Oh that fair and balanced Fox, it strikes again! Doing a search of the intertubes today one finds several reports about calls to investigate the NYPD's actions against the Occupy Wall Street protesters.
CBS, The Washington Post, WNYC, Associated Press, FLTimes, all report Congressman Jerry Nadler's calls to investigate the use of excessive force at Zucotti Park:
Jerry Nadler (D), who represents New York’s 8th congressional district, said in a statement that he is urging Attorney General Eric Holder to “launch a thorough investigation into law enforcement activities surrounding Occupy Wall Street — and its national offshoots — to determine whether the police have indeed violated the civil liberties of demonstrators or members of the media.”
Cong. Nadler, who represents the district that includes Zucotti Park (and myself), and is the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, was especially troubled by the treatment of journalists during the raid on Zucotti Park.
The New York Democrat also pointed to reports that police officers “aggressively blocked journalists from reporting on the incident, and in some cases, targeted journalists for mistreatment.”
“In response to questions about these actions, Mayor Bloomberg has responded that reporters were restricted for their own protection,” Nadler wrote. “This justification appears to have little merit. Journalists enter war zones to inform the American people about the status of those conflicts. I think they can be trusted to assume the risks associated with covering a non-violent protest.”
The NYPD has disciplined one supervisor for improper use of pepper spray.
But never fear, there is one media outlet practicing fair and balanced reporting with news of the NYPD's pushback against these calls for violations of constitutionally protected rights. Fox News reports on an email it received from NYPD spokesman Paul Browne . Note the use of the journalistically neutral terms such as 'claims' and 'fired off a letter'.
The New York Police Department is pushing back against calls for a federal probe into allegations of excessive force at the Occupy Wall Street protests, claiming the department "accommodated lawful protest" and made arrests when unlawful conduct was observed.
Nadler cited three specific incidents that are "worthy of investigation," beginning on Sept. 24. Several arrests made that day during an Occupy Wall Street march involved allegations of excessive force by the New York police, he wrote. A week later, on Oct. 1, Nadler claims protesters were forced into a narrow, confined area -- or "kettled" -- and were then arrested, again by the use of excessive force, during a confrontation near the Brooklyn Bridge.
In an email to FoxNews.com early Wednesday, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the police responded as warranted by the circumstances.
"Police officers showed professionalism and restraint in response to protesters, many of whom fought and resisted arrest, and some who threw batteries and glass, who spit in officers' faces and who threw liquids in their eyes," he continued.
"Many participants have alleged that, in [evicting protesters from their encampment on Nov. 25, at 1 a.m]., the police used excessive force to intimidate, corral and arrest protestors. It has been alleged that individuals who wished to leave the scene in compliance with police orders rather than be subject to arrest were barred from doing so," he wrote
In his letter, Nadler added that he was "especially troubled" by reports that the NYPD aggressively blocked journalists from reporting on the Nov. 15 eviction. In some cases, reporters were targeted for mistreatment, he wrote, and at least 10 reporters and photographers were arrested "while trying to report on the incidents at Zuccotti Park," he wrote.
But Browne said Nadler is apparently "confused his facts" with the Nov. 15 arrest of a freelancer in a crowd that tried to push through a police line a few blocks north of Zuccotti Park, or with those arrested at Sixth Avenue and Canal Street later the same day after protesters cut through a fence and trespassed at a location there.
The arrests of the journalists there were voided, Browne said.
Nadler also complained that city officials reportedly closed the airspace above the park to prevent news helicopters from recording the actions, a contention Browne said did not happen.
"Contrary to Mr. Nadler's assertions, airspace over Zuccotti Park was never closed," Browne said. "The NYPD did not close any airspace and has no authority to do so. The FAA has that authority, and didn't close it either. Further, there were no arrests of journalists at Zuccotti Park on the day it was temporarily closed."
As Nadler fired off his letter, dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters marched through Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood on Tuesday to claim a foreclosed property for a local family. Alfredo Carrasquillo and his wife Tasha Glasgow plan to live at the Vermont Street home with their two children. The property had been vacant for three years and is owned by Bank of America Corp., according to a statement released by Occupy Wall Street protesters.
Police who escorted the protesters through Brooklyn reportedly kept their distance when the marchers arrived at the home. No arrests were reported.
A spokeswoman for the DOJ said they will review the letter.