- Villanueva claims she refused deputy orders. Not true. Video evidence contradicts this. She’s backing up and is tackled immediately.
(THREAD)
- He says deputies "were not aware she was a working reporter." Josie yelled "I'm a reporter" & wore her KPCC station ID
(Sheriff's Dept. cannot require their specific credentials to report in public places. Police don't bestow the right to journalism, the 1st Amendment does)
- Villanueva continues to falsely claim Josie “runs up to deputies” which is clearly not true, shown on video evidence from her phone
- Let’s talk about video evidence! Two deputies were also caught stomping on and trying to crush her phone *as it recorded* to destroy evidence
- Villanueva makes another bizarre accusation: "We have a problem...particularly these protests. We have fake press credentials...they stencil the word PRESS on their helmet."
Does he mean freelancers? Reporters for small outlets that he doesn't deem "working press"? No telling
- A twofer: Villanueva impugns Josie’s professionalism while accusing her of something contradicted on video:
“I know no good reporter is going to get right up on the shoulder of a deputy trying to arrest somebody. That's inappropriate. That’s going from journalism to activism”
This makes me sick.
I'm the granddaughter of a sheriff's deputy shot & killed in the line of duty. I know the pain caused by Sat.'s senseless attack.
But this Sheriff is lying about my colleague & intimidating other reporters from fulfilling our constitutionally-protected job
When we let a law enforcement agency do this to the watchdogs, who is left to protect everyone else?
After his PIO team put out lies on social media, the Sheriff is continuing a systematic misinformation campaign about Josie and what happened Saturday night
This has to stop.
Thank you to @mridleythomas for calling for an investigation.
Others, please: Watch and listen to what happened to Josie. It's on tape.
Don't dismiss what you're seeing with your own eyes. Every day, truth and accountability are being subverted
Covering the Larry Elder election night party in Costa Mesa, Orange County for @NPR@KPCC@LAist. As recall voting comes to a close across California, and supporters filter into the Hilton ballroom, the band plays “What A Day For A Daydream.”
OC GOP Chair Fred Whitaker tells Elder supporters "Do not be discouraged" by early returns, which are coming in very lopsided anti-recall. He lists some vote centers w/ long lines today, and says "those are our (GOP) voters." Elder will speak later tonight. "On to victory!"
Some whispers have started in the ballroom, as people look at their phones & see networks have called the recall for Newsom. Fmr Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado encouraged folks to hold tight, “plenty of time left”
New: @LACountyRRCC is before the L.A. County Board of Supervisors right now. @SupJaniceHahn lists March 3 primary election problems: long vote center lines, absentee ballots not getting mailed out, Measure FD left off many ballots.
Hahn: "I know, myself, I've lost confidence."
.@kathrynbarger on election worker training problems and reports of many vote center employees not showing up to work: "They felt like they were thrown in the middle of a pool and not taught how to swim."
Barger: at least 17,000 L.A. County vote-by-mail voters didn't get mailed a ballot.
"Between now and November, we have to restore confidence so that people know that we take this seriously and it's not going to happen again."
I’m outside Victorville prison where 3 buses with Dept. of Homeland Security and ICE logos just pulled out of the facility. 1,000 immigration detainees will be housed here - we believe it’s the first time on a large-scale immigrants will be held in federal prisons @KPCC
Sources tell me 240 immigrant detainees are arriving today out of a total of 1,000 planned. This is a facility where the union representing prison guards has raised red flags about staffing issues - more from earlier coverage by Victorville Daily Press: vvdailypress.com/news/20170930/…
Derek Loh, attorney w/ Immigrant Defenders Law Center, says they’re getting no word on whether clients will be held in this federal prison at Victorville. “This prison was designed to house convicted criminals. Immigrant detainees are in civil proceedings. They’re not criminals”