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Surge in assaults on media, including in Paso Robles

April 18, 2021

Laurie Bryant

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Black Lives Matter protests picked up nationwide this week spurred by uproar over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a Minnesota police officer, which occurred as the George Floyd murder trial was taking place nearby. Attacks on journalists picked up, too, occurring at protests as well as at a Kristin Smart vigil in Paso Robles.

The fatal shooting of Wright placed the national spotlight on Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Since the killing of Wright last Sunday, protests have been ongoing daily, at times morphing into riots.

Meanwhile, there have been sizable protests on the West Coast, some of which have also turned violent. A pair of journalists were assaulted at West Coast protests this week, one in Los Angeles and one in Portland.

During a march Thursday night in Hollywood, protesters followed Kalen D’Almedia, a co-founder of Scriberr News. Protesters surrounded D’Almedia, called him a Nazi and pushed him while walking beside him, video shows.

A member of the crowd then punched D’Almedia, knocking him to the ground and possibly causing him to lose consciousness. Protesters can be seen in video footage stomping on D’Almedia while he was on the ground.

Los Angeles police officers were standing nearby while the assault happened, but they did not intervene. Following the incident, D’Almedia said he suffered a moderate concussion.

 

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A post shared by Kalen (@fromkalen)

On Friday in Portland, where another fatal police shooting occurred, freelance journalist Justin Yau was shoved to the ground and hit multiple times while covering a protest. Yau was bloodied, and his glasses were broken. He was also ordered to stop taking photographs. [Portland Tribune]

A couple days prior, Yau posted video on Twitter of the Portland Police Association Building on fire. Protesters set the police union building on fire during a demonstration against the killing of Wright, Yau tweeted. Yau’s reporting angered some protest sympathizers who demanded he delete the tweet.

In Brooklyn Center, journalists have faced attacks from both protesters and police.

On Wednesday night, a protester threw a water bottle that hit a CNN crew member in the head, knocking him to the ground. Demonstrators then chased the CNN crew off, cursing at them and throwing eggs at them and their vehicle as they fled the protest.

The attack was preceded by protesters demanding the crew cover the demonstration from a different vantage point. CNN reporter Miguel Marquez refused to comply with the demands and said protesters do not dictate news coverage. [Washington Examiner]

Minnesota police are facing numerous accusations over harassing and even assaulting journalists during this week’s protests in Brooklyn Center. One freelance photographer said an officer punched him in the head and forced him to the ground.

Brooklyn Center police also pepper sprayed journalists, forced some to lie face down and took photos of reporters’ faces and credentials. [Reuters]

On Friday, a United States District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting police from arresting, threatening to arrest or using force against journalists. Minnesota police are now promising to comply with the order.

Then on Saturday evening in San Luis Obispo County, two women attempted to eject CalCoastNews photographer Richard Bastian, 78, from the Paso Robles City Park where the Krisitin Smart vigil was held.

Laurie Bryant and Tribune columnist Sande Hunt-Burns manage a SLO County News Facebook page. The page appears to be near copycat of the SLO County News Facebook page managed by Jason Brock.

When Bastian refused to leave, Bryant grabbed his stool. She then became physical, said Bastian and several witnesses.

Bryant choked Bastian and shoved him, witnesses said. She pushed him again, after which Bastian regained his balance and hit Bryant in the jaw.

Police officers arrived at the scene and asked Bastian if he wanted to press charges.

“Why start World War III,” Bastian responded. “It’s just another day for news media trying to do their job. Welcome to the new normal in the neighborhood.”

Two private social media postings regarding the assault. CCN is leaving the names of the witnesses out to protect their safety.


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If the Center and the Right employed the same repulsive “cancelling” techniques commonly used by the Left, Mz. Laurie Bryant would now need to be concerned about whatever she does for a living.


27

Like the repulsive restrictions on citizens voting being pushed nationwide by the GQP who backed the big lie.


It’s not cancel culture if what you are doing is hugely unpopular. just look at the my pillow idiot crying about backing a obvious lie.


-38

Hate to sound jaded…. But follow the money.


14

The FB news page Laurie works on is no more a copycat of Jasons than Jasons is of others. They are local news and info pages, chill out people.


-32

These two women, Sande and Laurie, are peddling Kristin Smart memorabilia on their Facebook page. Trying to make a buck on a tragedy. The two have spent the last couple years trying to make make names and money off others tragedies. They were recently slapped with a seize and desist over false information they disseminated on the death of 21-year-old Thomas Jodry.


37

WOW, just wow. Which FB page was that?


8

The Neo-Right hijacking a Kristen Smart memorial, so Paso.


-71

Neo right? So Paso? So out of touch. D


15

” other racist groups promoting their hate and purposeful divisive propaganda” That is the GQP in a nutshell, do a thing then claim the left is doing it to cover there own offences, Florida pedos and pu##y grabbers in the GQP for example.


Accuse and distract, it’s in the talking points.


-26

It’s the Kremlin Winey the Pooh and Ponzi Scheme Steak salesman and Casino owning and bankruptcy pu$$y grabbing style lead to all this.


-13

“Eruro-Fascist Left”


Um, what? Not a thing, sorry. Fascism is a far right wing ideology as opposed to communism, which is a far left wing ideology. You must have taken your history classes at a public school.


-14

I’ve known Richard for 25 years. Think about this: He’s 78, he’s not as mobile as he once was (to put it mildly), his ticker is slowing down, yet he’s still limping around taking photographs to help readers understand what’s going on in their lives. Richard is a religious guy with a great heart. For this to happen is not just a tragedy, but a naked crime. You might call this a media-on-media assault. More to come…


60

“…Richard is a religious guy with a great heart…”


That was most apparent when he chose not to press charges.


31

I can hear the CNN crew: “But we’re on your side!”…


32

These Antifa/blm insurgent groups and fractions continue cause destruction and injury to innocent people including reporter’s it appears across this nation. This is NOTHING new. Its been going on for five years now with little to no response to the terror they promote. Even the apologetic/justifying CNN had their crew attacked and chased off. Maybe they will start identifying what these groups and attackers of the innocent what they really are. Anarchist Insurgent Terrorist! Just look at the video’s and how the supply the attackers with objects and chemical to through law enforcement. They continue to burn and destroy business, and beat people all in the name of a civil protest. They chant death threats to those who oppose them. They now feel very much emboldened knowing they have free reign due to the timid and weak Biden administration.


Biden’s own U.N. Representative said this weak to the rest of the world that the U.S. is a racist nation. I would have say she is correct after seeing all of the racist words, beating, and destruction by these insurgent groups from Antifa/blm this past week. They are filled with hate, racism and bigotry. Again, listen to their words, and watch their violent attacks and destruction nationwide. These are organized insurgent groups of the left. You don’t believe, look no farther the the inciteful words of hate, racism, and bigotry of one U.S. Congressional Representative from California, Maxi Waters. She has encouraged them to continue and become more aggressive and violent. She is hanging out in Minnesota through Monday to help promote and encourage further aggression through her words to all of these groups nationwide. Will the Secret Service or the Biden administration seek her and other’s of her party out for arrest for inciting riots, and attacks on federal buildings in Seattle and Portland. Will she be held accountable for divisive words and hate-speech that is helping to fuel all of this.


If your going to promote and encourage violence against Police and the citizens of this country as a sitting U.S. Congress person, its nothing less than leading a insurgency against this nation. I guess per the lefts standards, she right up there with Trump.


47

Do you realize Hate crimes by primarily white racists are the PRIMARY threat to our nation said the past and current FBI, dear Lord Can you drop political identity and realize some people just suck, but as a man of faith, theres a path to repentance. And to compare social disparity and its link from past to present, shouldn’t be compared to Politics. Poverty is systemic, rigged and creates crime.


-32

I was raised in poverty along with my nine siblings. We were taught to work hard and persevere through it and not to be discouraged by the prejudices against our families ethnicity. It was our faith that guided us. We were not raised to identify people by their color or social status. We have never used the bigotry we faced as an excuse not to succeed at life.

Hate, racism and threats isn’t limited to the “whites” as you state. Our family is proof of that. You right, some people just suck. Maxine Waters doubled down on her threats to this nation again today, and was backed and endorsed by the current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Kind of hard to drop the political identity when these two political hacks keep it front and center at every opportunity. They both might want to look at that path to repentance you speak to.


13

The title of this article should read, “BLM and Antifa ATTACK Media AGAIN”


49

Change the subject much? These are white, local, Dem “progressives”. And Tribune columnists!


53

Who exactly do you think make-up BLM and ANTIFA in SLO County?


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