Picketer injured in Los Angeles

Just minutes into the strike, the labor unrest has turned violent at one picket line: A writer for "Talkshow With Spike Feresten" was struck by a sedan trying to cross the picket line at Sunset-Gower Studios early this morning, witnesses said.

The writer, identified as Tom Johnson, suffered a leg injury and was taken away in a wheelchair by paramedics. The incident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. at the studios off Sunset Boulevard when a driver in a Black Honda Element drove up to the employee parking lot on Gower Street, where picketers were marching. According to witnesses, the driver got out of the vehicle and began threatening to run over anyone who didn't get out of his way. Witnesses said he then got back in the car and drove forward, hitting Johnson.

The striking writers descended on the vehicle and took away the driver's keys. Johnson's black tennis shoe was still lodged under the front passenger tire as he was taken away.

The driver, who witnesses said worked for Raleigh, was escorted from the scene by studio employees. Police had been notified, according to those at the scene.

UPDATE: Later in the day, Michael Moore, president of Raleigh Film and Television Studios, said witnesses were mistaken and that the driver was not an employee of Raleigh. Moore said the driver was a tenant of Sunset Gower Studios and had no affiliation with Raleigh.

More news on the strike

-- Greg Braxton

I

Comments

[Karl]

That would be a lesson in physics.

[Robert]

It may be the best thing to happen in this country in a long time. Just think,no more Hollyword garbage

[dave]

By all means, continue with the meatheaded coercive tactics, it will only hasten the demise of the racketeering, communist unions.
Which will speed up the advancement of the alternative media

[fj]

More strikers should be run over. If you don't want to get hit by a car, don't stand in front of a driveway or parking lot. You are breaking the law, and if the police refuse to do anything about it someone else should.

More vehicularassaults please.

[Buckwheat]

These "writers" crank out stupid sitcoms that are written with a 13-year-old's mentality. I never watch the crap so I won't miiss them.

[Jack]

Good. These scumbag union guys make me sick. If you don't like your job, QUIT. The problem is, of course, most of these overpaid clowns could never exist in the free market outside their union bubble.

And I'm glad the poor baby got hit. I've seen how protesters block traffic in LA, and I've wanted to run them over, myself.

[Matt Paige]

You know what you call a thousand Hollywood union members under a car? A GREAT start! The studio's and shows should do what any other employer does when an employee doesn't show up for work...TERMINATE THEM and hire someone new. We need new appreciative blood in the industry. I am out of work now because of this and the unions can rot in hell!

[David]

Why wasn't the person in the car arrested for assault with a deadly weapon?

[Bill Cunningham]

Us writers aren't worried about this at all. We know the public will revolt when there are not any new episodes of "america's favorite comedy" 2 and a half men.

The writers will receive a more than healthy pay increase when the public unleashes its fury!

[Kurt]

"It may be the best thing to happen in this country in a long time. Just think,no more Hollyword garbage"

A fan of "reality" TV, maybe?

It ain't racketeering, it's just people who work hard looking to get paid for their work. Imagine that your employer (and the whole industry you work in) holds back a part of each paycheck with the promise that they'll pay you the remainder later, as the product line you work on sells. They'll pay you a small percentage of each unit sold. Then, the technology they use to sell the product changes, and your employer says, "We don't want to pay you for each unit until we know how this new technology will work out." You'd be upset, right? Because it's money owed to you. YOUR part in making the product hasn't changed, it's just the package that's changed. The gadget is in a new box.

Now, imagine that your employer has done this before. Twice.

No, I am not a member of the WGA, and on principle, I don't like unions.

But in this case, I agree with the WGA.

[David]

So, I don't have a problem with unions, per se. Collective bargaining and all that is fine. But I hope that these writers realize that they are going to get just about ZERO sympathy from anyone that matters. Bottom line, they have been creating nothing but trash (for the most part) for the last 40 years and people are sick of it. Maybe this experience will cause them to sit up and take notice that people want their intellects stimulated...not just their base instincts titillated.

[Derek]

I support the driver's actions, but only because the Spike Feresten show is so shamelessly unfunny.

[Mac, Severn, Md]

Given the generally very poor quality of television today, this strike probably won't cause too many people to be upset. It doesn't take much to write bad plots and just throw in sex, violence, and bad language. Seems like shows just want that for the "shock value".....there's not much craft involved.

[mike]

the guy would have been fine if he had gone to work like the rest of the world.

[TaraCole]

So let me get this, the picket people BLOCK somebody from going to work, then the blocked person then tells them, "move so I can go to work or I will run you over so I can get to work." picket person refuses, picket person gets run over.....

Anyone think of arresting the picket person, surely blocking people from going to work is not lawful, forcing your opinion onto other so you can get your way is not the American way.

[Dave]

Nice to see a bunch of Hollywood wannabees enjoying the injury of a guy who actually made it into the business. Too funny.

What time does your shift start over at Starbucks?

[Jeff]

I am supprised by the comments to this story. The Writers Guild unlike a lot of unions has not historically abused their powers. The guild stands in the right on this one. The networks/studios are making money off the intellectual property of the writers. The guild has already made concessions on DVD releases due to the cost of production and distrobution. It is a valid argument that the concession need not be there for downloadable media because the cost factors are minimal for this format. I am not a member of the writers guild or affiliated with any union. It is clear to me however that like all other intellectual property they deserve to be payed their cut for the profit made from this new format. It is still their work!

Picket lines should not be used to intimidate but the driver should be prosecuted. It doesn't matter if you warned somebody you were going to run him over....you still ran him over! There are plenty of union abuses to whine about, pick one that makes sense.

[Brian]

I think getting run over was that writer's "creative choice." Probably the most creative thing he's done in years.

[LA Doc]

Oh no, what will I do without Bill Mahar? Maybe I'll have to get a life! Good riddance to the sappy, manipulative, drivel that Hollywood spews forth. No one outside of West LaLa Land gives a damn about the "big" strike and and all the leftist, pseudointelletual, slime.

[Criag]

These idiots trying to stop a moving vehicle with their bodies. Brilliant. It's a CAR. GET OUT OF THE WAY. You were even warned. I have NO sympathy for these people.

[A.J.]

A real clueless comment above. "Communist unions?" You obviously don't know history and the Writers Guild's place in it. There was a time when fear-mongers in this country like you created the Hollywood Black List, which banned suspected Communists from writing movies. When those idiots were overturned, the WGA was empowered. So call it what you want, but the WGA is the most militant and successful union and always gets what it demands. In this town the Writer is King. Also, one of the strike issues is writer residuals for just that -- "alternative media," which will soon fall under the control and jurisdiction of the WGA, leaving union-busters like you locked out in the cold. So get on the right team, buddy.

[brian]

these other comments are written by morons. The writers in hollywood are the best in the world, if you're not happy with the end product, talk to the producers who have a habit of butchering well written scripts.

[Anon]

Unions are so clueless. Ever heard of capitalism? I hope more of them get run over.

[Jim]

The screen writers are on strike. SO WHAT!!!!! WHO CARES????? Read a book

[Monkey Johnson]

Monkey monkey monkey.