Journalist Cam Higby Says He Was Pepper-Sprayed & Robbed in Dearborn Clash, Calls Out Mayor Hammoud

APT

Journalist Cam Higby delivered an intense testimony after claiming he was pepper-sprayed, maced, robbed, and followed during protests in Dearborn, Michigan. Higby says protesters attacked him while he was documenting events and alleges local police failed to respond effectively. He also confronted Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, accusing the city’s leadership of allowing violence and intimidation.  #CamHigby #Dearborn #DearbornProtest #JournalistAttack

Transcript

00:00I'm a journalist. I'm not a protester. This is my badge.

00:04Today on the streets of Dearborn I was pepper sprayed, maced,

00:08by protesters because I asked them simply why they were harassing

00:12and touching another individual who had stated repeatedly that he was only on their side

00:16of the street to talk to them and have a dialogue. My phone was smashed.

00:20You can see the broken camera right there. They stole $50 out of my pocket and they

00:24stole my microphone receiver. I went and I told one of your officers

00:28badge number 3668 that this had happened.

00:32He told me there was nothing that could be done about it unless I went to the station. I told him, I can't go

00:36to the station. I'm working. I'm doing my job. He said, I'm working too. I said, Dan, your job

00:40is to protect me and all of the people that are out here today. Okay? So we said

00:44that I could go into the station later. I told him, you're never going to catch the guy if I go into the station later. He's going to

00:48leave. He's dressed head to toe in black block. I filmed the whole thing, but he had a mask

00:52on his face. You'll never ever get an opportunity to arrest that person

00:56ever again if you don't go and get him right now.

00:58He said, sir, I can't leave my post. Five minutes

01:00later, I caught him in the parking lot

01:02on a personal phone call. Okay?

01:04Repeatedly today, I watched

01:06people that are in this room get attacked

01:08by other people that are in this room.

01:10I watched your officers not respond

01:12to those attacks repeatedly.

01:14Then I saw somebody who was in this

01:16group, which again, I'm a journalist.

01:18I'm just documenting what's going on and I'm here to tell

01:20you what's going on. I saw somebody

01:22in this group get arrested.

01:24I asked the officers, habeas corpus, please

01:26articulate probable cause

01:28for arresting this person. They refused to.

01:30I asked name and badge number. They refused to give me

01:32their name and badge number as a member of the press

01:34with my badge clearly displayed.

01:36They would not tell me why they were

01:38arresting this person. They just did it.

01:40Okay? Yesterday,

01:42I was exploring Dearborn. I came here just

01:44to document this

01:46from Seattle as a journalist. Okay?

01:48I was exploring Dearborn. I walked up and down Michigan

01:50Avenue. There wasn't very many people out.

01:52Then we wanted to hear the call to prayer

01:54that we've heard so much about. So we went to a

01:56mosque. And at that mosque

01:58I was followed by a drone.

02:00If I moved forward, the drone moved forward.

02:02If I went backwards, the drone went backwards.

02:04I went to a gas station and that drone

02:06waited outside of the gas station just

02:08above the door for me to leave so it could

02:10begin following me again. I was followed by

02:12vehicles and I was followed by individuals on foot.

02:14There was a lot of talk in here today about

02:16sexism. So I'd like to quote the

02:18Prophet Muhammad. Okay? One of my

02:20favorite quotes from the Prophet Muhammad.

02:22A woman's testimony is worth half that of a man's

02:24due to the deficiency of her mind. God created

02:26two sexes. One superior and

02:28one inferior. That's why your women

02:30wear hijabs. Because they're inferior to men.

02:32That's why in most Muslim countries they can't

02:34leave their homes without permission of a male guardian.

02:36Is my time up?

02:38You have 30 seconds. Oh, 30 seconds. Okay, great.

02:40Go ahead. Yeah, I think, I shouldn't feel like

02:42a demi in my country. That's what I feel like in Dearborn,

02:44Michigan. It doesn't feel like home. I feel like a demi.

02:46A second class citizen, which is what Christians

02:48are in the majority of Muslim countries.

02:50Demis. Second

02:52class citizens. In the policing in this

02:54city, that's exactly what happens.

02:56And I know rank and file officers in

02:58pretty much every city usually want to take care of these

03:00problems. You're the one

03:02giving the orders, Mr. Mayor.

03:04These guys definitely want to do something about them.

03:06They're business. Look at them.

03:08These guys are all business. Your orders.

03:10I'm done. Thank you.

03:12Thank you. Okay.

03:16Nice.

03:21.

03:23Here's a text.

03:24.

03:27.

03:30.

03:31.

03:32.

03:37.

03:40.

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