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Subscribe to RSSAfter Herman Cain exited a restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida on Wednesday a journalist from CBS was struck by a man later identified as a plainclothes police officer. The two then go into an argument filmed by NBC News.
PALM BAY, FLORIDA -- Herman Cain’s surge in popularity has led to an increased security presence on the campaign trail and several reported run-ins with press, the most recent of which happened yesterday at two campaign stops in South Florida.
Cain first stopped at Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, Miami, where he was swarmed by at least fifteen TV cameras from local and national outlets. After a speech outside, Cain went into the restaurant’s bakery area to shake hands with patrons, as the crush of media squeezed through a tiny single door and cameramen jockeyed for the best shot, occasionally blocked by one of the three bodyguards surrounding Cain.
As the jostling got particularly pitched, one reporter, ABC's Susan Archer, shouted for all the shoving to stop. “Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop it! Stop it! Right now! Everybody chill out! Stop pushing!”
Logistics were equally tight, and the mood equally tense at the second event of the day, a rally outside Wings Plus restaurant in Coral Springs. After the event Cain entered the restaurant, crammed with bodies, to shake hands with supporters.
While he still had a few security guards with him, they did not seem to be enough to hold back the crowds so Cain could make his way through the restaurant, as a few employees from Wings Plus (identified by their “Wings Plus” polo shirts) began asking people to move out of the way. “Make a hole!” one employee yelled to the crowd at one point.
But it was outside the event where the Cain security detail had its most heated encounter with a journalist that day.
As reporters ran outside to cover Cain’s exit from the restaurant and walk to his bus, one journalist, Lindsey Boerma of CBS, was struck by a man who was later revealed as a plainclothes police officer. Boerma said the officer, identified by the Coral Springs police department as Sgt. William Reid, stuck his arm out and clotheslined her.
The two got into an argument after the encounter which was filmed by NBC News.
Reid: you hurt my arm, actually. What's your name?
Boerma: Are you kidding me?
Reid: No I'll need your name because you actually hurt my arm when you ran into it.
Boerma: You stabbed it out in front of me, are you kidding?
Reid: I’ll need your information.
Boerma: No!
Reid: Are you serious?
Lindsey: I’m trying to do a job here.
Reid: You actually hurt my arm when you ran into my arm. Now she’s gotta give me her information.
Boerma: You jabbed your arm out at me!
Reid: You ran into me!
Boerma: Because you stuck your arm out at me twice!
Reid: My arm was there! My arm was there!
Boerma: You should apologize to me.
Reid: You should apologize to me for hurting my arm. You’re not going to apologize to me? That’s not very nice. That’s not very nice.
At this point, Reid approached NBC’s camera, which has caught the encounter on tape. Reid took out his cell phone and said he was filming NBC. “I’ll film you for a little bit, too,” he said. When asked whom he was working for, Reid said, “I’m an independent reporter.” (It was not until after the Cain bus had left the event site that police officers revealed he was an undercover police officer).
According to CBS News, three members of Herman Cain’s campaign team later apologized to Boerma for the incident. Cain spokesman JD Gordon told NBC News that the encounter was “preventable” and that the Cain campaign is “looking into the incidents to prevent anything like this from happening again.”
The Coral Springs police department later said that the Cain campaign had hired four city police officers to protect him at the event. Twelve other officers were dispatched to the scene on city time to help “keep the peace,” according to police at the event.
These are not the first incidents reported involving altercations between Cain’s security apparatus and the media. The New York Times reported a brush-up between a bodyguard and a female reporter at an event in Michigan on Nov. 10th, and a Washington Post reporter detailed an encounter with a guard in Iowa on Nov. 15th.
NBC's Andrew Rafferty contributed reporting.
Leave a Comment:
My observation of reporters not in front of the camera is that they believe they're immune from the need to have civilized behavior.
They do stick together when a confrontation occurs to make the police, security, or whomever takes exception to their incivility look like the problem.
They love to bait people, but striking back is a no-no. After all, they're the chosen ones.
If Cain is entitled to Secret Service protection from the" Media Paperazzi",does that mean the "Stars" should be entitled to protection at our expence?
Doesn't she know that anytime someone rams their nose into a policeman's fist, they have to apologize?
the doggone liberal media just won't let republicans forget their chocolate flavor of the month...they want to move on to schweddy balls and the media keeps bringing up chocolate and loonyberry perry...
I lived in South Florida for over 16 years. I was a law abiding citizen, but I was far more afraid of the police there than I was of any criminal element. This incident is not surprising in the least.
Why are tax dollars going to protect this scum? He is just a candidate like the other seven.
Cain should refund the money to the city for sending 12 officers.
The other 12 were probably there to write tickets. The bigger the crowd, the more opportunity.
The actions of the little nazi union thug cops should surprise no one.
Cain and his security detail seem to be taking bully pulpit a bit too far.
Security -- he was a cop jackarse. Get it, cop, what about that don't you get? Not simple enough for you -- he was a cop.
MR-392541, I believe you just engaged in bullying yourself. A simple, non-political party bashing post and you single me out and call me a mean name. Have you been treated badly by a nazi, thug, union cop, or are you just hateful in general? I believe that Cain hired off-duty cops to act as security.
MR- 392541.............he was an offduty cop hired by Cain for private security.
MR, if he was off duty, as the article suggests when it states Cain "hired" them, then he is SECURITY and not a COP jackarse.
Whether he was on or off duty he is a cop 24 hours a day, raddave your a dumb arse.
Sounds like it's a typical action by a typical UNION THUG COP treating people like their crap becuase that little badge they hide behind says they can. What else do you expect from the little nazis?
Cain should quit using union cops and hire some decent people.
Fault Cain for that, but not for the actions of a nazi, union, thug, cop.
Herman Cain is a disgrace to humanity, a pervert, agressive to others and self righteous. He has no respect for others, he is God!
Did you read the article? He was a COP, how is this Cain's doing?
I wouldn't blame this on Cain's campaign, folks. He just hired some off-duty cops to provide security. It's just that he happened to get a little sissy cop, which is just a coincidence, right. Most cops aren't little sissies like that one, so how would Herman Cain's campaign know anything about that? Now that they do know he's a sissy and a crybaby, I'm sure they won't hire him again.
I guess that's what happens when you are so totally prone to being mistaken about just about everything, when something else goes wrong, you get blamed for that, too.
Was Libdsay a blonde? Cain and his thugs like blondes.
He was a cop, care to comment on the actions of the police?
police brutality!
Cain is no more than a common street thug. This is just the kind of thing that you would expect from his security people. And he will probably think say it never happened like he has everything else. He is an embarrassment to African Americans with his flip answers and street attitude.
What a joke!!!
The person that did this was an undercover cop, care to comment on police in general or how this does not reflect at all on Herman Cain but instead the local police department, or did you not read the article?
Here's mine, all cops are ALL UNION THUG NAZIS with little dicks (or in the case of women cops, fat arses) who consistently trample the rights of normal law abiding citizens.
Two words, MR - Anger management.
MR All I see you doing is Union bashing. Why? I know Its the union going is undercover to disrupt cain's run. I bet its a Union plot. Not taking enough meds today.
That cop Reid is a jackass. The reporters also bear blame here, but his behavior is unacceptable.
don't see why any reports would want to interview him...sure he'll just lie and keep taking money from the rich...
GOP white women for black lovers...
Join the experience ladys,,,Me & Sarah did...:-)
I don't see the difference between pushy liberal media and common street urchins. You can do your job safely and in a civil manner or you run the risk of running into somebodys arm or smashing your face into the concrete when you fall down because of the pushing and shoving you caused.
Can't blame Cain for this cry baby. This cop gives the hardworking honest dedicated ones a bad name. Glad he got caught on camera. YouTube anyone?
Journalists and paparazzi have no manners anymore, completely rude and disregard personal space and public authority. I despise them as much as some of the politicians they cover.
LOL
it figures
you know liars stick with liars
as far as cains movement forward rofl
every step forward leads him back 2 steps
lots of idiots out there
and cain with his "ill put up electric fences and kill imigrants sneeking in"
thats the idiot remark of the century as far as im concerned
Cain probably "got off' on this altercation!
All of you are racies that hate Mr.Cain. You all have double standards when it comes to the people you like. They have been found guilty of worst things in you still defend them. Mr.Clintin, Mr. Obama, Mr.Kennedy,Mr. Reid, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Edwards who wife was dieing of cancer and the list goes on ...... Just Be consciencent wrong is wrong throw them all out if they aren't honest.
This happens to often in sunny south florida, Bad cops give good cops a bad name.
Feisty Redhead: At least he doesn't surround himself with slugs like Obama does!!!
Who cares? Reporters are truth terrorists looking to sell a sex story. The body guards should be allowed shoot to kill orders to protect presidential candidates from terrorists. I am pretty sure that it is legal to use deadly force during a terrorist attack.
Typical cop.
You have all gotten it wrong. The security guy wasn't stopping the woman from getting to Cain, he was preventing her from getting close enough for Cain to sexually harrass her.
A stiff arm to prevent a stiff leg?!?!