CNN reporter Don Lemon said a St. Louis County police officer pushed him away from the sidewalk where he was reporting live form Ferguson, Mo. on Monday.
During a segment on “The Situation Room,” CNN cut to Lemon as he was being corralled away from the road.
“I think we’re about to be arrested because we’re standing on the sidewalk,” Lemon said as a police officer told him to move out of the way.
Only one officer physically started pushing Don Lemon back from the sidewalk.
“That’s what’s happening here. People are here. And they are standing — you can see what’s happening. We’ve been standing here all day,” Lemon said. “They told us to come here. I can’t move. I’m not resisting a police officer. I’m being pushed back.”
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.
A police officer then told Lemon that they had traffic concerns, and that people needed to move to an empty parking lot where they wouldn’t get hit by a car. Lemon said that nobody was in the street until they were asked to relocate.
“So I think from my perspective here, the police actually created the traffic situation and the situation that’s going on,” he said.
This whole thing allegedly started because a white cop wanted a black man to get ON the sidewalk.
A clear case of RWB (Reporting While Black).
Edit: though to be fair, the cops have thus far been scrupulous to fuck with (i.e., deny the constitutional rights of) reporters heedless of race, creed, or color.
I wonder what Ferguson cops talk about at their Klavern after work.
I see on faux news they say they want to see the toxicology report,I also find it so interesting with may he Rest In Peace,Trayvon Martins shooting happened at night with no witnesses this shooting happened in broad daylight with witnesses and there are still problems.
faux news(small F) are trying so hard to spin this story it’s ridiculos.
Oh Don, finding out what it’s like being Black in America I see,even with CNN logo on your mike.
Sounds like Don Lemon may want to rethink some of his “blame yourself” rhetoric.