Filmmaker Facing 30 Years for Documenting Climate Action Stands Resolute, Determined
'Freedom of the press is guaranteed'
A documentary filmmaker who could face more than 30 years in prison for merely capturing images of a climate activist taking part in a direct action has asserted her First Amendment rights, releasing on Friday a statement as well as raw footage taken the day of her arrest.
Lindsey Grayzel, along with cinematographer Carl Davis, was arrested and jailed on October 11 in Burlington, Washington after filming environmentalist Ken Ward, the subject of her current documentary. Ward, who was also arrested, was taking part in a #ShutItDown action to protest fossil fuels and express solidarity with those resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The protections given to the press extend to documentary filmmakers, who bring context to a story that is not possible under the constraints of commercial news outlets," she said in a statement released to news outlets.
"My focus is long form documentary, and I've been working to craft a film about Ken Ward's climate activism for over a year. It is a rare person who will acknowledge the reality of climate change and react not with helplessness, but instead with a determination to do everything in his power to stop or at least slow down the destruction. My job now is to tell Ken's story to the public, and I look forward to finishing this film."
The statement also lists the charges Grayzel faces:
- Burglary, 2nd Degree (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Criminal Sabotage, (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Assemblage of Saboteurs (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000, or both.
- Criminal Trespass, 2nd Degree (Misdemeanor): ninety days imprisonment, a fine of $1,000, or both.
- Total maximum punishment: 30 years + 90 days imprisonment, a fine of $46,000 or both.
Grayzel's arrest came the same day as that of documentary filmmaker and journalist Deia Schlosberg, who was also filmming a #ShutItDown action. She faces up to 45 years in prison after being arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota, for reporting on the ongoing Indigenous protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.
Theirs were among other "concerning" arrests of filmmakers and journalists in the past month, wrote Sabrina King, policy director at the ACLU of Wyoming.
"There's little question that the severity of these charges are meant to send a chill down the spine of any journalist who dares cover the protests in ways the authorities and fossil fuel industry don't like," she wrote.
"Our country needs dissent. And our country needs its journalists to highlight that dissent and bring to light the injustices perpetuated by unjust laws. Government suppression and intimidation of the climate movement must end now," she concluded.
In its 2016 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranks the U.S. 41 out of 179 countries.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A documentary filmmaker who could face more than 30 years in prison for merely capturing images of a climate activist taking part in a direct action has asserted her First Amendment rights, releasing on Friday a statement as well as raw footage taken the day of her arrest.
Lindsey Grayzel, along with cinematographer Carl Davis, was arrested and jailed on October 11 in Burlington, Washington after filming environmentalist Ken Ward, the subject of her current documentary. Ward, who was also arrested, was taking part in a #ShutItDown action to protest fossil fuels and express solidarity with those resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The protections given to the press extend to documentary filmmakers, who bring context to a story that is not possible under the constraints of commercial news outlets," she said in a statement released to news outlets.
"My focus is long form documentary, and I've been working to craft a film about Ken Ward's climate activism for over a year. It is a rare person who will acknowledge the reality of climate change and react not with helplessness, but instead with a determination to do everything in his power to stop or at least slow down the destruction. My job now is to tell Ken's story to the public, and I look forward to finishing this film."
The statement also lists the charges Grayzel faces:
- Burglary, 2nd Degree (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Criminal Sabotage, (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Assemblage of Saboteurs (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000, or both.
- Criminal Trespass, 2nd Degree (Misdemeanor): ninety days imprisonment, a fine of $1,000, or both.
- Total maximum punishment: 30 years + 90 days imprisonment, a fine of $46,000 or both.
Grayzel's arrest came the same day as that of documentary filmmaker and journalist Deia Schlosberg, who was also filmming a #ShutItDown action. She faces up to 45 years in prison after being arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota, for reporting on the ongoing Indigenous protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.
Theirs were among other "concerning" arrests of filmmakers and journalists in the past month, wrote Sabrina King, policy director at the ACLU of Wyoming.
"There's little question that the severity of these charges are meant to send a chill down the spine of any journalist who dares cover the protests in ways the authorities and fossil fuel industry don't like," she wrote.
"Our country needs dissent. And our country needs its journalists to highlight that dissent and bring to light the injustices perpetuated by unjust laws. Government suppression and intimidation of the climate movement must end now," she concluded.
In its 2016 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranks the U.S. 41 out of 179 countries.
A documentary filmmaker who could face more than 30 years in prison for merely capturing images of a climate activist taking part in a direct action has asserted her First Amendment rights, releasing on Friday a statement as well as raw footage taken the day of her arrest.
Lindsey Grayzel, along with cinematographer Carl Davis, was arrested and jailed on October 11 in Burlington, Washington after filming environmentalist Ken Ward, the subject of her current documentary. Ward, who was also arrested, was taking part in a #ShutItDown action to protest fossil fuels and express solidarity with those resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The protections given to the press extend to documentary filmmakers, who bring context to a story that is not possible under the constraints of commercial news outlets," she said in a statement released to news outlets.
"My focus is long form documentary, and I've been working to craft a film about Ken Ward's climate activism for over a year. It is a rare person who will acknowledge the reality of climate change and react not with helplessness, but instead with a determination to do everything in his power to stop or at least slow down the destruction. My job now is to tell Ken's story to the public, and I look forward to finishing this film."
The statement also lists the charges Grayzel faces:
- Burglary, 2nd Degree (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Criminal Sabotage, (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.
- Assemblage of Saboteurs (Class B Felony): ten years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000, or both.
- Criminal Trespass, 2nd Degree (Misdemeanor): ninety days imprisonment, a fine of $1,000, or both.
- Total maximum punishment: 30 years + 90 days imprisonment, a fine of $46,000 or both.
Grayzel's arrest came the same day as that of documentary filmmaker and journalist Deia Schlosberg, who was also filmming a #ShutItDown action. She faces up to 45 years in prison after being arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota, for reporting on the ongoing Indigenous protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.
Theirs were among other "concerning" arrests of filmmakers and journalists in the past month, wrote Sabrina King, policy director at the ACLU of Wyoming.
"There's little question that the severity of these charges are meant to send a chill down the spine of any journalist who dares cover the protests in ways the authorities and fossil fuel industry don't like," she wrote.
"Our country needs dissent. And our country needs its journalists to highlight that dissent and bring to light the injustices perpetuated by unjust laws. Government suppression and intimidation of the climate movement must end now," she concluded.
In its 2016 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranks the U.S. 41 out of 179 countries.