CASH MICHAELS
THE POWER OF THE CELLPHONE CITIZEN JOURNALIST
by Cash Michaels
Shamefully, it’s happened again!
Another innocent American life has been taken under the color of federal law enforcement in Minnesota, and once again, cellphone cameras were Johnny-on-the-spot to capture the truth for all the world to see.
And it’s a good thing too. The videos of the fateful encounter between Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti and half dozen federal Border Patrol officers were in the media news ether just in time to counter the bold-faced lies of President Donald Trump and U.S. Dept of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem about the cold-blooded killing (please remember my professional policy of not labeling something a “murder” before a court of law has had a chance to make an official legal determination, though from what I’ve seen of the various videotape angles here, this was as straight-up a senseless dispatch of an innocent life as I’ve ever seen).
So now, for the second time this month, cellphone citizen journalists are on the front lines fighting back against the feckless lies of a disgusting administration by capturing the true story to stand against the over-the-top propaganda issued by our government.
Something must be said about these cellphone citizen journalists who love their country so much, they’re willing to defy illegal commands to step back or step away when they see police injustice, and know that they and their cellphones are the only conduits to the truth for the rest of us.
Please keep in mind that these folks are citizens, and have First Amendment rights to both be at police scenes and record what they see. They are restricted, just like professional press, from getting in the way of, or getting involved in law enforcement activity.
No, cellphone citizen journalists don’t write for newspapers (except maybe a blog or two). But those snazzy little mini-computers they carry have the ability to capture sharp pictures and great video/audio that tell the story better than any written words can, provided they’re in the right place at the right time with the right angle. And what has become most gratifying lately is that more times than not, when something newsworthy is happening, someone is there to record it for the rest of the world to see.
When something in you makes you want to document the facts and share them with the world, that “something” is the journalist in you! And without you, we may never know the truth. That’s what makes cellphone citizen journalists so special.
Particularly those folks in Minneapolis whose city and state have been targeted by the Trump Administration with bogus claims of having murderers and rapists roaming their streets, making their communities unsafe. Thus the justification for sending over 3,000 federal agents into the area under the auspices of cracking down on "out-of-control crime," particularly from the Somali community.
True, Minnesota had a very bad problem of late with the theft of federal funds by some in the Somali community that Gov. Tim Walz has taken responsibility for not knowing about. But none of that is reason enough for armed, undisciplined warrantless masked men in khakis to roam the streets, grabbing and brutalizing people without so much as a wink towards their constitutional rights.
So when cellphone citizen journalists see what’s happening on their streets, and boldly decide to document it, they are creating a vital record of constitutional violations for all of us to see and respond to.
Make no mistake - every time an ICE or Border Patrol agent illegally puts his hands on anyone, it’s in the name of the people of the United States, which means we ALL have a say about what we’re seeing, and whether or not we approve of it or the way it is being done.
And no, we shouldn't fund ICE or Border Patrol anymore until they're straightened out enough to be law-abiding.
Back in the day before cellphones, if the cops beat some poor black kid to a pulp, or worse, shot him to death, there usually was no witness. And if there was, it was their word against the officer’s, and we were all conditioned to take the officer’s word for it no matter what, because he was the “good guy.” He stood for what was "right" in the community, and put his life on the line everyday to keep us safe.
Whoever the deceased black victim was, the powers-that-be dug into his background, and would always "find" something they could blowup into a justification for the officer extinguishing the victim’s “worthless” life. So at the end of the day, the cop was always exonerated, because his word had the force of law, and no one contradicted him.
And then came Rodney King, and the police beating video that literally changed the world.
It was March 3, 1991, when black motorist Rodney King was stopped for speeding in Los Angeles after a high speed chase. When L.A. police caught up with King, they beat him mercilessly with metal batons on the side of the road and further subdued him with stun guns. When it was all over, King had a fractured skull, broken bones in his face and ankle, and brain damage. The police story for his injuries was that he attacked them, so they had to "defend" themselves. But little did the L.A. officers know that their brutal actions were captured on tape by a man with an old-fashioned video camera from the upper balcony of his apartment building just across the street.
The rest is history.
The Rodney King video was certainly the first of its kind, calling into question how many police abuse cases of black people we really didn't know the truth about. And yet, when the King case went to court a year later, the four white officers were inexplicably acquitted of all charges. The city of Los Angeles was literally torched and ripped to shreds because people couldn't understand how anyone couldn't see the unmistakable brutality for themselves, and not punish the four officers for it.
However, years later, as more people began using iPhones and other personal video devices, more and more of these police brutality incidents came to light, calling into question the conduct of some police officers in communities of color across the country.
No one will ever forget the horrific police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, captured by a cellphone citizen journalist who knew what she was seeing was wrong, as a police officer crushed the helpless black man’s head to the street with his knee until Mr. Floyd couldn't breathe. The young man cried for his mother, as his life was being squeezed out of him.
And we all saw it! That officer is rightfully still in prison, convicted of murder!
It wasn’t long before law enforcement began wearing body-cams, so that they could maintain their own video record of contentious encounters with the public, and essentially protect themselves against allegations of brutality. Problem is not all police agencies use body-cams, or if they have them, don't require their officers to always have them on while on patrol. So when something horrific happens, like the January 7th ICE fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, the only honest video record we can count on comes from the citizen journalists on the scene with their cellphones.
Ironically in the tragic case of Renee Good - whose death has now been officially ruled a homicide - the best cellphone video was taken by the ICE agent who ultimately shot her to death. He was holding it in his hand, until he had to reach for his gun.
And yet, I find it fascinating that despite all of that video evidence, Trump, Noem and the heads of ICE and the Border Patrol, think they’re doing yeoman’s work by lying their despicable -sses off defending the offending predatory federal agents, and smearing the innocent victims after death.
Even before this latest fatal federal shooting, the White House was caught redhanded issuing a false AI generated picture of a local Minneapolis minister/civil rights attorney being arrested and “crying” as she was being led away in handcuffs. In fact, actual video of her arrest never shows the woman shedding a tear, but rather, looking defiant and strong as she was being led away. Proof that Trump’s minions see all of this as part of one big disgusting propaganda game.
In the case of Mr. Pretti, even though he had a registered gun, and a concealed carry permit, videos taken show he NEVER brandished it to threaten anybody the day he died. The best civilian video evidence shows Pretti being wrestled to the ground on all fours by several Border Patrol agents, at least one of them seeing Pretti’s gun still in his waistband, warning other officers about it, then grabbing it and walking away with it.
It’s then that we immediately hear a shot, agents backup off of Pretti, and randomly fire at him as he lay on his back in the street though HE HAD NO WEAPON AT THIS POINT to harm anyone with.
Shot to death like a poor dog in the street. There are reports Pretti was shot nine - ten times, at least three in his back as he lay on the ground. And it's been determined that some of these Border Patrol agents were wearing bodycams. No doubt by the time we see any of that footage, if ever, it may be drastically altered. We'll see.
It’s a hard video to watch. It’s made harder when you realize Mr. Pretti died for nothing. He did nothing to deserve what many people are calling a "lynching."
This was truly an American tragedy.
And yet, DHS Sec. Noem has declared her officers innocent of any wrongdoing, and portray Mr. Pretti as the "domestic terrorist" aggressor who deserved to die. And behind all of that, Noem, who deserves to be impeached and shown the door forever, says her agency will investigate its own officers in this.
Telling us what we should see when we have reliable video from cellphone video journalists apparently doesn't work very well, does it?
Trump apparently has not climbed out on this limb as far with Noem, and seems open to turning down the political volume, even talking with Gov. Walz constructively, and ordering the Border Patrol commander be replaced, and the number of federal officers there be cut to get the tragedy off the front pages.
My Lord!
Former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were compelled to issue a statement after seeing the video of Alex Pretti’s killing:
"And yet rather than trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed, the President and current administration officials seem eager to escalate the situation, while offering public explanations for the shootings of Mr. Pretti and Renee Good that aren’t informed by any serious investigation – and that appear to be directly contradicted by video evidence… This has to stop."
The NAACP also weighed in.
"We are watching a crisis of accountability and humanity unfold in real time," said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. "We need mobilization and action from every background, every race, every socioeconomic status, every political party, and every religion. If you believe in dignity, if you believe in justice, if you believe America must live up to its creed — then you cannot sit this one out. We must show up, speak up, and organize with urgency to demand accountability and protect our communities."
If not for the many cellphone citizen journalists on the scene, we would have nothing to counter the official Trump Administration BS with. And thanks to them, major news organizations like CNN, The Washington Post, The NY Times and others with the resources, were able to dissect those videos and discover the truth of what really happened last Saturday in Minneapolis, and again on January 7th.
But ponder this for a moment - brave and bold citizens with cellphones can't be everywhere all of the time. In Minneapolis, for instance, there are but so many of them, and over 3,000 federal officers on the ground, the majority of whom we haven't seen and never will. Renee Good and Alex Pretti happened to be white. But what about all of the Somali, Venezuelan, Honduran, Mexican and other victims of ICE/Border Patrol we've heard or seen absolutely nothing about? And what about the ICE agent killing of Keith Porter in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve? Where are the cellphone citizen videos documenting how many of them are being killed or hurt by the hateful, undisciplined and illegal actions of Trump's rogue stormtroopers? We may never know.
I pray that justice is ultimately done in the case of Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good and whomever else is victimized by the bloodthirsty tyranny of the Trump regime. And just like the videos from the January 6th U.S. Capitol insurrection tell the true story of that disturbing day in American history despite Republican attempts to the contrary, I pray that citizen journalists with cellphones all across this nation realize just how valuable they are in the fight to reclaim our country from what can only be called the evil police state mentality of the Trump Administration.
GOD BLESS THEM!!! GOD BLESS US ALL!!!
-30-
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