Yes! Weekly reports the City of Greensboro unsuccessfully sought a restraining order to stop distribution of yesterday’s story about Greensboro police surveillance of local activists. City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan said “the city sought the restraining order to prevent the dissemination of information that was not public record but was criminal intelligence, even though it was released through public records requests filed with the city’s public information office.” I wonder what got out that the city didn’t want us to read, maybe like a City Council member serving as a police informant.
As for the City Council’s role in the legal action, Shah-Khan said “with certainty that no council member was involved in the discussion or decision to pursue a restraining order.”
In this thread Ed Cone says “it’s about her having a close, information-sharing relationship with the police that may come as a surprise to people who thought she was just another person at a meeting.” But that’s the problem for Marikay Abuzuaiter—she’s not just another person at a meeting. She’s been a public figure for quite some time now, and evidently quite a few people believe her knowledge and opinion on how this city is run carry weight —Occupy Greensboro among them. The only question is whether to give her the benefit of the doubt that she legitimately believed her info was in the interest of public safety.
N&R’s had an interesting day to say the least; will be interesting to see their take on this under Warren Buffett’s ownership.
Bonus question: Wonder about GPD surveillance of the gun show up at the Greensboro Coliseum last weekend, or was it just the N&R’s Mike Kernels keeping an eye on the gun nuts?
Update: N&R runs A3 in today’s print edition, lede focusing on city’s restraining order against Yes! Weekly. Marikay Abuzuaiter tells the paper she “never, ever snitched on anyone,” but — as the N&R puts it —- “worked with officers on behalf of certain groups to ensure the safety and the rights of group members to protest.”
