I am submitting the following resolution to be considered at our council meeting on November 21, 2011. I am not sure how else to do this but it would need formal action by the council, so I drafted an “apology” in resolution form. I have spoken to some council members about it but not sure how the whole group feels. We will see tomorrow night.
I figure I don’t need to wait for an internal investigation to apologize for what the reporters went through on the afternoon of November 13, 2011 when they were “detained” for up to 30 minutes, of which half the time they were forced to lie down and told not to take any more photographs.
I am surprised at the action of the police with these reporters. I look forward to understanding their thoughts at the time. I have been criticized by some citizens for even asking questions about the general police actions of that particular day. My response is, what country do we live in? If a council member cannot ask questions about the performance of our staff in any particular situation, we really have transparency issues.
Resolution follows:
Resolution of Town Council November 21, 2011
WHEREAS the police took action to detain and arrest several citizens at the Yates Motor Company on November 13, 2011 for breaking and entering, and in the course of so doing, detained two members of the media, Ms. Katelyn Ferral and Mr. Josh Davis, and
WHEREAS Ms. Ferral and Mr. Davis were forced to lie on the ground and were handcuffed and Ms. Ferral was told not to take any further photographs;
WHERAS Ms. Ferral and Mr. Davis positively identified themselves as a member of the press, had visible press badges, and vocally stated their positions;
WHERAS Ms. Ferral and Mr. Davis were not attempting to disrupt the police in their work;
WHERAS Ms. Ferral and Mr. Davis were told they would be detained and arrested if they were “caught on the premises again”;
THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL officially apologizes for the actions taken against Ms. Ferral and Mr. Davis and will begin a review of current policies and relationships between the press and the Town of Chapel Hill Police Department.
This day, November 21, 2011.
