myrmepropagandist

Longtime Marion County Record journalist Joan Meyer, 98, died Saturday less than 24 hours after a police raid at her home.

Something is going down in Marion County. The police have raided the newspaper office and taken all the computers. A dedicated local journalist dies after a police raid?

That same paper's attempt to write about the DUI of a prominent restaurant owner may have caused the raid?

What is happening to our small towns?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-whole-lot-of-history-dies-with-newspaper-veteran-joan-meyer-after-police-raid/ar-AA1fgibD

MSN

Aug 15, 2023 at 3:29pmWeb
Show threadšŸ‘©ā€šŸ¦ÆThe Blind FraggleAug 15, 2023
@futurebird Sure they weren't always like that, and we're just learning about it more now because of the internet?
Show threadHtaggertAug 15, 2023
@futurebird @Fragglemuppet I grew up in a small town and can confirm - always like this. Thereā€™s a reason people leave themā€¦
Show threadMaggie MaybeAug 15, 2023
@Htaggert @futurebird @Fragglemuppet yes but also back in the 80s we terrorized the police far more than they terrorized us. I remember my friend Ryan throwing donuts at Officer Talbotā€™s car when he was sitting on Main St., April got all of Dunkin Donuts laughing at Officer Thomas when he was assigned to do the club crowd security, we all shamed officer wasp so much he quit his job and bought a laundromat. It was a different time. We had to cut that shit out once they realize they could get away with shooting us.
Show threadDavid Mitchell Aug 15, 2023

@Htaggert @futurebird @maggiemaybe @Fragglemuppet

You were a very privileged personā€¦ there are people who would never have gotten away with that.

Show threadSinclairLewis [Minnesota]Aug 15, 2023
@futurebird @Fragglemuppet I hate to disabuse you of the traditional bucolic view of American small towns, but they have always been like this. The locally rich forge alliances with local and county officials to exert control and expand their reach. In one small town I lived in, Montevideo MN, we called them the Monty Mafia.
Show threadCarolannieAug 15, 2023
@Fragglemuppet yes yes they were
Show threadCarolannieAug 15, 2023
@futurebird Nostra cosa nostra
Being an episodic small town resident, I know there is a lot of dirty politics and unlawful lawmen. It's easy to be a big cheese with a badge when everyone around you is a babybel
Show threadjohncarneyauAug 15, 2023

@futurebird thereā€™s some talk that the real reason behind the raid was that the MCR was investigating the Chief of Police, Gideon Cody, regarding sexual misconduct allegations.

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/14/kansas-cops-raid-small-town-newspaper-in-hopes-of-finding-out-who-leaked-dui-data-to-journalists/

Kansas Cops Raid Small Town Newspaper In Extremely Questionable ā€˜Criminal Investigationā€™

The free press is supposed to be free. Thatā€™s what the First Amendment means. Journalists have a long-acknowledged, supported-by-decades-of-precedent right to publish information that may makā€¦

Techdirt
Show threadMichael RobertsAug 15, 2023
@futurebird I don't know where you're from, but Kansas City is not a small town.
Show threadCellyBlueAug 15, 2023
@futurebird this is some long ago Soviet type mess.
Show threadFrances LarinaAug 15, 2023

@futurebird

A: Growing authoritarianism.

Also, you might want to look into how many cops out there are CSPOA (Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association), a group affiliated with Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, etc..

Show threadDavid Mitchell Aug 15, 2023

@futurebird

Small scale / small town fascism has been an integral part of American life since forever, how else do you think everything was kept ā€˜orderlyā€™ in the kind of sunset towns my grandfather was raised in?