Journalist seized during Ferguson protest is convicted

Mary Moore, a freelance journalist and videographer, was convicted in Ferguson, Missouri, for her failure to comply with police orders as she continued to capture video of a peaceful protest occurring in the city during the 2014 protests.

TheGrio Staff

Mar 19, 2016

Municipal Judge Donald McCullin dismissed charges against Moore of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest, and he gave her a suspended sentence on her conviction for failure to comply, meaning that she will not be punished as long as she stays out of trouble for a year.

Even so, Moore feels that the conviction is likely to affect how she goes about her job reporting on the news and feels that she was treated unfairly.

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“I think the failure to obey charge is very untruthful and unfair,” said Moore, who has since the beginning insisted that she followed police commands prior to her arrest. “This is Ferguson’s way to control how and if we cover the news or exercise our rights. I feel like now it would be a target on my head.”

Moore and at least a dozen others were arrested during a protest on October 2, 2014, outside the Ferguson Police Department. Those who were arrested were jailed for 18 hours before pastors intervened to get them out.

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Below is footage from when the arrest originally took place.