ACLU sues Minnesota police, alleging harassment of journalists at
protests
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[June 04, 2020]
By Sharon Bernstein and Peter Szekely
(Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties
Union has accused Minnesota law enforcement of wrongly arresting,
injuring and harassing journalists covering unrest sparked by the death
of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis police custody.
In a lawsuit, filed on behalf of journalists in U.S. District Court in
Minnesota on Wednesday, the ACLU accuses the Minneapolis Police
Department and Minnesota State Patrol of shooting journalists in the
face with rubber bullets, arresting reporters and photographers without
cause, and threatening them at gunpoint.
A Minneapolis police spokesman directed inquiries about the suit to City
Attorney Erik Nilsson.
“We will review the allegations and take them seriously,” Nilsson said
in an emailed statement. “We continue to support the First Amendment
rights of everyone in Minneapolis.”
A Minnesota State Patrol spokesman said the agency could not discuss the
specifics of the litigation, but said it can be difficult to distinguish
between journalists covering a protest and people who violate curfews or
refuse to leave the area.
“While not all of the incidents involve the Minnesota State Patrol, we
are reviewing the incidents involving our troopers in an effort to
prevent similar incidents in the future,” the spokesman, Bruce Gordon,
said in an email.
Although Minnesota Governor Tim Walz apologized for some incidents, the
civil liberties advocacy group said harassment continues.
'ASSAULT' ON FREE PRESS
“We are facing a full-scale assault on the First Amendment freedom of
the press,” said Brian Hauss, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech,
Privacy, and Technology Project. “We will not let these official abuses
go unanswered."
The class-action lawsuit was filed with Minneapolis freelance journalist
Jared Goyette as the lead plaintiff.
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Police officers patrol during a rally against the death in
Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, U.S., May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The suit alleges a Minnesota State Patrol officer "forced WCCO
videographer Tom Aviles to the ground and arrested him even though
Aviles had identified himself as a member of the press and was
carrying a large video camera."
It says CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested during a live
broadcast, and Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske and
photographer Carolyn Cole were backed against a wall, subjected to
tear gas and had projectiles hurled at them.
WCCO, CNN and the Los Angeles Times could not be reached immediately
for comment.
The complaint also details two incidents involving Reuters
journalists, although the news agency and its employees are not
plaintiffs.
A Reuters spokesperson said: “We strongly object to police firing
rubber bullets at our crew in Minneapolis and are addressing the
situation with the authorities. It was clear that both our reporter
and security adviser were members of the press and not a threat to
public order. Journalists must be allowed to report the news without
fear of harassment or harm."
Minnesota on Wednesday increased to second-degree murder the charge
against a fired Minneapolis police officer in the death of George
Floyd, and leveled charges against three other sacked officers.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California, and Peter
Szekely in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)
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