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posted by martyb on Wednesday February 27 2019, @07:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the Get-Off-My-Lawn-Supplies dept.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/02/22/an-arizona-cop-threatened-arrest-year-old-journalist-she-wasnt-backing-down/

When a small-town Arizona cop stopped a 12-year-old reporter who was chasing down a story tip on Monday, he probably had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Hilde Kate Lysiak, the preteen journalist whose exploits have inspired a Scholastic book series and an upcoming TV show, made a name for herself in 2016 by being the first to report on a grisly murder in her hometown, then firing back at the haters who suggested that a 9-year-old girl shouldn't be hanging around crime scenes. Since then, she has continued to break news about bank robberies, alleged rapes and other lurid crimes in the Orange Street News, the paper that she publishes out of her parents' home in Selinsgrove, Pa.

"NOTE TO DEALERS: OSN Will Not Be Intimidated," she wrote last month, after reportedly receiving threats because she had published text message exchanges between an alleged drug dealer and a woman whom he had reportedly solicited for sex.

So naturally, she didn't back down when Joseph Patterson, the town marshal in Patagonia, Ariz., allegedly threatened to throw her in juvenile jail on Monday, then falsely claimed it would be illegal for her to film him and publish the video on the Internet. Instead, she posted their exchange on YouTube and in the Orange Street News — which in turn prompted town officials to discipline Patterson, as the Nogales International was the first to report on Wednesday.

[...] In the Orange Street News, Lysiak wrote that she was riding her bike to investigate a tip at around 1:30 p.m. on Monday when Patterson, whose position in the small town is equivalent to that of a police chief, stopped her and asked for identification. The 12-year-old gave her name and phone number and mentioned that she was a member of the media. She said Patterson told her, "I don't want to hear about any of that freedom-of-the-press stuff" and added that he would have her arrested and thrown in juvenile jail.

Later, Lysiak ran into Patterson again. This time, she was filming.

"You stopped me earlier and you said that I can be thrown in juvie," she can be heard asking in the video. "What exactly am I doing that's illegal?"

From the seat of his white Chevy Silverado truck, Patterson started to reply, then interrupted himself. "You taping me?" he asked. "You can tape me, okay, but what I'm going to tell you is if you put my face on the Internet, it's against the law in Arizona."

In fact, there is no such law. Recording a law enforcement officer in a public place is protected under the First Amendment, as Lysiak noted when she posted the video online later that day.


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday February 27 2019, @09:27AM (15 children)

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @09:27AM (#807519)

    Hilarious. A nine year old girl, more mature and better informed of her rights than the man enforcing the 'law.' A man who doesn't even know the basis of the laws he enforces as he was happy to threaten her first amendment rights without any clue he was doing so. Ignorant of the constitution, his state laws, his own duties as a police officer. And all on camera for a little girl to kick him in the nuts for.

    This little girl may grow up to be a force to be reckoned with.
    At nine playing in the woods and riding my bicycle all over the place (Oh the horror! Unsupervised and miles from home, my parents would of been jailed nowadays.) was probably the largest use of my non-school time.

    Damn, I'm not sure I ever had that intense kind of motivation she shows, good job kid, stick it to "The Man." (Fuck it, I'm old and still use the word groovy too....)

    For the children here---The Feminist and the Fuzz was a 1971 movie starring Barbara (meow!) Eden. The movies title just seemed to fit.

    --
    Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @02:44PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @02:44PM (#807608)

    She'll be assassinated for needlessly pissing off drug dealers and sex workers.

    • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:11PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:11PM (#807625)

      And her family too. One wonders why the police don't just call CPS on them. Keeping a girl from hanging around crime scenes doesn't sound like something outside the Overton window.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:37PM (1 child)

        by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:37PM (#807668)

        Lysiak, whose father is also a journalist, hasn’t said what brought her to rural southern Arizona. But she has found no shortage of stories to cover there. Last week, she interviewed residents to see how they felt about President Trump’s proposed border wall, then briefly hopped over the barbed-wire fence separating the United States from Mexico. “Even a 12-year-old can easily get through it,” she commented.

        Uhhhhhh...I get that maybe dad likes her following in his footsteps, but really, none of this gives him pause?

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:40PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:40PM (#807708)

          They'll probably find her raped and mangled body in a ditch one day. Drug dealers aren't the forgiving kind.

    • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday February 27 2019, @06:32PM

      by nitehawk214 (1304) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @06:32PM (#807729)

      Car bomb for exposing something like the Panama Papers.

      --
      "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Thexalon on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:38PM (3 children)

    by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:38PM (#807643)

    This girl was 12-year-old, not 9-year-old.

    But yes, that seems to be the "problem" with kids these days. Damn kids actually paying attention in civics class and knowing their constitutional rights, like the 11-year-old who got arrested for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance [usatoday.com]. What is this world coming to, when authoritarian adults can't abuse kids freely anymore?

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:32PM (1 child)

      by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:32PM (#807666)

      Yeah, saw the age error on the age the moment I hit submit. Damn Craft Beer.....

      I have no idea where the wrong age came from.

      In answer to your question, perhaps a classic....

      Revolution in their minds the children start to march
      Against the world in which they have to live
      And all the hate that's in their hearts
      They're tired of being pushed around
      And told just what to do
      They'll fight the world until they've won
      And love comes flowing through, yeah

      Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
      Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?
      Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?
      Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear, yeah

      So you children of the world
      Listen to what I say
      If you want a better place to live in
      Spread the words today
      Show the world that love is still alive you must be brave
      Or you children of today are children of the grave, yeah

      Songwriters: Frank Iommi / John Osbourne / Terence Butler / W.T. Ward
      Children of the Grave lyrics © T.R.O. Inc.

      --
      Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
      • (Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday February 27 2019, @07:44PM

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @07:44PM (#807773) Journal

        She was nine when she began her illustrious journalism career.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday February 27 2019, @06:26PM

      by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @06:26PM (#807726)

      "...made a name for herself in 2016 by being the first to report on a grisly murder in her hometown, then firing back at the haters who suggested that a 9-year-old girl shouldn't be hanging around crime scenes."

      Looks like the "9 year old" comment is what someone said about her in 2016 when she was investigating a murder.

      --
      "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:49PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @03:49PM (#807646)

    Hilde Kate Lysiak for president 2044!

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:30PM (2 children)

    by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @04:30PM (#807665)

    Hilarious. A nine year old girl, more mature and better informed of her rights than the man enforcing the 'law.' A man who doesn't even know the basis of the laws he enforces as he was happy to threaten her first amendment rights without any clue he was doing so. Ignorant of the constitution, his state laws, his own duties as a police officer

    I have a hard time applying Hanlon's Razor in these sorts of police jerk cases. I bet he was purposely lying, assuming that she was an average dumb kid that didn't know her rights. Hell, there's a lot of *adults* whom he would've fooled.

    my parents would of been jailed nowadays

    "Would have been", please.

    At least it sounds like they weren't ballsy enough to try to shut down her newspaper. Not knowing what your state laws about filming cops are is one thing; the First Amendment is another.

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Immerman on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:38PM

      by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:38PM (#807705)

      Frankly, if officers of the law lying to citizens about their rights isn't illegal, it should be.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Mykl on Thursday February 28 2019, @01:03AM

      by Mykl (1112) on Thursday February 28 2019, @01:03AM (#807912)

      Agree. Most of the time in these situations the cop isn't "Clueless", he's "Intentionally lying to bully someone".

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:58PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @05:58PM (#807717)

    You have an amazingly flexible definition of "hilarious"!

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday February 28 2019, @02:26AM

      by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Thursday February 28 2019, @02:26AM (#807937)

      I would say if you don't find it hilarious your definition is too narrowly defined.

      --
      Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.