Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

His superhero name is Jimmy Justice, a citizen journalist who tapes and uploads videos of NY traffic agents said to be breaking the very same laws they enforce. 

He’s been on national television, such as on ABC’s “i-Caught,” MSNBC’s “Caught on Camera” and the “Star Jones” show.

“I’m an average working class guy with a passion for justice. What makes me different from others is that I am not afraid to walk up to a law enforcement officer and confront them,” he said.

Got that right. He isn’t intimidated by them, but he still rather hide his true identity and not his face, as shown in the following video clips. 

Though NYPD failed to provide a response to me, officials have spoken on television, obviously outraged and calling Justice’s actions harassment.  His response is, “I would not have the conscience to accuse someone of wrongdoing unless I was absolutely certain that according to the law they have done something wrong.”

Some find it refreshing that New York City’s “zero tolerance policy” carried out by cops is extended to include them as well.

Justice started video taping two years ago, when he found an officer parking his vehicle in front of a fire hydrant when it wasn’t an emergency, a move that would cost any other civilian $115.

“I could show the entire scene, and provide empirical proof, such as the officer leaving McDonalds holding a bag of food, and the officer would not have the opportunity to lie. “

Part of his confident stems from reading up on traffic law, along with privacy issues when filming in public.

So the government, specifically Internal Affairs Bureau, does reprimand their own, according to Justice.  The 311 procedure is shown below:

He has not yet been arrested or seriously injured for his “activism.”  However, he has been pushed around, punched, almost run over by a car, spit on, cursed at and had two cameras broken.

Oh, and has a day job, folks, this doesn’t exactly pay the bills.

“I always bring my camera with me to work in case I see something unfold that should be recorded. Manhattan is the busiest borough so therefore I get the most video there.”

Justice claims that he’s making a difference, seeing a reduction in the rate of recidivism in areas where he made a presence.  He even described a “success” story, after revealing the behavior of one highly ranked cop:

Justice receives about 200 emails per week, which range from fan mail, to death threats, to marriage proposals by German girls.  He won’t stop what he’s doing until he’s run out of material.

I know we’ve all been having a blast with our papers for Legal and Ethics. Mine led me to a press conference last week where I was the only reporter in attendance. 

Three New York City writers are suing the City over the way it doles out press passes. Rafael Martinez Alequin, David Wallis and Ralph Smith are the three plaintiffs who claim that their press passes have been unfairly denied by the NYPD, which is in charge of approving or rejecting press credentials. 

I’ve been in contact with Martinez Alequin for the past month or so about the battle he’s been having with the NYPD since last year. My paper for legal and ethics focuses on the legal rights of bloggers compared to those who work for traditional media outlets, and how the internet and blogosphere are redefining journalism.

All three plaintiffs in this case publish their own works online. All three had their applications for credentials denied by the NYPD in 2007. They all say they’ve had press passes for years–Martinez Alequin says he’s had one since as early as 1983–and that the work they do relies largely on these press credentials. 

“When you run to that story, the first thing you wanna grab is your press pass and your camera,” said Ralph E. Smith, who runs his own publication called the Gaurdian Chronicle. 

Part of the problem is the emergence of new media and how the bureaucracy is adjusting to the influx of bloggers and online publications in the field of journalism. Plaintiff David Wallis, who has freelanced for the New York Times and runs his own online news service site, called the NYPD’s process of granting credentials “discriminatory.”

“As papers collapse, the online media, or the new media, is becoming the mainstream media,” Wallis said. “I think it’s clear that the police department is way behind the times and has no idea how to handle this.” 

The case is being represented by Civil Rights attorney Norman Seigel. 

“The system of granting press credentials in New York City has run amok, and needs to be changed,” Seigel said.

You can watch the video of the press conference here. You can even catch a glimpse of me–I’m on the right hand side, in the green sweater–asking some questions halfway through, like a real life reporter.

Bagpipes and children were the mournful sounds of rememberance in uptown Manhattan Friday morning.

This marked the 20th anniversary for the deaths of two NYPD cops who were killed while in the line of duty.  Never in the history of NYPD, according to 34th Precinct Sgt. and President of the Little League, John Moynihan, has there been two officers handling different cases dying the same October night.  Phone calls to the 34th Precinct in Washington Heights that October evening were about the slain Michael J. Buczek and Christopher G. Hoban.

Because this is part of a project I’m doing, my partner and I decided to focus on the story of one cop, Michael J. Buczek.  Buczek was only 24 years old, working for about four years on the force as an undercover.  He and his partner were up against three drug lords when he was fatally shot by one of the suspects.

P.S. 48 on 187th Street was named after him, along with a nearby field where the Michael Buczek Little League practices and plays.  In addition, the school has student scholarships in honor of him.

Along with officers from the precinct and Buczek’s friends and family, the students from P.S. 48 lined up on the street and marched to St. Elizabeth Church, at 286 Wadsworth Avenue, where a memorial service took place Friday.  Police Commissioner Ray Kelly also attended and said a few words of respect.

Students of P.S. 48

Marie Leoniak, 65, of Brooklyn, has a son in the squad who knew Buczek.  She first met Buczek’smother after he dies.  ”We [parents] only meet after unfortunate things like this happen,” she said somberly.

Retired Sgt. Anton Kuzlowski of 32nd Precinct recalled meeting Buczek at a Polish get-together.  He commented on how Buczek was very active  and dedicated in protecting a community where he never grew up in, earning 40 citations and making many arrests in the short amount of time he worked.  He was especially known among children in the neighborhood.  ”Kids would come up to him and say, ‘Hey Michael, how’s it going’…the kids learned to look at police as friends, not the enemy,” said Kuzlowski.

To continue his dedication to Washington Heights, Buczek’s father, Ted Buczek helped initiate and coach the Little League.  Though he can’t visit often (he and his family live in NJ), he manages to contribute $10,000 every year, according to Assistant Coach Rick Huerta.

“A lot of the players have grown up to become police officers, too,” Huerta said.

Huerta, who attends the service every year, is much grateful to the Buczek family:

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Among the blue uniforms huddling outside of the church was Detective Andy Lewis.  Lewis provided an optimistic look to the gathering, adding another meaning to Kuzlowski’s quote of “making good out of something bad.”  He said like others, he spends more time at work than with his brothers and cousins.  ”These kind of events are like a family reunion.  You never forget about family.”

A plaque will be hung in 34th Precinct.

An article in the Times last week said that New York City police officers wrongly arrested more than 300 students in city schools over the past three years, according to claims by the New York Civil Liberties Union. A law under the state’s Family Court Act says that children under the age of 16 cannot be arrested for minor offenses like loitering.

This piqued my interest in light of interviews I’ve been doing in my community district—Astoria and Long Island City, Queens.  A woman I spoke with in a pizzeria said she was miffed by the way local police treated kids in the neighborhood, harassing them for hanging out on the street and demanding to see ID cards from 13 and 14-year-olds.  She had grandchildren in the local school district and said that a lot of the time kids have no wear else to socialize but on sidewalks and areas outside their schools after class.

I remember being 14 or 15 and getting yelled at for hanging out on a bench outside the movie theatre in my town. The cops told us we weren’t allowed to sit there, which seemed contradictory to me, since benches were by definition a place for people to sit.  I understand all the reasons why large groups of teenagers hanging around on corners could get complicated—the possibilities of fights, disrupting neighbors and local businesses, or even for the kids’ own safety. Still, it seems a little silly for police to be arresting high school kids for “hanging out” or asking a 13-year-old for identification.

Check out this article on the topic by high school student Donald Moore last year for the Gotham Gazette.