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White supremacists are murdering ppl w/great encouragement. So for me, it seems trivial to discuss Mon night’s Jacob Blake protest in DC, and my role in it amidst the ongoing #DCProtests first sparked by the police murder of George Floyd, but here we are. Fine. A 20-part thread:
The last 3 months, I've poured my soul into covering #DCProtests. My salary? $0/hr. Working conditions? COVID risks. Tear-gas. Bear-mace. Brutal 95 degree heat. Thousands in expenses. Thousands more in lost wages bypassing my sports media duties. Others have sacrificed far more.
To be 100% clear, my Citizen Journalist role is 100% separate from my sports writing at Deadspin. I went from posting weekly articles to only one in nearly 3 months. That one documented Midnight Yoga Protests via @occupydc202 in response to police violence https://deadspin.com/d-c-protesters-turn-to-midnight-yoga-to-cope-with-poli-1844487628
We have to ask why after 3 months of #DCProtests marked by police violence/property theft/unlawful arrests/ignored peaceful protests, the first DC story to blow up in 2 months is a white restaurant customer being yelled at by protesters? But not these? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1282582008225570816?s=20
Media note: Not all DC Protests are led by “Black Lives Matter”, & DC BLM weren’t even at the protest Mon. In DC, @DMVBlackLives is one of 10+ groups, all of who employ a diversity of protest tactics & strategies. From marches, to murals, to yoga, I’ve covered nearly all of them
I’ve also covered a few “restaurant protests” where protesters read facts of ppl murdered by police & ask 4 solidarity. In an emergency scheduled protest on Monday night for Jacob Blake, some protesters were out of character. Never were they ever that close in proximity before.
Protesters all just watched Jacob Blake murder video, were deeply hurt and tensions were much higher. I too felt the weight and gravity of the day, and interjected myself into the narrative in a way that was also out of character for me as a journalist.
While I quietly filmed as I normally do, I did say critical parting words to her while walking away. Afterwards, I then went back and sat down with her. After everyone left, she and I spoke cordially for another 15+ min about her perspective.
Tomrrw I can make the journalistic correction. But what about WashPo & corporate media ignoring DC 4 months? Will they correct? I can only conclude they’re not looking to tell the true DC story, but looking for an angle. And I aided them. Now let me aid them w/the real story:
In June protesters were being brutalized by MPD (2am-5am) & there was virtually no media coverage. Many kept asking me to do overnight shifts as MPD terrorized protesters/tents/food suppliers/medics after media left. This is a vicious attack on “The Earls” https://twitter.com/i/status/1277105206355021824
The weak national coverage continued two weeks ago when 41 DC protesters were arbitrarily kettled & arrested on bogus felony riot charges (since dropped). Many protesters not in the kettle were generously maced https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1294126901750116353?s=20
2 young women still face felony assault on a police officer when videos show they are not. Lindsay is one of the two (& Cassidy) still not dropped. Why is the police threatening them w/felonies not getting attention or considered violence against women? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1298390756571455488?s=20
This 41 arrests also included 15 medics @medics4justice who also helped a man in the kettle with a seizure. Medics were also first to arrive on the scene when there was a car crash Mon night across the street from the protest. Why not that story? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1294410931791896579?s=20
It’s not just The Earl’s giving free food, before protesters were run off BLM Plaza either violently by police or red-taped to death by brand new city ordinances. This is Kya: https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1275595262510223360?s=20
This is @BLMHCo_Op last week https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1295087996014940164?s=20
This is @BLMHCo_Op last week https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1295087996014940164?s=20
Nearly all 41 protesters have not received their cell phones back despite dropped charges. Whether theft of grills, laptops or cell phones, protesters regularly ask why this type of looting and theft is not covered by media with same veracity? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1297636117618085889?s=20
MPD also jailed and arrested well-known citizen-journalists? Kian was arrested and two cameras and his phone were seized from him along with others. He told them he was press. Where’s the media solidarity for Kian? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1294820226782068736?s=20
Do you know why we don’t have more footage of kettle arrests? Because police would not let us film? This officer told me he doesn’t care, and moved me an entire block away? Does big media support a free press or not? https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/1294145592155922432?s=20
Police violence on protesters/police looting/bogus police arrests & felony charges, etc. How is it possible Kian & myself or others making $0/hr can cover DC protests more thoroughly than a company owned by a soon-to-be trillionaire in Jeff Bezos? How?
How is it possible we’ve reached the sad dangerous point where white supremacist murderers are being PRAISED by Tucker Carlson & ex-MLB players, and our editorial CHOICE is to elevate protester or journalistic misdemeanors over 3 months of felonies on them committed by police?
For 3 months I've witnessed up close police terror on protesters fighting 4 Black lives, but receive a radio silence resembling a Blue Wall of Silence. From George to Breonna to Jacob to unknown names murdered by DC police, protesters are fighting4them, we need to break that wall
Let’s end thread on DC: https://twitter.com/chuckmodi1/status/1298798327480320003
“Left-wing media? We are the ppl fighting 4 same things you’re fighting for. Why can you not fight for US!”
“We do mutual aid. We feed the homeless. But only thing u covered is we bothered a white woman at a diner? FOH #DCProtests @tyt
#MarchOnWashington #MOW2020
“We do mutual aid. We feed the homeless. But only thing u covered is we bothered a white woman at a diner? FOH #DCProtests @tyt
#MarchOnWashington #MOW2020
This is start of convo. @ReddIsAri is one many incredible ignored voices in DC. These are the voices sacrificing the most, so these are the voices I answer to. https://twitter.com/chuckmodi1/status/1299344051867717634
