Cops, Apologize To Krayeske: Day Editorial

Drop The Charges, Apologize
Free-lance journalist arrested during inaugural parade

The Day of New London
www.theday.com
Editorial
Published on 1/10/2007


Gov. M. Jodi Rell acted appropriately in asking the Connecticut State Police to review the case in which Ken Krayeske, a free-lance print and Web journalist, was charged with breach of peace and interfering with police during the governor's inaugural parade last week. By some stretch of police hypersensitivity, Mr. Krayeske showed up on an intelligence report suggesting he might be among “possible threats” to Gov. Rell. That was stretching a point by any standard. He has had some civil disobedience incidents in protesting war in the past and he can be vociferous when advocating for a cause, but he is hardly a threat. In fact, as campaign manager for Clifford Thornton, the Green Party candidate, Mr. Krayeske's misstep last fall was to confront the governor about her unwillingness to debate Mr. Thornton.

In the gubernatorial campaign, Mr. Krayeske was a vigorous advocate for his candidate's right, he believed, to be included in the debates between Gov. Rell and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. That's a valid opinion, one he had the right to express.

On inauguration day, Mr. Krayeske was photographing the governor's parade with professional photo equipment. The public had been invited to the parade. Mr. Krayeske was in a public place at a public event when police arrested him and held him for 12 hours.

Having overreacted in arresting him, the police then compounded their excess by putting a $75,000 bond on the case. Later, they thought more clearly and released him on a promise to appear in court.

The police report said Mr. Krayeske appeared to be getting ready to step “towards the governor.” But reporters uncovered at least one eyewitness who said Mr. Krayeske had been standing in the same location shooting film of other facets of the parade before the governor came along.

Mr. Krayeske had a First Amendment right to be where he was. Gov. Rell as much as acknowledged this reality when she asked Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle to review the whole matter.

What this appears to be is an attempt by police to avoid any potential embarrassment to the governor, rather than a serious consideration that Mr. Krayeske was a threat. Journalists regularly take photos in public places and may cause discomfort, even embarrassment to the subjects of their photos, but that is not a cause for arresting them.

If the facts are as they appear, the prosecutor's office should drop the charges against Mr. Krayeske and the police should apologize to him. Even in this time of heightened concern about the safety of the public, an individual's right to speak and to have a different opinion from that of the government is not against the law.