The Newspaper Guild has issued a statement regarding the arrest of journalists during this past Saturday's Occupy protest in Oakland.
The letter, addressed to Mayor Quan and Chief Jordan, states their displeasure with the arrests of at least six credentialed journalists, including representatives of the San Francisco Chronicle, KGO, the Guardian (U.K.) , East Bay Express, Mother Jones magazine, and the SF Bay Guardian.
The letter goes on to say,
"Although several journalists were released quickly on the scene, others were held for long periods of time, making it impossible for them to do their jobs. Numerous reports from the scene document officers ignoring reporters presenting their press credentials and admonishing them for not following orders to disperse."
OPD's own guidelines state, "Even after a dispersal order has been given, clearly identified media shall be permitted to carry out their professional duties in any area where arrests are being made unless their presence would unduly interfere with the enforcement action."
The Guild requests a meeting with the city and police deptartment to discuss how to ensure police no longer interfere with journalists.
