------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Researcher,
independent investigator, and entrepreneur, A.F. James
MacArthur is Baltimore's most well known independent journalist contributor.A member of the underground news network for over 20
years. During this time, he's been a frequent subject of attack by
government under the guise of law enforcement. Although
closely watched and followed, he's often boycotted from being given any
credit for his work by mainstream media. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Get Better Connected With Me
The first post on this blog. My what a journey it's been. - Ed.
In a city riddled with allegations of government corruption, widespread incompetence, and an out of control crime problem, some police officers apparently have taken a novel approach to restoring peace and order to the slowly sinking ship that is Baltimore City; arrest law abiding citizens who aren't actually committing crimes. That way, when asked what is being done, they can point to numbers that don't tell the real story, then point out how many arrests have been made.
Remember how on the Titanic the musicians continued to play even as water filled the cabins and half the decks were already underwater? Well, in Baltimore the situation is similar. The truth is, things are far worse than anyone is willing to talk about, but meanwhile the masses live in a state of addled apathy.
“There are thousand of cases like this being thrown out every month,“In the month of February, we threw out 902 cases; in March, we threw out over 1,200 cases — that means 70 cases a day.” -- Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office
Baltimore Police have a history of locking folks up, just because. Sometimes merely asking a question of of an officer can land you in jail. Don't believe me, just check out this story from The Baltimore Examiner in 2006. In that story, a young couple, visiting from out of town was arrested for asking a cop for directions. Talk about rolling out the welcome mat. I wish I could tell you that this practice has stopped, but sadly, it is still going on, and apparently with a great degree of frequency.
"I Can Send Anyone To Prison Just Because I Don't Like Them"
Allow me to tell you the story of one James MacArthur. As a part time journalist with years of experience and a broad body of work in several fields, he is always on the lookout for story ideas. After learning his car was impounded and a trip to the Baltimore City impound lot would be necessary, he thought it would be a perfect chance for a story. After all this place is well known for lousy customer service. Of course, what he didn't know was, asking questions of Baltimore public officials is a jailable offense.
Never mind the First Amendment or anything like that, no, this is Baltimore City remember? It's the impound lot. The same place that is under ongoing investigation for all kinds of criminal activity. This place has been abusing the people of Baltimore for years. Thieves, liars and rude are just a few of the words that can be used to describe some of the folks working there.
Customer Service, Charm City Style
On 29 December 2008, MacArthur went to the impound lot for the purpose of retrieving his car. He felt the car was wrongfully impounded, and decided to document his experience for a future story. In the parking lot, while sitting in a car, using a cell phone camera, MacArthur began narrating.
Continuing to film,he walked into the lobby and was immediately met with loud protests from impound lot staff telling him he was not allowed to tape inside. MacArthur advised them he was an investigative journalist, and he was simply doing a story on Baltimore City government customer service. A staff member asked him for his name and contact information. MacArthur complied, giving them his cell phone number, and then took a number from a wall mounted dispenser, to be placed in que for customer service.
Waiting for his number to be called, he said there were several patrons in the lobby, some of them quite vocally agitated by the experience of dealing with the place. He told them he was a reporter and if they wanted to talk to him and share their experience, he'd be glad to meet them outside.
Suddenly a man from behind the counter came out and angrily confronted him. Never identifing himself as management, or an employee for that matter, and standing merely inches from MacArthur, he asked if there was a problem. Not knowing who the individual was, MacArthur asked him if he could identify himself. The man walked away disappearing back into the office.
At this point, MacArthur said he was there for no more than 5 minutes when his phone rang. On the line was Adrienne Barnes, Director of Communications for the Department Of Transportation, which the lot falls under. According to MacArthur, Barnes asked what was going on, and who he was working for. He told her he was doing a piece on customer service. She then asked how much longer he would be there taping, to which he replied, 10 minutes or so. Barnes said that would be fine, but the employees were kind of nervous and in the future she would appreciate being contacted in advance. MacArthur then told her, that as an investigative journalist, he prefers to show up unannounced, after all, it was a public building.
“Somewhere within the Police Department there is a policy or directive to increase the number of arrests..." -- Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office
While standing outside near the entrance, still on the phone with Barnes, four officers, one with a nightstick in his hand, marched past MacArthur and went inside. MacArthur ended the call with Barnes telling her the were police on scene. He then went back into the building at which point the officers immediately surrounded him. The lead officer, identified as Officer Michael Maurice, of the Baltimore Police asked him to step outside. MacArthur says he feared going outside with the four officers. Their aggressive posture and demeanor made him feel that he was in danger of bodily harm and therefore, would only be safe if he remained in view of other people.
Don't You Dare Question Me
Officer Maurice asked MacArthur a second time to step outside, to which MacArthur replied "why?" Maurice said he wanted to talk to him and there were too many people in the lobby for him to do so. MacArthur then suggested they could step to the side while remaining in the lobby to talk.
At that point, Officer Maurice handcuffed MacArthur and told him he was under arrest for disturbing the peace. It is interesting to note that on the charging the documents, the official charge is listed as trespassing. Trespassing in a public place no less.
While this sort of thing happens often in this city, it is not often we get to see video from a cell phone, of a journalist getting arrested simply for asking a question. This I suppose is the new strategy for fighting crime. Speaking about another incident Burns said “nuisance arrests” waste city resources that could be better used to fight violent crime.
Can anyone tell me where the life vests are? We're going down, and we're going down fast!
Troy Harris, spokesman for Baltimore City Police was contacted concerning this story, he declined to comment, stating that it is an open case and an ongoing investigation. Yeah, and I'm sure the investigation involves more police resources that could be better spent.
-- A big thank you to Adam Meister, from BaltimoreExaminer.com for helping with this story. We will continue to follow this with updates as needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Researcher, independent investigative journalist, and entrepreneur, A.F. James MacArthur has been a member of the underground news network for over 20 years. During this time, he's been a frequent subject of attack by government officials under the guise of law enforcement. He's often boycotted from being given any credit for his work by mainstream media. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Get Better Connected With Me
Man this local media siding with the establishment authorities who are screwing the citizens is so maddening. Yet, Mark Reutter in The Brew consistently illuminates issues in his corruption investigation articles that should trigger the Justice Department to intervene in our hopelessly corrupt city government. Yet statistically, no one reads The Brew to speak of, and the few that do are statistically inconsequential.
Our lame-stream media is complicit and lazy, yet the few local media reps who get it, like Reutter, are marginalized in statistical obscurity, pinned down on a dismally managed, rarely promoted online news blog, that's more about Roland Park book shops and pinkie-in-the-air wine tastings.
On the first day of launching, brand new Baltimore news site, Investigative Voice, breaks a major story. -- Raising alarm bells over a $1 billion gap between benefits owed to retired police and firefighters and the money to pay for it, an actuary representing the fire and police unions said the city must contribute more money now to close a precipitous funding gap caused by the market meltdown -- or face dire consequences.
Nearly four hours after The Baltimore Spectator broke the story in an exclusive report, Investigative Voice, the first Baltimore website exclusively dedicated to hard hitting investigative journalism was officially launched this morning on The Ed Norris Show. Co-founder Stephen Janis spoke about the importance of having an alternative voice in media asking questions and looking at issues often ignored.
Norris spoke of a slanted and agenda driven local stalwart, The Baltimore Sun. Lamenting that in just one week since the demise of The Baltimore Examiner, the Sun has already taken off on a clearly biased path. As Baltimore's only remaining daily paper, the Sun has no counterpart in the market to aid in maintaining integrity.
Janis added that in this, the digital age allowing free access and choice, there is now a second voice back in town. Citing the lack of overhead from having to print physical newpapers, Janis said "in the long term, this is gonna work."
Baltimore Examiner investigative reporters launch independent site, web address no longer a mystery
The Baltimore Spectator has learned that the rumored and much anticipated return of former Baltimore Examiner reporters has arrived. The site, now live, is a joint collaborative effort headed by Stephen Janis, former senior investigative reporter for the Examiner. Beat writer Luke Broadwater and editor Regina Holmes round out the trio.
Initially contacted to confirm early rumors, Janis stated the three felt their work was a sincere benefit and service to the community and therefore should continue despite the shutting down of their former employer.
Janis and Broadwater have both won numerous awards for their hard hitting, in depth coverage of a side of Baltimore many would rather conceal.
The Baltimore Spectator has obtained, in advance, the heavily guarded web address and now reveals it (BEFORE the official announcement), as an exclusive to our readers. The site has a neat, clean, modern layout with several stories and photos posted.
Official announcement and launch is scheduled to take place this morning on The Ed Norris Show, heard on Baltimore's 105.7 The Fan.
On this, the first Sunday without the Baltimore Examiner. As a service to readers of The Baltimore Spectator, we present to you The Examiner. It's the only place left to view the Examiner online. Hurry take a peek, this is guaranteed not to be up for long. Be sure to click on the "archives" link and you'll be able to go way, way back. Really, gonna miss this newspaper. Check out The Baltimore Examiner
Baltimore Spectator Viewership up 500% after reporter banned from Baltimore Sun website
Multimedia journalist A.F. James MacArthur, an early adopter and proponent of New Media and managing editor of The Baltimore Spectator, viewed as a threat by establishment Baltimore main stream media.
Currently MacArthur, an investigative reporter covering crime, grime and politics, writes for several news websites under various pen names, produces and appears on air on two radio shows, and also directs and produces periodic video special reports.
The Baltimore Spectator has learned that folks at The Anschutz Corporation, publishers of the now defunct Baltimore Examiner have visited this site. Apparently they were seeking to glean details on the upcoming project of Stephen Janis, senior investigative reporter of the Examiner. Janis told the Spectator he would be working with former Examiner reporter Luke Broadwater and editor Regina Holmes on a new website dedicated to focused, hard hitting investigative reporting on Baltimore City.
UPDATE: Well placed sources have revealed to us that staffers at The Washington Post have been discussing the story of the Baltimore Examiner reporters returning. The source tells us the staffers viewed The Baltimore Spectator and the site was passed around among editorial management.
Record page views and new readers continue to flood The Baltimore Spectator as people from around the world visit to learn the future of The Baltimore Examiner. In the story first broken here, we revealed before any of the Baltimore mainstream media, that some of the staff of the Baltimore Examiner, namely Stephen Janis, Luke Broadwater and editor Regina Holmes are planning a resurrection.
To date, this site has been linked to, and visited by more people in a single day, than ever before, because of this story. We literally have seen folks from Europe, Asia, even South America view the piece. Truly, the power and reach of the web is fascinating. Even on a story we thought was "ultra local."
Thanks to readers like you for driving us forward. We hope you continue to visit and tell your friends about our unique little contribution to the way news is distributed. Thank you DCRTV.com for being the first to link and to all the rest of you also, too numerous to name.
I should also add, folks from all of the local media outlets have also been visiting The Baltimore Spectator.
UPDATE: 3:21 -- Baltimore Spectator website flooded with hits from around the world looking for information not on any other website. Investigative reporter Stephen Janis bombarded with numerous media requests as a result of the reporting on this site.
In a conversation with The Spectator, Janis refused to release the address of the website, but stated more information is forth coming, and Baltimore Spectator readers will be among first to know.
Local main stream media scrambling to catch up and confirm story first broken on this page.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM -- **EXCLUSIVE** Stephen Janis spoke to The Baltimore Spectator -- "We plan to focus on the investigative reporting the people of Baltimore expect from us."
BREAKING NEWS: Original story
(The Baltimore Spectator) 8:20 AM -- Just announced on the Ed Norris show, heard on 105.7 The Fan; the former employees of The Baltimore Examiner are working on a brand new news website to be launched next week. Stephen Janis, senior investigative reporter at the now defunct Baltimore Examiner made the announcement around 8:15 this morning.
Launch of the site is planned for next week with official announcement to be made on the Ed Norris Show. Janis stated he was hard at work, still out in the field gathering news and working on future stories to be included in the new site. Stay tuned.
You heard it here first, now stay tuned for all the rest to follow.
From today's Baltimore Sun re: the water main break; "The rupture, which occurred about 4 a.m..."
Now hold it right there. The problem is, this is patently untrue. Every last one of the mainstream media outlets in town reported this as the time. Although I was there around 2:30AM and it was already happening, and I reported this hours before everyone else, rather than citing me as an eye witness, on scene source, they would rather continue to spout inaccurate information. (see my video report for proof their time is way off)
Am I the only one bothered by deliberate repetitions of incorrect information? My issue with this is, to me I've caught them. How many other times are numerous erroneous facts repeated over and over and we all buy into it not knowing any better? Were I not already on the scene when they were all sleeping, I would be buying into this error too.
My point is, if they're wrong and careless with accuracy on the small things, such as the time of an event, can they be trusted on the larger more weighty matters.
Want to know why they're doing this? Because on this issue, I was right, and they are wrong and it pains them to back me up or use me a source, a mere blogger. Never mind truth and accuracy, let's just be elitist towards others trying to bring "truth to the masses."
And to those who would argue this to be trivial, think about a court of law. Do you think if a witnesses time was way off and contrary to other evidence it would hold up very well? In the court of public opinion, I want to know how well do you regard our local Baltimore mainstream media in terms of accuracy.
In a city riddled with allegations of government corruption, widespread incompetence, and an out of control crime problem, some police officers apparently have taken a novel approach to restoring peace and order to the slowly sinking ship that is Baltimore City; arrest law abiding citizens who aren't actually committing crimes. That way, when asked what is being done, they can point to numbers that don't tell the real story, then point out how many arrests have been made.
Remember how on the Titanic the musicians continued to play even as water filled the cabins and half the decks were already underwater? Well, in Baltimore the situation is similar. The truth is, things are far worse than anyone is willing to talk about, but meanwhile the masses live in a state of addled apathy.
“There are thousand of cases like this being thrown out every month, ...In the month of February, we threw out 902 cases; in March, we threw out over 1,200 cases — that means 70 cases a day.”-- Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office
Baltimore Police have a history of locking folks up, just because. Sometimes merely asking a question of of an officer can land you in jail. Don't believe me, just check out this story from The Baltimore Examiner in 2006. In that story, a young couple, visiting from out of town was arrested for asking a cop for directions. Talk about rolling out the welcome mat. I wish I could tell you that this practice has stopped, but sadly, it is still going on, and apparently with a great degree of frequency.
"I Can Send Anyone To Prison Just Because I Don't Like Them"
Allow me to tell you the story of one James MacArthur. As a part time journalist with years of experience and a broad body of work in several fields, he is always on the lookout for story ideas. After learning his car was impounded and a trip to the Baltimore City impound lot would be necessary, he thought it would be a perfect chance for a story. After all this place is well known for lousy customer service. Of course, what he didn't know was, asking questions of Baltimore public officials is a jailable offense.
Never mind the First Amendment or anything like that, no, this is Baltimore City remember? It's the impound lot. The same place that is under ongoing investigation for all kinds of criminal activity. This place has been abusing the people of Baltimore for years. Thieves, liars and rude are just a few of the words that can be used to describe some of the folks working there.
Customer Service, Charm City Style
On 29 December 2008, MacArthur went to the impound lot for the purpose of retrieving his car. He felt the car was wrongfully impounded, and decided to document his experience for a future story. In the parking lot, while sitting in a car, using a cell phone camera, MacArthur began narrating.
Continuing to film,he walked into the lobby and was immediately met with loud protests from impound lot staff telling him he was not allowed to tape inside. MacArthur advised them he was an investigative journalist, and he was simply doing a story on Baltimore City government customer service. A staff member asked him for his name and contact information. MacArthur complied, giving them his cell phone number, and then took a number from a wall mounted dispenser, to be placed in que for customer service.
Waiting for his number to be called, he said there were several patrons in the lobby, some of them quite vocally agitated by the experience of dealing with the place. He told them he was a reporter and if they wanted to talk to him and share their experience, he'd be glad to meet them outside.
Suddenly a man from behind the counter came out and angrily confronted him. Never identifing himself as management, or an employee for that matter, and standing merely inches from MacArthur, he asked if there was a problem. Not knowing who the individual was, MacArthur asked him if he could identify himself. The man walked away disappearing back into the office.
At this point, MacArthur said he was there for no more than 5 minutes when his phone rang. On the line was Adrienne Barnes, Director of Communications for the Department Of Transportation, which the lot falls under. According to MacArthur, Barnes asked what was going on, and who he was working for. He told her he was doing a piece on customer service. She then asked how much longer he would be there taping, to which he replied, 10 minutes or so. Barnes said that would be fine, but the employees were kind of nervous and in the future she would appreciate being contacted in advance. MacArthur then told her, that as an investigative journalist, he prefers to show up unannounced, after all, it was a public building.
“Somewhere within the Police Department there is a policy or directive to increase the number of arrests..." -- Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office
While standing outside near the entrance, still on the phone with Barnes, four officers, one with a nightstick in his hand, marched past MacArthur and went inside. MacArthur ended the call with Barnes telling her the were police on scene. He then went back into the building at which point the officers immediately surrounded him. The lead officer, identified as Officer Michael Maurice, of the Baltimore Police asked him to step outside. MacArthur says he feared going outside with the four officers. Their aggressive posture and demeanor made him feel that he was in danger of bodily harm and therefore, would only be safe if he remained in view of other people.
Don't You Dare Question Me
Officer Maurice asked MacArthur a second time to step outside, to which MacArthur replied "why?" Maurice said he wanted to talk to him and there were too many people in the lobby for him to do so. MacArthur then suggested they could step to the side while remaining in the lobby to talk.
At that point, Officer Maurice handcuffed MacArthur and told him he was under arrest for disturbing the peace. It is interesting to note that on the charging the documents, the official charge is listed as trespassing. Trespassing in a public place no less.
While this sort of thing happens often in this city, it is not often we get to see video from a cell phone, of a journalist getting arrested simply for asking a question. This I suppose is the new strategy for fighting crime. Speaking about another incident Burns said “nuisance arrests” waste city resources that could be better used to fight violent crime.
Can anyone tell me where the life vests are? We're going down, and we're going down fast!
Troy Harris, spokesman for Baltimore City Police was contacted concerning this story, he declined to comment, stating that it is an open case and an ongoing investigation. Yeah, and I'm sure the investigation involves more police resources that could be better spent.
-- A big thank you to Adam Meister, from BaltimoreExaminer.com for helping with this story. We will continue to follow this with updates as needed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Researcher, independent investigative journalist, and entrepreneur, A.F. James MacArthur has been a member of the underground news network for over 20 years. During this time, he's been a frequent subject of attack by government officials under the guise of law enforcement. He's often boycotted from being given any credit for his work by mainstream media. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Get Better Connected With Me
MESSAGE TO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT/INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
To all those who willfully, deliberately and routinely violate the civil rights of law abiding American Citizens; Yes, you're powerful. Sure, you're everywhere. But this is still America, and the Constitution of the United States Of America still reigns supreme as the law of the land. The Baltimore Spectator will vigorously and aggressively defend against any and all attempts at spying and suppression. Let it be known to all that we are already aware of the regular monitoring and shadowing attempts. There is nothing to hide, but cross the line and there will be hell to pay.
In the end, efforts to impinge upon the freedoms of the people will ultimately fail. Some of us may get taken out in the ongoing battle for true and lasting freedom, but as I've said many times before, and will say till the day I die or get taken out by you goons, THERE ARE MORE OF US, THAN THERE ARE OF YOU.
A.F. James MacArthur -- American patriot & lover of liberty.
Fair Use Copyright Notice
--DISCLAIMER-- Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purpose such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statue that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Researcher,
independent investigator, and entrepreneur, A.F. James
MacArthur is Baltimore's most well known independent journalist contributor. A member of the underground news network for over 20
years. During this time, he's been a frequent subject of attack by
government under the guise of law enforcement. Although
closely watched and followed, he's often boycotted from being given any
credit for his work by mainstream media.
