Oakland cops toss student journalist from news conference about John Beam’s death

OAKLAND With a camera slung across her shoulders and a notepad in hand novice journalist Nelzy Gonzalez-Zaragoza was ready to cover a police press conference about the devastating tragedy that had just struck Laney College But moments before the Nov media event began the Oakland Police Department barred the Peralta Citizen reporter from entering a remarkable blockade against a college newspaper covering a national story about beloved Laney coach John Beam who was fatally shot on campus a day earlier The reason The Citizen reporter an associate editor had not first obtained a police-issued press credential The mandatory requirement has been a thorny issue among reporters covering the department since it was first enforced three years ago with specific bristling at the idea that the OPD can decide who can or can t access press conferences on topics of area interest But it has not faced unified opposition until now Hours after Gonzalez-Zaragoza s removal First Amendment lawyers and advocates fired off a letter to police executives and Mayor Barbara Lee saying the practice interferes with the ability of the press to keep the masses informed threatens press independence and hurts the society s ability to get news from a diverse range of sources This is a high-profile occurrence but I felt content going in there it s not fair that any reporter was kicked out Gonzalez-Zaragoza who grew up in Oakland later noted She was not alone Journalists on assignment for The Oaklandside and the San Francisco Chronicle were also not allowed inside and a photographer with the Bay Area News Group as well as another Citizen reporter were only permitted to attend after agreeing on the spot to apply for an OPD press credential according to the letter from the First Amendment Coalition Pacific Workers Media Guild and the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California While Oakland police representatives maintain the press passes are meant to ensure safety for all the organizations announced there were no protection threats space limitations or other lawful justification to exclude or erect limitations to access They are calling for an immediate end to the agenda which stands in contrast to media events at Oakland City Hall and the Alameda County District Attorney s Office where no such requirement currently exists OPD interfered with journalists ability to do their jobs for no reason the letter read This initiative and at present s actions serve no one Newsrooms must have the ability to send any journalist they choose to cover the news and must not be limited to sending only those who have chosen to apply for and been granted a particular regime credential Oakland police Assistant Chief James Beere who has been appointed as the interim Oakland Police Chief speaks during a press conference on Friday Nov in Oakland Calif Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group It appears OPD is not budging In a letter responding to the press groups Assistant Chief James Beere reported the department made efforts to expedite several applications without delay before the modern news conference for those already holding credentials from other media organizations Knowing the identity of journalists accessing non-public areas within the Police Administration Building is vital for everyone s safety he wrote before encouraging all media professionals to complete the credential application process The Oakland Police Department s media credential program is a necessary shield measure not an infringement on First Amendment rights wrote Beere who earlier this month was named interim police chief Due to national and local incidents involving threats and harm to society figures the framework was implemented to ensure the safety of our staff presenters and all attendees Through a spokesman Mayor Lee declined to comment and referred back to OPD and Beere s letter Ginny LaRoe of the First Amendment Coalition noted the groups are deeply disappointed by OPD s response and hope it will reconsider Media members with company-issued credentials had little trouble accessing press briefings inside OPD until December when department spokesman Paul Chambers sent a blanket email warning of the new strategy At the time Chambers a former KTVU reporter disclosed there wasn t an existing safety issue that prompted the change The credential form which requires each person to have their picture taken by an OPD employee asks for information about their sex hair and eye color height date of birth and home address It warns the credential could be revoked if a journalist had been arrested for vagrancy or interfering or otherwise impeding the exercises of law enforcement officers Oakland police investigate a fatal shooting at Laney College in Oakland Calif on Thursday April Legendary football coach and Laney College Athletic Director John Beam was shot and killed Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group At the time of the Nov press conference Gonzalez-Zaragoza and her fellow Citizen reporters had barely caught their breath Less than hours earlier athletics director John Beam was shot inside the Laney College Field House a short walk from the Citizen newsroom The candidate reporters went to work right away even those stuck in classrooms with the downtown campus on lockdown They posted urgent news updates sketching out how to cover a massive story on their campus and filing inhabitants records requests in anticipation of a story they d follow for days if not weeks and months Beam had become a national icon in Netflix s Last Chance U and in a grieving town the students were determined to get to the bottom of his killing Part of that meant attending press conferences a new terrain for multiple of the Citizen students just entering the news industry but equipped with deep knowledge and context of the Peralta Public College District Various of them had known Beam interviewed him or questioned his authority as the college s athletic director in investigative stories But because Gonzalez-Zaragoza didn t have an OPD-issued press pass or a Citizen credential on hand Chambers walked her out of a ninth floor conference room where the press briefing was to be held and escorted her down an elevator to the lobby of police headquarters Another Citizen reporter Ivan Saravia was allowed to stay after filling out a credential form on the spot Chambers declined to comment beyond the letter Beere sent Police commanders then gave considerable updates confirming that Beam was declared dead two hours earlier and that the gunman identified as -year-old Cedric Irving Jr was in custody To Eleni Gastis the faculty advisor of The Citizen it looked as though her students were treated differently despite having the same rights as professional journalists It wasn t just a no revealed Gastis who accompanied Gonzalez-Zaragoza and Saravia to OPD The students were escorted down I didn t see Chambers do that to anyone else It was intended to be shameful and obstructive of the coverage of their campus and they are the true experts on their beat