DPS. cameramen conflict
■ Department of Public
Safety officers accused
alternative media journalists
of trespassing
By Ben Romano
Oregon Daily Emerald
Two Cascadia Alive! videogra
phers were told to leave University
property Saturday night while they
were trying to film an investigation
by Department of Public Safety of
ficers. The cameramen said the inci
dent was an example of how local
law enforcement suppresses inde
pendent media.
Tim Lewis and Steven Heslin,
who routinely film the activities of
area law enforcement for the cable
access programs Cascadia Alive!
and Cop Watch, weP3 threatened
with arrest for trespassing when
they failed fa leave the University
parking lot at 14th Avenue and Kin
caid Street after DPSSgt. Sean Stra
hon directed them Wdnso.
DPS Associate Director Tom
Hicks said a DPS officer asked the
Cascadia Alive! videographers to
leave University property because
they did not step away from the in
vestigation when asked to do so. It
had nothing to do the fact that Lewis
and Heslin represented independ
ent media, Hicks said.
“It would be the same circum
stance if any other media were in
terfering,” he said.
A videotape of the incident that
the Emerald obtained from Casca
dia Alive! did not show DPS officers
asking the videographers to back
away. On the tape, DPS officers tell
the videographers to leave Universi
ty property because they are tres
passing. There is no mention of in
terfering with an investigation, and
though they asked repeatedly, the
cameramen were not given an ex
planation of why they were being
asked to leave.
While the incident was minor and
did not result in any citations being
issued, Lewis and Heslin said it was
indicative of the local law enforce
ment reaction to independent media.
“The cops don’t like the way we
cover news and they have authority
to restrict access to a legitimate
news event,” Heslin said. “When
independent media is trying to hit
the streets themselves, we’re like,
getting booted. To me it’s just blatant
censorship.”
Eugene Police Department spokes
woman Jan Power said that all media,
whether they are independent or
mainstream, are subject to the same
laws. She said all types of media have
given her cause for concern at one
time or another because of their ac
* tions at crime scenes .
“We’ve been instructed by die city
council to recognize anyone who rep
resents themselves as media, and
that’s what we do,” Power said.
Power noted, however, that some
media do not adhere closely to the
Society of Professional Journalists
Code of Ethics, specifically in rela
tion to unbiased reporting. She said
there are some who blur the distinc
tion between being the news and re
porting the news, which can jeop
ardize police investigations.
Power said a number of actions
can constitute interfering with an
EPD investigation, including com
menting verbally, harassing or get
ting too close to the officers in
volved in the investigation.
“Officers have reason to need a
space, so to speak, to conduct an in
vestigation,” she said, adding that
they have the ability to set a dis
tance that will ensure the safety and
integrity of an investigation.
DPS was in the parking lot Satur
day because officers had observed
several people there with open con
tainers of alcohol and heard glass
bottles being broken. Eventually,
DPS requested assistance from the
Eugene Police Department to deal
with alcohol violations.
University Vice President for Ad
ministration Dan Williams said the
authority to kick trespassers off the
campus rests with the University
president, who has delegated it to
the director of public safety and oth
er administrators.
“It’s not uncommon for the De
partment of Public Safety to exer
cise trespassing violations through
out the year,” Williams said.
Power said anyone can videotape
from a public property, but making
audio recordings requires the per
mission of the recording subjects.
She said EPD issues some citations
for making audio recordings with
out permission.
Sgt. Strahon said on the tape that
the two videographers are anarchists.
Heslih said in an interview on Tues
day that he was an anarchist, but
Lewis did not indicate whether he
was or was not an anarchist.
When EPD arrived, a police offi
cer told the videographers that they ?
were subject to arrest if they didn’t
leave immediately.
Heslin also related an incident at
a partel discussion on Measure 9,
held Oct. 11 at the law school. He
and fellow Cascadia Alive! videog
rapher Erin Hauge were asked to
leave the discussion by a DPS offi
cer after Hauge raised her hand to
answer a rhetorical question one of
the panelists posed. Video tapes
from the discussion show many
others in the audience with hands ,
raised in response to the question,
but Hauge and Heslin were the only
ones asked to leave.
“The attitude that [DPS] has is re
ally originating from the Eugene Po
lice Department,” Heslin said.
“They define who the media are.”
The videographers said police of
ficers routinely point high-powered
flashlights at their cameras to pre
vent them from taping.
“I guess they don’t want light
shed on everything the cops are do
ing down there,” Lewis said.
Biking
continued from page 1A
said. “You see the inexperienced
riders with the skunk mark up their
back from riding without fenders.
Fenders are a cheap option. ”
Safety measures
Rain can greatly increase the
riskiness of bicycle riding, said
Shawn Strahon, a Department of
Public Safety officer. Because they
are not as visible to drivers during
the winter months, bicyclists must
ride more defensively and dress
brightly or use lights to increase
visibility.
“Bicyclists need to be aware of
traffic laws and obey them,” Stra
hon said. “Use a light when it’s
dark, which is required by law.”
The rain can also have a harmful
effect on riding during the day.
“Watch out for wet leaves, white
lines and manhole covers,” Wallis
said. “All get extremely slippery
during wet weather.”
Be sure to turn and brake before
or after passing these objects and
watch for uneven pavement,
standing water or narrowed lane
widths. Bicyclists also need to re
member that wet roads make brak
ing harder and should anticipate
longer stopping times.
Riding in tune
If you’re not doing basic mainte
nance on your bike, take it to a shop
a couple of times a year, depending
on how much you ride, Hanlon
said.
Covered bike parking on campus:
• Recreation Center
•EMU
• Knight Library
• Pacific Hail
• Residence halls
• Law school
• Chapman Hall
•Lawrence Hall
• LTD Campus South Station
• Bowerman Science Library
Bike Cages
The Onyx Bridge bike cage is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The
usage fee is $10 per term or $20 per year. Users are issued a personal code to
access the cage. The Department of Public Safety manages registration of the
cage and lockers.
Biking in Eugene
The city of Eugene consists of a well-coordinated system of bikeways. The system
includes 28 miles of off-street paths, 78 miles of on-street bicycle lanes and 5
bicycle/pedestrian bridges spanning the Wilfamette River. Eugene's bikeways
connect to Springfield’s bicycle system and to bikeways in metropolitan Lane
County.
1. Eugene Bikeway Program
http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/pw/bike/bikesite/bikewaypgrm.htm
2. Bicycle Manual
http://www.odot.state.or.us/techserv/bikewalk/manual/index.htm
Helpful Links
“If you hear a squeak, you need
to lube your chain,” Hanlon said.
“Replace your chain frequently to
prevent having to replace your
whole rear cog.”
Students are also required to reg
ister their bikes through DPS. Reg
istered bikes are much easier to
find if they are stolen, Strahon
said. Students who don’t ride often
during the winter need to check on
their bikes routinely to ensure that
they are still there. Locking bikes
properly is an excellent precau
tion, and DPS offers classes at the
beginning of each term to teach
bike safety.
By dressing properly for the
winter months and abiding by
common-sense rules regarding
safety, bicycling in the winter can
continue to be a pleasant method
of transportation or leisure.
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