This is an off-duty police officer paid by Tesoro--using a regular police vehicle, reporting to regular dispatch but getting paid by Tesoro--abusing her power to illegally detain and interrogate a journalist who is documenting a major pollution event.
The bogus police logic is: A journalist filming the refinery qualifies as a threat to so-called "homeland security" and a terrorism task force will have to review the matter, so even though we know it's not against the law to film a refinery, and thus we know it would be illegal to detain someone for doing so, we're going to do it anyway. Terrorism. Terrorism. You lose. Terrorism.
BUT, millions of people will be sickened by the Tesoro tar sands pollution that the journalist was trying to film.
So, I ask SLC PD--who you suspectin' of terrorism? I'm not the one dumping dangerous chemical weapons that will cause serious bodily harm to millions of people. That's Tesoro acting like a terrorist.
But Tesoro is paying this SLCPD cop's paycheck, so I guess that's why the journalist gets threatened while the real terrorist gets protection.
Alberta Tar Sands are currently being refined at Tesoro's Salt Lake City refinery, so these toxic plumes of fire are fed by some of the dirtiest feed stock available. The Wasatch Front was already experiencing dangerous levels of air pollution when Tesoro's fiery emergency ramped up the poisons considerably. (until about 12/24/13, you'll be able to see the spike in NO2 that happened 12/18/13 at 22hr
http://www.airquality.utah.gov...)
It's moments like these when it's clear from JTTF and all the terrorism bogusness, to the Bluffdale NSA water-sucking spy center, to the local Salt Lake City Police Department and their "fusion center"--every law enforcement agency has been captured by the corporations, is funded by the corporations, and is working for the corporations. A "conspiracy theory" becomes just a conspiracy when it's this obvious and out in the open.
Tesoro agents also recently harassed and threatened journalists from Unedited Media in North Dakota who were documenting a massive oil spill near Tioga that was caused by a faulty Tesoro pipeline.
http://uneditedmedia.com/tesor...
SLC PD and all police departments are complicit in creating a chilling effect regarding stories about the most dangerous polluters and pollution events--from Kalamazoo, Michigan; to Mayflower, Arkansas; to many places along the Gulf Coast. Any journalist who claims to have any committment to freedom for the news media should clench their fists and go to battle against this worrisome trend.
As for the legal recognition of rights to photograph, refer to the ACLU here:
https://www.aclu.org/free-spee...
Filmed Dec. 18, 2013
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