Photographer covering Inauguration Day protest arrested

• Police in the nation’s capital used pepper spray on a photographer before arresting him during an inaugural protest late Thursday.

Jan. 21, 2005 — A freelance photographer covering an inaugural protest for alternative media network Indymedia was hit with pepper spray and had his cameras confiscated before he was arrested by police late Thursday.

Photographer Barry Student was among several photographers and videographers covering a demonstration around 11 p.m. Thursday in the Adams Morgan neighborhood north of the White House, according to freelance writer Frank Smyth who witnessed Student’s arrest.

According to Smyth’s account, some of the demonstrators walked down an alley during the protest, which was not permitted by the city. Student followed the protestors, but police in the alley ordered them to return to the street. As they did, police released a cloud of pepper spray that affected Student and several protestors, who were then arrested, Smyth said. Smyth told police that a photographer covering the scene had been arrested, but Student was detained and his camera and video camera, along with the film and tape, were confiscated.

Student and the District of Columbia police did not immediately return phone calls for comment.

Earlier on Inauguration Day, between 10 percent and 15 percent of the 1,000 television reporters and cameramen who applied for special credentials to be allowed into a high security zone for the ceremony did not get them, Larry Janezich, director of the Senate radio and television press gallery told The Associated Press.

The wire service also reported that several print journalists who planned to cover the ceremony did not receive proper credentialing despite being fingerprinted, photographed and having a background check.

— KM

Related stories:

• Fingerprinting required for inauguration credentials (12/16/2004)

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