I was one of The Hatchet photographers arrested Sept. 27 at Freedom Plaza. In response to the letters concerning the IMF/World Bank protests, I have a few things to say.

Morgan Potter writes in his letter (“Nobody’s fault but your own,” Oct. 3, Web exclusive) that “reporters acted like lemmings and just walked over the cliff.” I definitely did not act like a lemming and walk over a cliff during the time that I was photographing the protests. As a member of the press, I was doing my job in covering the protests. When my colleagues and I noticed that police, many clad in riot gear, were surrounding Freedom Plaza, I asked to leave. In fact, I asked to leave twice and both times I was denied exit by the police. I have covered enough D.C. protests to know that when the police start to make moves, the press, and any other bystanders who are not interested in being arrested, should leave the scene.

Earlier in the day, a similar scene took place at the corner of K Street and Vermont Avenue. When police began to step in to control some protesters, they immediately told the press to move out of the way, which we immediately did. This option was never offered at Freedom Plaza. Also, at K and Vermont, once the press was out of the way, the police in turn allowed other protesters to leave. One must understand that at every protest of this sort, there are activists who are willing to be arrested. The police know this and they allowed people to exit peacefully while those who did not mind being arrested stayed and were taken into custody. Why was this option not given to us “lemmings” at the second protest of the day?

Nicholas Provenzo states in his letter (“MPD actions warranted,” Oct. 3, p. 5), “that the anti-capitalist demonstrators suffer from thoughtlessness and a want of reflection is well known. That they have contempt for the rights and safety of others is also well known.”

It is unclear to me whether or not Provenzo was at the demonstrations, but I find his statement to be contradictory. If Provenzo was at the protests, I think he would have seen that many of these so-called “anti-capitalist” protesters are indeed protesting because they are concerned with the welfare of people in other countries because of the IMF and World Bank policies. In addition, he would have found that there were anti-war protesters as well as environmentalists and others groups with diverse causes. Not every protester is “anti-capitalist.”

Jeanne Wendel writes (“Not helping their cause,” Oct. 3, Web exclusive), “the First Amendment to the Constitution does not give the ‘right to protest,’ it gives the right to peacefully assemble.”

First off, I can attest to the fact that people were peacefully assembled. What started out as a drum circle with dancing quickly became more serious as police blockaded Freedom Plaza and prevented most people (with the exception of the properly accredited press) from exiting. People began to chant “we want to leave this park peacefully.” I did not witness anyone throwing things, breaking things or being violent. People obeyed the police orders to remain in the park, even though the vast majority of people who were eventually taken in and arrested on failure to obey a police command to disperse was never given the opportunity because the command was never audibly given.

Secondly, Wendel claims to be “an outsider watching these protesters,” but I would like to point out that if Wendel had been in the park merely observing the protests, she too would have been arrested.

As a member of the media, my job is to cover events and report back in the most unbiased way possible so that other people can see what is happening. Last week, I felt as though I was doing my job properly, but because of overtly harsh and unfair police actions, I was prevented from carrying out my task of reporting.

-The writer, a senior majoring in international affairs, is a Hatchet
staff photographer.