Samples Says Student Is Totally Guilty, But Don't Worry Because They're Conducting a Honest Review

KSDK reported today on the beating of UMSL student Brian Massey by campus police. What I found remarkable in the story is that Bob Samples, university spokesperson, states quite flatly that Massey is guilty despite the fact that multiple witnesses have come forth saying that Massey was attacked by the officers. At no point in this entire process has Samples given any indication that he is taking the student's testimony seriously. At no point has he explained what evidence convinced him that the police account was 100% accurate and that seven different UMSL students were lying about the incident. At no point has he produced a single witness that has said that Massey resisted arrest.

Yet in the news report, it is stated that the university is investigating if the officers "went too far" and could have a report back within two weeks. Call me crazy, but shouldn't Samples be waiting for that report before declaring that Massey is guilty? Might he actually want to put a call out for witnesses? Maybe even talk to someone other than the police officers? If we had anything other than a lapdog mainstream press in this town, Samples would at least be required to answer the questions. Who knows? Maybe he has good answers. But we'll never know from watching Channel 5.

ACTIVIST HUB RADIO EXCLUSIVE: Interview with victim of UMSL police beating

This week Adam and Kevin interviewed Brian K. Massey, a student at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL), about the allegations of brutality by campus police on November 17, 2010. In an exclusive radio interview Massey gives a detailed account of the beating by the campus police.

The police admit to "striking blows to soft tissue areas," but Massey states that even after informing the police he suffers from diabetic neuropathy, the brutalization continued. Massey also reveals to Student Activist Radio, a letter from the university challenging the official police claim that he "tried to strike an officer" who later "was injured."

Massey also talks in depth about his experience with the university administration, as well as the media coverage he has received. Massey says he wants to clear his name hopes the university's actions will not be "swept under the rug." Join us to learn the how and the why of this unfolding story:



Also we are on itunes so please subscribe Activist Hub Radio on Itunes.

Links
The edited KMOX story

What the KMOX story left out

UMSL Police Change Story

Ann GreeStudent on Facebook

Facebook Group, UMSL Police Went Too Far!!

UMSL Police Completely Change Official Story

In the latest, highly-edited story from KMOX, the UMSL spokesperson dramtically upped the ante on this discussion:

Samples says Massey grabbed the right wrist of an officer and was told he was under arrest.

Police say, as Massey was being handcuffed, he swung around and tried to strike an officer.

Massey was subdued and Samples says one officer was injured. Massey says he was kicked and punched.

During the three and a half weeks since the incident occurred, and despite being quoted in two stories by the student newspaper, the police had never before claimed that Massey tried to "strike" an officer, nor that an officer had been injured. Yet now with a student movement and petition starting to gain steam, all of a sudden the police are claiming that Massey tried to "strike" them.

What looks even worse for the police and their administrative defenders is the fact that the official letter sent from UMSL to Massey on November 29 detailing his alleged misconduct also did not mention anything about him trying to strike an officer or an officer being injured. I've uploaded a copy, with Brian's permission, of the letter they sent him:

umsl_letter2

Here is the text of the letter detailing Massey's alleged misconduct:

On or about November 17, 2010, campus police responded to a call regarding a student in crises at the Millennium Student Center. During this time, you were located directly outside the location the student was being assessed by campus police. Upon learning that you and the student had a heated argument just hours before, the police asked you to leave the area to which you refused. The police then asked you for identification, you initially refused this request before finally showing your identification. As the officer attempted to read your identification card, you attempted to grab hold of the officer's wrist and take the identification card out of his hand. The officer then attempted to arrest you for the incident. Multiple witnesses observed you resisting arrest by jerking, pulling back, and shouting at the officers. This misconduct is in violation of Section 200.010.B.10 "Failure to comply with directions of the University Officials acting in the performance of their duties," and Section 200.010.B.9 "Disruptive or disorderly conduct or lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct or expression."

No mention whatsoever of Massey "attempting to strike" an officer in the official letter detailing his alleged misconduct. Think about that. It's also interesting that this letter claimed that Massey attempted to grab an officer's arm, whereas the official police story is that he did grab the officer's arm. It's also interesting that this account claims that Massey refused to show his identification, because in a previous story the UMSL Police Chief Van Ness said that Massey complied with requests to see his ID.

What KMOX Left Out

I wrote earlier that KMOX had edited their story to leave out all accounts from people who witnessed the police beating UMSL student Brian Massey. The story went from one with a group of witnesses disagreeing with police, to a story relying completely on the police account of the incident. Well, Google Cache appears to finally be working so I'm posting below all of the information that KMOX edited out after they spoke with an UMSL spokesperson. Here are the passages removed from the old story by Jusin Wingerter that are completely missing from the new story;

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – A November 17 altercation between University of Missouri – St. Louis police and a 46-year-old student has some calling for the police officers’ termination.

Witnesses say a disagreement between Brian K. Massey, a disc jockey at the campus radio station, and another radio station volunteer led police to the Millennium Center around 5 p.m.

“They had actually called the building police on her,” Massey said, referring to the 35-year-old volunteer he had a disagreement with. “The reason campus police were called wasn’t for me, it was for her.”

Massey and witnesses tell KMOX that police asked him for two forms of identification which he promptly handed over without complaint. Police then informed the criminal justice student that he was under arrest for trespassing after refusing to leave the building.

And:

Massey and witnesses say he was grabbed by police, handcuffed, and then thrown against a concrete column without provocation. UMSL spokesman Bob Samples, meanwhile, says Massey grabbed the wrist of one of the officers and resisted arrest.

“I used my foot to stop my face from hitting the column,” Massey said. “They then threw me against the window of the radio station.”

Witnesses say that’s when the crowd, which had gathered as classes let out, became heated.

Massey, who suffers from diabetic neuropathy and says he’s listed as a disabled student by the university, said that police then began punching him and kicking him in the sides. Police agree that they were forced to “apply striking blows to soft tissue areas.”

Witnesses say Massey displayed “amazing calmness” as he was struck, eventually going down on one knee in hopes of avoiding further confrontation. But, he says, that only made him an easier target.

“They then hit me in the side, hit me in the legs again, pushed my head into the wall, and start hitting me in the head.”

It was only when a campus employee stepped between the officers and Massey did the beating come to an end, according to witnesses.

Massey says further improper treatment followed, including having his leg slammed in the police car’s door. He was charged with three misdemeanors – resisting arrest, assault, and trespassing - along with one felony count of assault of a police officer while undergoing treatment for his injuries.

“I spent the next three days handcuffed, and then - when St. Louis County came in - shackled to a hospital bed,” Massey said. “I was never even given a phone call.”

Massey was also suspended from the UMSL campus after being released on bond and told to leave his UMSL-owned apartment during which time he visited family in Chicago before being told he could return.

He says he’s since been hounded by police and lives in a state of fear and paranoia.

Massey also alleges that members of the UMSL administration have pressured him into not appealing the allegations against him and instead suggested that he remain quiet. But, he says, as a criminal justice major, he has been taught that keeping quiet simply isn’t right.

As for what he wants from UMSL police and administrative staff, Massey says he just wants to be exonerated.

“I need my named cleared,” Massey said. “These trumped up charges against me are exactly that.”

Meanwhile, some of Massey’s fellow students are calling for more than just exoneration.

“Ultimately, we want these officers removed from campus,” one student said.

And:

Massey has said he will support the sit-in and similar protests as long as they remain peaceful.

“If they’re going to go out on a limb for me, the least I can do is be there to support them supporting me,” Massey said.

And:

Organizers say Massey has shown incredible resilience throughout the ordeal and that they hope to forward his positive, peaceful way of thinking. Many people have suggested the attack on the African-American Massey by white officers was racially motivated but Massey disagrees.

“No, I don’t think race played a role in it,” Massey said.

The editor I spoke to said that he "balanced" the story after speaking with an UMSL official. However, if you look at the new story, you'll see that it only tells the UMSL police account of the incident. It is, in fact, far less balanced than the original story.

(I realize that I quoted a lot of text from the previous article. However, that article is no longer published on the KMOX site and I am quoting the text as part of "fair use," because ultimately I am reporting on the changes made by KMOX)

KMOX Edits Eye-Witness Reports Out of Story About UMSL Beating-Updated

Yesterday, I remarked that I was glad that the mainstream media was finally picking up on the story of the beating of UMSL student Brian Massey. I quoted the following text from KMOX:

Massey, who suffers from diabetic neuropathy and says he’s listed as a disabled student by the university, said that police then began punching him and kicking him in the sides. Police agree that they were forced to “apply striking blows to soft tissue areas.”

Witnesses say Massey displayed “amazing calmness” as he was struck, eventually going down on one knee in hopes of avoiding further confrontation. But, he says, that only made him an easier target.

“They then hit me in the side, hit me in the legs again, pushed my head into the wall, and start hitting me in the head.”

It was only when a campus employee stepped between the officers and Massey did the beating come to an end, according to witnesses.

However, today, at the exact same link, all of that text has been removed and the story has been changed to include only the statements of Massey himself as the counterpoint to the official UMSL police account. The reports from witnesses have been entirely removed. I can see why they'd want to update their story after speaking with UMSL, but I don't understand why a news organization would remove eye-witness testimony from their story. I called the KMOX newsroom and spoke with a very nice and helpful woman, but the person who edited the story was not yet at the station. I'm hoping to speak with him later today.

Unfortunately, since it didn't even occur to me that a news station would remove eye-witness testimony, I didn't get a screen shot of the original article. However, I have the next-best thing. I have a screen shot of the google search for terms in the original article that links directly to text from the KMOX article:

Also, here's a screen shot of the story posted yesterday on facebook, where you can see that the original story was framed around the testimony of witnesses:

The new KMOX story also contains some remarkable claims from UMSL spokesperson Bob Samples:

Samples says Massey grabbed the right wrist of an officer and was told he was under arrest.

Police say, as Massey was being handcuffed, he swung around and tried to strike an officer.

Massey was subdued and Samples says one officer was injured. Massey says he was kicked and punched.

This is an absolutely extraordinary claim. In the three and a half weeks since this happened, the UMSL police have discussed the incident on two other occasions, and never said anything about Massey trying to "strike" an officer. Here's one previous description:

During the response, the lead officer observed an individual whose presence elevated the anxiety of the student in crisis. Building and radio station officials asked the individual to leave the area. When he refused, two officers were asked to intercede,” Samples said. “The individual was not cooperative. In the process of determining identification, the individual in question grabbed the arm of an officer. The officer advised the individual that he was under arrest for assault.”

Van Ness said the student complied when asked for identification, providing both a state ID as well as his UM-St. Louis student ID. “But as the officer walked him out he grabbed the officer’s wrist and tried to remove documents from officer’s possession,” Van Ness said. The student was then told he was being placed under arrest.

“There was resistance on part of the student to avoid full incarceration,” Van Ness said. “We used prudent professional techniques that are used to force compliance on part of the noncompliant party. In this instance because everyone was so close to everybody we couldn’t deploy pepper mace. We were forced to put hands on the student to control his behavior, to apply striking blows to soft tissue areas.”

Van Ness also commented on a second story in the UMSl Current, and again said nothing about Massey trying to strike officers or officers being injured (note as well that the articles has several witnesses taking issue with the claim that Massey grabbed the officers arms). So we are now supposed to believe that Massey was beaten because he tried to strike an officer and that an officer had been injured, but that the police had just forgotten to mention those facts for the past three weeks?

At this point, as someone who has been closely following the story, I know of at least five people who have witnessed the arrest. Absolutely none of them have said that Massey tried to "strike" the officer. This is a story for good journalists to dig in to, not run away from, and I hope KMOX steps up to the plate.

Update: I spoke with the editor who said he changed the original story. He said he was "balancing" the original story after speaking with UMSL officials. He also said that they removed the witnesses from the updated story because they had spoken to any of them directly. But, of course, the original articles in the UMSL Current cited at least three witnesses who all disagreed with the official police story.