Josh Wolf's unedited video

I'm not sure yet how to interpret this, but apparently Josh has published or
will publish the entire video on joshwolf.net and has answered two questions
about whether he witnessed certain acts in the negative.

--
Carlos Villarreal
Executive Director
National Lawyers Guild SF Bay Area
http://www.nlgsf.org
415.285.5067x10

It would be a fitting end to the case, since it started with his posting video to Indybay. In fact, he posted his original video here, before he even put anything about it on his blog.

Josh Wolf's unedited video
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/03/18388442.php#18388452

I'm sure he will but remember he just got out so it might take a day or two.

Three cheers for Josh, he's been very brave.

Thanks for holding out.

You didn't only stand up for yourself, but for a principle which will affect a lot of other people down the road.

According to the above document Josh complied with the subpoena and spoke to the feds. How is this a victory ? He gave into their pressure and released the video.

Josh Wolf obviously didn't give the govt. anything that can be used to hurt anyone . But it does appear that he gave in to the demands of the Feds. Was the rationale that since nothing potentially incriminating was shown on his videotape it was ok to release it ? But if that's the case why wasn't it released in 2006 ? I'm not saying that he should have . I admired and supported his stance . But would someone (preferably Josh Himself ) clarify what exactly happened ? I'm confused .

Since he was initially summoned, or subpoenaed rather, he has been offering to privately show the judge presiding over the grand jury his full videotape in order to demonstrate that there is no evidence of a federal crime.

The only reason he was brought before a federal grand jury was because they tenuously claimed that a police car driven by the officer into the crowd before the officer was struck on the head was 'lit on fire', and that this car was financed with federal funds. In fact, the car only had a broken taillight and nothing was ever set on fire. There was a bit of smoke due to parking on someone's foam sign - which is a substance which can't burn but can emit smoke if raised to high temperature from the car's engine.

The hitting of the officer, or destruction of city police property, is a local crime which would belong in local, non federal courts.

There is a California journalist shield law which would permit a journalist to protect his or her sources under the protection of the first amendment. There are at least 10 ways in which Josh fits the definition of a journalist.
There is no federal shield law. They needed to claim an arson attack on the car to keep this in federal court.

As far as the video goes, Josh showed quite a bit in his first professionally edited and released videotape. He didn't want to violate confidentiality agreements by naming the identities of some interviewed people.

someone from Josh's defense or his support group informed all of the corporate press this morning or yesterday and left this site and other independent media sources in the dark

the chron was there, as well as numerous tv outlets

kinda not cool at all

I hope someone independent of the corporate media was present to document his actual release. we'll see what comes in over the next few days

do Josh Wolf and his supporters hate independent media now that he himself is a cause celebre featured on TV on Front Lines and in the pages of Time? will he ever publish to this or another non-corporate site again?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newswar/interviews/wolf.html
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1222780,00.html



AP story today carried by USA Today

Hi everyone, I just got home and am sitting down at a computer for the first time in over six months. I know that while some of you consider this a victory others have their doubts. I understand this and am more than willing and ready to speak to both independent and established media outlets about these concerns. While I would've made a concerted effort to get the independent media and indybay in particular in the loop on the breaking news of my situation, I was mostly cut off from the outside world and had to leave this in the hands of my attorneys and the other people who were working so diligently to get the word out and raise support.

I will have more posted in the coming days both on Indybay and my own website and will make myself available to journalists of all persuasions as best as I can. Thank you for your understanding; it's been a long road and I'm glad this particular chapter has finally reached a conclusion.

Hope you get a good night's rest like you haven't had in too long of a time.

We look forward to hearing more from you on your experiences and future endeavors.

Joshua Wolf has shown more backbone than any of the people on his video. Bravo, Josh. All the right-wing nutjobs who are posting on Josh's site are clearly so misinformed as to the true nature of what is at stake that it is not even worth it to try to argue with them (as usual). Whether or not the folks in the video are "real" anarchists, trustfunders, college students, stupid, brilliant, or whatever is not really the point. The focus of the debate should be on the position Wolf was put in and the consequences he suffered for not capitulating to illegal demands for him to give up his civil rights. If we all put our money where our mouths are, as Josh has done, the world would be a better place. This is how people make their own history. We on the left should all ACT on our convictions before it is too late, and the stakes get even higher. Thanks, Josh! I hope this chapter is truly closed and you can move on with your life and continue to document resistance in all its various forms.

Let me see if I understand this debate. Here's another example. Lets say we are all on a nice Critical Mass ride when Josh the "journalist" hears tires squealing. He turns his video camera around and captures a Cadillac Escalade coming toward the crowd at a high rate of speed. The vehicle is weaving and it appears the driver may be drunk. Josh shoots clear video of the driver, the car, and the license plate as it plows through the crowd and drives away. In the end, 6 bicyclist area dead, 4 are in critical condition, and 16 are seriously injured. What is to be done with the video?

"Joshua Wolf has shown more backbone than any of the people on his video."

Come on now, we can praise Josh.... but don't start talkn' shit at the same time! What the hell are you talking about? Obviously you do not know and have no way of knowing what you are talking about. Many people at the G8 demonstration in the mission have been supporting Gabe and Josh as much as possible. I could go on, but I will stop. I saw an ignorant comment and wanted to call you on it.

The critical mass example is so off the mark, I don't even want to go there. Mowing down a cyclist vs. allegedly setting a police car on fire and demonstrating against the government relatively peacefully? Come on. Dragging newpaper vending machines into the road and using paintballs versus putting 20 people in the hospital? This was a witch hunt and a trumped-up charge to begin with.

And to "wtf", I simply meant that it is one thing to march and spray-paint anarchy symbols around town (often with a bandanna over one's face) and quite another to stand before a federal court and refuse to comply with its wishes and go to jail. Now, I will say that there is a place for ALL of the ABOVE practices, and I am not "talkin' shit" about those who do (or did) the former. I am simply saying that one takes a bit more courage than the other. I've marched, I've spray-painted, and I've been, let's say, "detained" by the Law. There are differences and hats off to Josh. Most others would have caved. No?

So I assume your answer is, of course we turn the video over to the proper authorities (common sense). So where do we draw the line? Property damage? Serious injury to anybody but the cops? What if you are the victim of anything that is caught on tape? Should the media withhold it because it might identify the criminal?

What IS your point? Just come out with it already.

Your hypotheticals are pointless and largely irrelevant. If you are trying to establish a one-size-fits-all solution to all of these things, that's grossly oversimplistic. If you are trying to establish that Josh should turn over his video as one might be more compelled to do if they photographed a murder, just come out with it and say it. Stop beating around the bush and filling up this thread with hypothetical nonsense.

I wrote that title because this whole time that Josh Wolf was in jail and I was being harrassed in the court system, two police officers who are responsible for attempted deadly assaults by driving into a crowd at about 30mph and putting me in a strangalating chokehold are free and still employed as servants of the public; who are sworn to uphold, protect and enforce sacred laws that they broke that night. There is obvious incriminating evidence that these police officers did commit these near fatal offenses and nothing has been done about it over two and half years later despite major investigations of the events of that night. A blind eye has been turned to serious crimes that occured, while a witchunt has gone on, chasing after political dissidents. Josh refused to go along with this witchunt and was punished for it, even though he was supposed to be protected. His rights were violated not just as journalist, but as an oridinary citizen who should not have to go along with an investigation abusive in it's own nature. EVERY ONE HAS THIS RIGHT!!!
I am glad to see that he is finally out, but still outraged about what has happened. The events of that night has been a surreal experience of Orwellian abuses of rights by the government, scapegoating and harrassment in the court system, witchunts of political dissidents, and scandolus cover-ups of out of control violent police officers that can go as far as Washington D.C. Josh and myself are free men now, even though we should of never been jailed or charged from the beginning. It is now time to turn the tables and expose the injustice of what happened to us! I am sure Josh would agree.

thanks for listening,

Gabe Meyers