40,000 People Call On Mayors To Stop Arresting Journalists At Occupy Events

Forty-thousand people have signed a petition calling on the country’s mayors to “defend the First Amendment and protect journalists covering Occupy protests in your city.” The petition, organized by the free speech group Free Press, was delivered yesterday to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is the president of the United States Conference of Mayors. More than 30 journalists have been arrested while covering 99 Percent Movement events, while many others have been harassed or prevented for covering events.