Soldier on the Frontline

Community journalist and activist Diane Bukowksi at court.

By Roshaun Harris

The growth of the fascist state threatens democracy and the pursuit of truth. Without a doubt, the freedom of the press is a fundamental democratic right. Journalists serve as the torch bearers for truth in any democratic society.
Journalists act as the Fourth Estate, lifting objective truth into the consciousness of the public, to allow them to deconstruct the world around them. This information is absolutely necessary for clear judgments on issues pertinent to social growth and stability and more importantly the protection of our human rights.

Diane Bukowski has served the Detroit community fervently by way of activist journalism. She most notably worked with forces in the community to shed light on the issue of police brutality. As a part of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, Bukowski for many years has been at the forefront of covering numerous incidents of police brutality and misconduct in and around the city of Detroit.

According to reports by the Michigan Citizen, a privately owned, grass-roots community newspaper serving the greater Detroit area, on May 1st a Wayne County jury returned a guilty verdict against Bukowski on two felony counts for crossing yellow police tape on Nov. 4, Election Day, 2008. Bukowski has maintained her innocence. On June 1st she was sentenced to one year of probation, community service, and a $4000 fine.

According to Bukowski, charges against her stem from a crash caused by an improperly executed Michigan State Police chase along east Davison Ave., that ended in the deaths of two men, James Willingham, a motorcyclist, and Jeffrey Frazier, a pedestrian. She was arrested on the scene and Prosecutor Kym Worthy brought five felony charges against her for obstructing, resisting, or assaulting a police officer. The police claim that the collision was caused by a hit and run driver. Bukowski argues the police actually caused the fatality.

During the trial, the fact that Bukowski was a journalist was omitted from testimony. The fact that she had a right by virtue of the First Amendment to be there doing what she was permitted by law to do was denied by the prosecution.

According to Bukowski, troopers John Hetfield and James Wojton violated MSP vehicle pursuit rules because their siren was not on. They chased Willingham for (speeding) through a densely populated area at 3:30 p.m. as three nearby schools were about to disperse, she said. The troopers  have not been disciplined or charged.
Troopers Andrea Barber, Matthew Kellar and Eric Byerly arrested Bukowski 2 1/2 half hours after the chase, shortly after she arrived on the scene. In court, Byerly admitted destroying evidence, a felony, by erasing Bukowski’s photos. He has not been charged.

The police are being militarized and expanded and widespread surveillance is becoming a more and more prevalent.  Diane Bukowski has been on the front lines of shedding light on the growing militarization of our society.
Let us also be mindful of the many splinters on the wood that we inevitably will incur as we are building. Splinters such as Kym Worthy who seek only to disrupt the building that is taking place by our community activists, journalists and all of those who champion true justice, liberty, and equality and not the pseudo democratic justice handed down by the oppressive capitalist ruling class and its many partners in the Federal, State, and Local governments in these great United States of America.

Diane Bukowski follows in the journalistic tradition of Ida B. Wells, making justice and equality a possibility for all. Let us continue our support of Diane and the many others who build our railroad to freedom. You can also visit freedianebukowski.org

Twin Cities newspaper asks for help to keep
a newspaper and the First Amendment alive!

Editors note:  The following is reprinted from  the website of the
Southside Pride newspaper in Minneapolis, St.Paul.

We need your help.  Pulse of the Twin Cities (our sister publication that stopped printing two years ago) is being sued for defamation by Sela Roofing and Remodeling for an article we wrote December 28, 2005.  The article was “A Roof Over Their Heads.”  It was about the exploitation of Latino workers.  It’s on the Pulse archives at http://www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=1557.  Somehow, Sela thinks they’re being defamed in the article.  That’s nonsense.  And, even if we were defaming them, the statute of limitations for them to present a case was two years and it expired December 28, 2007.  But they’re suing us for $50,000, and we can’t represent ourselves in court.  We can’t even answer them in court without a lawyer.  We need a lawyer and filing fees.  We need your help.  Please send contributions to Southside Pride, 3200 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55407.  And, if you know a good lawyer that’s willing to file an answer for us, please contact us at 612-822-4662 or edfelien@pulsetc.com.

Help keep a newspaper and the First Amendment alive!

Thanks, Ed Felien, Publisher

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