Democracy for Vancouver

Two great pieces of citizen journalism.
The first comes to us by way of Washblog:

STRYKER PROTEST — VIDEO: ‘Give Peace a Chance — Tacoma Police Riot’
Joe La Sac, whose “Film is NOT a Crime” gained him fame this week as a videographer, posted on YouTube on Saturday two minutes of video entitled “Give Peace a Chance — Tacoma Police Riot.” — The film, made in the early morning hours of Sat., Mar. 10, 2007, shows police firing tear gas cannisters on a peaceful, tranquil crowd, and then, seconds later, unprovoked and without warning, firing what are apparently rapid-fire rubber bullets into a crowd of peaceful protesters who are doing nothing but sitting in a road.

The other from friend Dave over at Vision? Nary!:

Fascism Rides High in WA State

Tacoma police last week “detained” local journalist Joseph La Sac, 22, without arrest at the scene of the port protests in Tacoma WA.

Police were caught on tape demanding the video journalist desist reporting on the actions at the port and demanding they be told where the resulting video would be show; police on scene declared for themselves that news agencies they disapproved would be barred from the scene or forced to stand so far back they could film nothing usable.
An Officer was also filmed threatening the journalist’s equipment, stating he would “break it” if La Sac not turn the camera off and leave. After he was detained, without charge or cause, and his equipment confiscated, the reporter said the officer declared he “did not care about anyone’s constitutional rights or what any judge in a black robe had to say.”

This occurred as police in Tacoma become increasingly violent toward non-violent protesters.