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Snopes reports
Six journalists could spend up to 10 years in prison after being arrested during protests against President Donald Trump's inauguration.
The Guardian identified the journalists as freelancer Aaron Cantú; Vocativ senior producer Evan Engel; Jack Keller, producer for the online documentary Story of America; independent journalists Matt Hopard and Shay Horse; and RT America reporter Alex Rubinstein.
The group was charged under a District of Columbia statute penalizing "every person who willfully incited or urged others to engage" in a riot causing more than $5,000 in property damage with the potential 10-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $25,000. More than 200 people in total were arrested the day of the 20 January 2017 inauguration; they were reportedly arraigned the following day and will be back in court in February and March.
[...] Another independent journalist and documentarian, Tim Pool, said on Twitter that he and two NBC News journalists were also arrested during the 20 January 2017 demonstrations but released without charges. Pool said that a supervising officer told him "no less than three times" that they were under arrest. NBC News has not responded to our request for comment regarding Pool's account.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday January 27 2017, @02:40AM
Arguing with cops isn't a crime. Therefore, the arrest that you assure is coming is completely unlawful, and should be treated as a kidnapping. That you are plainly accepting that that is the way it is, and by all appearances that's the way you think it should be, suggests that you aren't really comfortable with the concept of "rule of law".
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Friday January 27 2017, @04:12PM
Do not infer what I did not imply. I'm not accepting it. I believe I stated at least twice that it is unfair. I'm just keeping myself out of jail. If you want to argue with cops at a violent protest, be my guest. I have responsibilities to my family, my pets, my community and my own declining health. I have no intention of going to jail and putting myself in mortal danger just to please your sense of justice, motherfucker.
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Friday January 27 2017, @04:18PM
Additionally, you are wrong. In an emergency situation, arguing with the cops IS a crime. It is against the law everywhere to interfere with a police officer while they are carrying out their duties.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday January 27 2017, @05:18PM
1. Who gets to decide what is and what isn't an "emergency situation"? A cop's job is to deal with emergency situations, after all.
2. How is arguing with a cop interfering with their ability to carry out their duties? The cop can always proceed to do what they often do, which is ignore the objections of the people arguing with them and proceed to bust heads (or, in more extreme cases, shoot to kill).
I understand full well that the cops would like to be able to invent crimes that allow them to arrest and jail people who annoy them, but that doesn't make it legal or right.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.