documentary Association Laura Poitras - Citizenfour * Matthew Heineman - Cartel Land ** Marshall Curry - Street Fight ** Ross Kauffman - Born Into Brothels * James Marsh - Man on Wire * Simon Chinn - Searching for Sugar Man * Morgan Neville - 20 Feet From Stardom * Nick Broomfield - Tales of the Grim Sleeper Shola Lynch - Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed Bernardo Ruiz - Reportero Jehane Noujaim - The Square ** Gordon Quinn - Hoop Dreams Amy Berg - Deliver Us From Evil ** Kirby Dick - The Invisible War ** Amy Ziering - The Invisible War ** Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy - Saving Face * Alex Gibney - Taxi to the Dark Side * Joe Berlinger - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory * Stanley Nelson - Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution Liz Garbus - What Happened, Miss Simone? ** Lucy Walker - Waste Land ** Ryan Scafuro Michael Katell James Demo Dawn Mikkelson Jonathan Josell Daniel Clarkson Fisher Brian Knappenberger Jerry Rothwell Senain Kheshgi Kori Feener Sheila Dianne Jackson Stacy Strazis Fiona Otway Andrew James Bryan Glick Astra Taylor Andrew Kaiser Lyn Goldfarb Patricia Benabe Luis Arruda Sara Rezvi Stephen Maing Luke W Moody Isaac Brown Akiva Gottlieb Andy Stepanian Johanna Hamilton Brent E. Huffman Kate Larkindale Anthony DiFlavio Rick Prelinger Rick Lipinski N'Jeri Eaton Holly Hardman Brock Williams Torene Svitil Bao Nguyen Banker White Jon Blair David Menschel Valentina Canavesio James Dolan Mitch McCabe Julia Bacha Heidi Reinberg Miriam Ryndova Lisa Metcalf Sharika Bivens Vicky Funari Elise McCave Christine Turner Ed Halter Joanna Natasegara Heather Courtney Debora Kodish Karrie Keyes Rebbie Ratner Lillian Isabella Kevin Urgiles Dara Messinger Luke Meyer Iyabo Boyd Sherry Tauber Adele Pham Merete Mueller Chloe Walters-Wallace Jason Halprin Matthew O'Neill Wendy Cohen Thomas Beard Patty Clements Garret Savage Kimberly Bautista Varun Bajaj JT Takagi Lana Garland Amy Foote Bernie Jbaines Marjan Safinia Jennifer MacArthur Mariam Tateossian Pablo Aravena Michele Stephenson Emily Colas Cupertino Jay George S. Scoville III Carol Dudek Isis A. Nelson Nyjia July Rose Vincelli Gustine Nancy Gillard Sonja Williams Yvette Alberdingk Thijm Lisa Hasko Avi S. Adelman Janelle Ryan Jameka Autry Carlos Ballantyne Montricia Hubbard Hanna Stawicki Elaine McMillion Sheldon Rick Baumhauer Thomas Morgan Angelica Das Sanjay Rawal Esther B. Robinson Marina Zenovich Melva Underbakke Leshu Torchin Derek Boonstra Sean Gallagher Shannon Kelley Kristie Alshaibi Elissa Kline Dana Kalmey Sharon Wood Darius Fisher Darren Emerson Megan Mylan Abdula Asanovski | Roger Ross Williams - Music by Prudence * Steve James - Hoop Dreams Rachel Grady - Jesus Camp ** Asif Kapadia - Amy * Louis Psihoyos - The Cove * Barbara Kopple - Harlan County, USA * Joshua Oppenheimer - The Look of Silence ** Eugene Jarecki - Why We Fight John Battsek - Restrepo ** Lesley Chilcott - An Inconvenient Truth * Dawn Porter - Gideon's Army Anne Sundberg - The Trials of Darryl Hunt RJ Cutler - The War Room ** Ondi Timoner - DIG! Gary Hustwit - Helvetica James Longley - Iraq in Fragments ** Yung Chang - Up the Yangtze Nelson George - A Ballerina's Tale Michael Tucker - Gunner Palace Lois Vossen - Independent Lens Justine Nagan - POV Joana Vicente - IFP Milton Talbot - IFP Tabitha Jackson - Sundance Institute Roger David Hardesty Pietra Brettkelly Charlotte Cook Leah Mahan Steve Braker Assia Boundaoui Malika Zouhali-Worrall Jon Watts Mark Kendall Yoruba Richen Mona Nicoara Sara Archambault Andrew Cohn David Darg Sergio Estrada Dava Whisenant Stephen Kijak Daniel Cantagallo Megan Kapler Selina Morales Electronic Frontier Foundation Emily Hamilton Ramona S. Diaz David Holbrooke Danny Yourd David Osit Palli Davis Holubar Tracy Droz Tragos Annie Lenihan Erich Snow David Riker Alysa Nahmias Montana McCloud Marisa Berenbaum Beth McNamara Cecilia Aldarondo Cori Shepherd Stern Elizabeth Lo Jacqueline Chan Anthony Lappe Kristi Jacobson Marjorie Sturm Sabaah Folayan Amanda Lundbom Wade Gardner Matthew Brown Laura Kim Matthew Dagnery Dave Merson Hess Kevin Urgiles Tom White Claire Schriefer Christopher St. John Adam Bhala Lough Catherine Ryan Helene Zund Theresa Navarro Paul G. Lyzun Jeremy Kaplan Christie Marchese Sabrina S. Gordon Assia Boundaoui Mary Garbesi Jessica Chen Nicole Tsien Laurie Parker Nicholas Martin Brian McGinn Angad Singh Bhalla Alison Klayman Sarah Briuer Bolland Sean Tracy Razelle Benally Nikki Brake-Silla Denae Peters Barry Maxwell Nayantara Roy Darcy Heusel Andrea Vieira Dorothy Thigpen Nancy Schwartzman Elizabeth A. Castle S Rader Stephanie Shattuck Snehan Kekre Eva Miller Judy Hoffman Brit Hayford Heidi Nel Tia Lessin Russell Meyers John Bilderback Natalie Avital Samantha Sheldon Liz Dill Joseph Kidston Cecilia Olivas Amy Vandehei Timothy Fryett Greg Connolly Sandra More Eliana Alvarez Jessica Devaney Mary Scioneaux Jean Tsien Amy Grey Gemeem Davis Parthiban Shanmugam Liz Kaufman Margaret Hedden Kristin Feeley Jennifer Galvin Melissa Rothenberger Sandi DuBowski Jan Rofekamp Sandra Tabares-Duque Kelly Fowler
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