Daily Archives: June 1, 2020

A CNN news crew on Friday live broadcast their own arrest by police in the U.S. state of Minnesota, as they covered protests over the death of an African-American man.

Police handcuffed and arrested CNN reporter Omar Jimenez, producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez at about 5 a.m. CT in Minneapolis, despite Jimenez identifying the crew as press. All three were later released without charge.

The arrests came amid widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, an African American man who pleaded for air while handcuffed, as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued what he called a very public apology Friday for the arrest of the CNN crew, saying, There is absolutely no reason something like this should happen. He added that he is owning this and taking full responsibility. This is a very public apology to that team. It should not happen.

CNN said on Twitter the arrests were a "clear violation of their First Amendment rights." The U.S. broadcaster added that police had asked another of their correspondents, who is white, to move but that he had not been arrested.

Josh Campbell, a reporter for CNN who was also covering the protests, said he was approached by police but not arrested.

"I was treated much differently," Campbell told CNN. The broadcaster reported that Jimenez is black and Latino, Mendez is Hispanic, and Kirkos and Campbell are both white.

The Minnesota State Patrol said on Twitter that the journalists were among four people arrested while police cleared the streets. It added that they were released after police confirmed they were media.

Bruce Gordon, director of communications for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, directed VOA to the state patrol tweet on the incident posted earlier on Friday, and Governor Walz's comments at a news conference.

Walz said there was "absolutely no reason something like this should happen."

"In a situation like this, even if you're clearing an area, we have got to ensure that there is a safe spot for journalism to tell the story. The issue here is trust," Walz said.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) president, Dorothy Tucker, condemned the arrests as "unnecessary, and a violation of the First Amendment."

The Save Journalism Project said Jimenez's arrest "underscores the reasons for the protests he was covering."

"Jimenez was arrested for doing his job, accurately reporting to the American people what is happening during an ongoing crisis. He was arrested for reporting on the protests of the killing of George Floyd an unarmed black man by Minneapolis police while being black himself," the free press advocacy group said.

Since 2017, more than 40 journalists have been arrested and at least 19 journalists had equipment searched or seized while covering protests, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which documents press freedom violations across the United States.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker told VOA it is currently investigating at least four cases of journalists being "hit with crowd-control projectiles" during protests in Minneapolis recent days.

"Protests can be dangerous places for journalists. Since the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker began documenting aggressions against the press in 2017, we've published more than 100 incidents of journalists either arrested, assaulted, had their equipment damaged or searched or seized while reporting from protests," Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the Tracker, told VOA.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has previously reported that journalists of color say covering protests carries additional risk.

Two African-American reporters for WHAM-TV were arrested while covering protests in Rochester, New York, over police brutality in July 2016. And during the 2014 riots in Ferguson, Missouri, then-Washington Post national correspondent and NABJ's Emerging Journalist of the Year Wesley Lowery was arrested alongside Huffington Post reporter Ryan Reilly, covering the unrest.

"I wasn't shocked, I wasn't surprised," Lowery said of watching footage of Friday's arrest in Minneapolis.

"And this is not to excuse the behavior at all," he told VOA, adding that he knew from his own experience that these "dynamic situations" make it difficult for law enforcement to figure out what to do. "They're receiving pressure to keep order; they're receiving pressure to respect First Amendment rights which, again, I unequivocally believe they need to but I understand how poor decisions can be made in that pressure cooker."

Lowery said official condemnation in these situations is vital.

He is now a correspondent for "60 in 6," a soon-to-launch spinoff of the CBS series 60 Minutes that is scheduled to stream on Quibi mobile platforms.

Rights groups have condemned the arrests as an assault on press freedom.

"The First Amendment protects news-gathering, and prohibits the government from using police power as a pretext for interfering with press freedoms. Arresting journalists to prevent reporting on a public demonstration is not acceptable," said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for the Free Press.

"News coverage of protests like the one in Minneapolis is essential to informing the public and understanding the concerns of our communities."

The CPJ said the arrests "ring of intimidation" and that journalists should be free to report without fear of retaliation.

Excerpt from:
Arrest of CNN Crew in Minneapolis a 'Violation of First Amendment' - Voice of America

To the Editor:

Re Trump Claims Hes Protecting Free Speech by Reining In Tech Giants (news article, May 29):

It shouldnt surprise anyone that Donald Trump claims hes being denied his right to speak when Twitter marks his lies with a fact-check asterisk. He has no clue that the First Amendments prohibition on interfering with ones speech rights applies only to government.

But his executive order purporting to strip the company of liability protection, a pathetic (and unlawful) attempt to retaliate, is itself government action to chill and limit speech. Maybe he should read the First Amendment its only 45 words long.

Richard YospinNewton, Mass.

To the Editor:

Re What Would Happen if Twitter Banned Trump?, by Charlie Warzel (Opinion, nytimes.com, May 27):

Twitter is more than a little late to the party with its Get the Facts link appended to President Trumps latest lies about mail-in voting. It seems to me that short of barring Mr. Trump from Twitter, the least that Twitter could do would be to append a Get the Facts link to every one of his tweets that contain outright lies, baseless accusations, support for racist and white supremacist beliefs, bullying based on peoples appearance, and implicit or outright threats of violence. In other words, pretty much everything that he tweets.

Thom ThackerIrvington, N.Y.

To the Editor:

In Im Not Mrs. America. Thats the Point (Op-Ed, nytimes.com, May 21), Im afraid that Cate Blanchett misses the point. She posits a deep divide between feminists and the followers of Phyllis Schlafly, the character she plays, and calls that divide the difference between staying at home and making your way in the world, or between the demands of faith and the indulgence of the self.

In fact, there are homemakers, worldly women and women of faith on both sides of an ideological and political divide that is all too real.

At the same time, Ms. Blanchett describes the divide as an illusion and a simplified antagonism. In truth, the divide between feminists and anti-feminists is real and critical. Its the difference between those of us who consider women to be full human beings deserving of equal rights, dignity and the freedom to control our own bodies, and those who believe that women should be submissive to men, taken care of by men and subject to male authority.

Ms. Blanchetts faith in art to bridge her misconstrued divide trivializes the urgent threats from todays Schlafly clones, who would deny women access to birth control, reproductive autonomy, child care and a host of other rights that are hardly illusory.

Letty Cottin PogrebinStockbridge, Mass.The writer is a founding editor of Ms. magazine and the author of several books about womens issues.

Larry Kramer Gave Hope to Those With AIDS

To the Editor:

Re Larry Kramer, 1935-2020: An Activist Who Gave People With AIDS a Voice. A Loud Voice (front page, May 28):

Larry Kramer gave AIDS patients something intangible, but vitally important. He gave them hope.

My brother Alan first told me about Larry and the Gay Mens Health Crisis in the early 1980s, when Alan was first diagnosed. Alan had hope that people like Larry could make enough noise, fast-track medicine and save lives, including my brothers. The only thing that Larry couldnt give many of them, including Alan, was enough time.

My brother died on April 1, 1990, in San Francisco. While time was not on Alans side, Larry Kramer did make a difference, and countless people are alive today because of him.

Tom GoodmanNew York

To the Editor:

Where Did All the New Yorkers Go? Follow the Mail (news article, May 19):

A big thank you goes out to my neighbors on the Upper West Side who decided to flee the city. I stayed and fortunately am not feeling lonely and isolated. I did not really need your tracking data to tell me my building was nearly empty, but confirmation is nice.

Thank you, fellow residents, for making me feel safer from contracting the virus, with fewer people to come in contact with: no crowded elevators in the building or traffic in the lobby, and no competition in the laundry room. And fewer people in the park, on the streets and at the supermarket.

Having been recently widowed, and healthy but in the at-risk age group, I have learned to live alone and cope as best I can with the pandemic. Some days the only other human I interact with in person is the doorman, who greets me in the morning with my newspaper. The wonderful staff of my building are here, and I thank them for their presence, as well as the other essential workers who keep this city running.

I count my blessings daily.

Betty WelkerNew York

To the Editor:

Re With Classes or Without Them, Colleges Want to Play Football (front page, May 28):

From Horse Feathers in 1932, starring the Marx Brothers:

Groucho (as Quincy Adams Wagstaff, a new college president): Have we got a stadium?

Faculty: Yes.

Groucho: Have we got a college?

Faculty: Yes.

Groucho: Well, we cant support both. Tomorrow we start tearing down the college.

Mark FeldmanKirkwood, Mo.

More here:
Trump, Twitter and the First Amendment - The New York Times

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana on Friday issued a warning to state and local law enforcement to respect the First Amendment rights of protesters.

As protests break out nationwide over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the organization reminded officials of law enforcement's pledge to respect the right to peacefully protest as part of a 2016 settlement.

That year, Louisiana and Baton Rouge law enforcement agencies agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit that stemmed from Alton Sterling's death. Sterling was shot and killed by a Baton Rouge Police Officer. In that settlement signed by law enforcement and civil rights advocates, law enforcement agreed to recognize the rights of all people to "recognize the rights of all persons to assemble and engage in the public for the purpose of peaceful public discourse and protest."

"The protests in Minnesota and across the country are a direct response to the systemic violence and racial terror that police have perpetrated in Black communities for centuries," said Alanah Odoms Hebert, ACLU of Louisiana executive director. "Just weeks from the anniversary of Alton Sterling's brutal killing at the hands of Baton Rouge police, the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd as he desperately cried for help is a reminder of the deadly toll that systemic racism takes on our communities each and every day. These officers must be held accountable - but much more than that, every one of us has an obligation to address the deeply-rooted racism that pervades our institutions and poisons our society. As we stand in solidarity with all those mourning and demonstrating against George Floyd's murder, we remind state and local law enforcement of the commitment they made to respect protesters' First Amendment rights and avoid excessive or militarized responses to peaceful protest activity."

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ACLU issues warning to police to protect First Amendment rights of protesters - KATC Lafayette News

Open government advocates want the brakes applied to upcoming webinars about controversial toll-road projects, contending that more-inclusive in-person meetings should be held as the state reopens amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the webinar plans will continue, the First Amendment Foundation also questioned the legality of six webinars already held by task forces working on the projects, which would stretch from Collier County to the Georgia border.

The webinars are a poor substitute for the kind of government that is required by Florida's Sunshine Law, which does apply to the M-CORES task force meetings, First Amendment Foundation President Pamela Marsh wrote Thursday to Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault, using an acronym for the projects that the state has dubbed the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance.

Marsh wrote that the webinars should be postponed (and preferably canceled) until everyone interested in attending can be accommodated. Marsh added that state administrative rules require meetings to be halted if technical problems develop with the communications network, which she said occurred during each meeting.

All portions of the Sunshine Law continue to apply even during this horrible pandemic, Marsh stated. No part of the law has been suspended or modified as applied to state agencies. As a result, I respectfully request that FDOT exercise patience, cancel any and all M-CORES task force meetings, and reschedule the meetings only when members of the task force and Florida citizens can fully participate in-person and by all feasible means.

Marsh said in an email to The News Service of Florida on Friday that the intent isnt to make any threats at this time as she hopes FDOT will make a change for greater public participation.

(Disclosure: The News Service is a member of the First Amendment Foundation.)

Lawmakers last year approved a measure that set the stage for the projects, which involve extending Floridas Turnpike from Wildwood to connect with the Suncoast Parkway; extending the Suncoast Parkway north to the Georgia border; and building a toll road between Polk and Collier counties.

Webinars are planned: Wednesday for the turnpike extension; June 9 for the northern extension of the Suncoast Parkway; and June 11 for the project between Polk ad Collier counties.

Department of Transportation spokeswoman Beth Frady said Thursday the webinars are not a replacement for task-force meetings but additional opportunities for task force members to gather input during the pandemic.

These virtual meetings have made it so anyone from South Florida to North Florida can attend and be heard, and we would expect the First Amendment Foundation to celebrate this additional transparency while we work to keep our fellow citizens safe, Frady said in an email.

Frady added that the department plans to hold in-person meetings as soon as it is safe to do so. But she also referenced state laws, which allow agencies to conduct public meetings by video.

To date, these webinars have included participation from more than 1,700 attendees, with more than 120 people providing public comment to the task forces during the designated comment period, Frady wrote. This is a higher level of participation than we have received during the in-person task force meetings, demonstrating how technology can facilitate participation in a meeting by members of the public who are not able to attend in person.

The proposed roads, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019, are a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and have been backed by groups including the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Ports Council and the Florida Trucking Association. Supporters say, in part, that the projects will help prepare for future growth and aid in disaster evacuations.

Environmentalists have vowed to wage war against the roads, which they maintain will devastate large rural and natural tracts of land.

Annual funding for the work is expected to reach about $140 million.

Among bills now before DeSantis are a proposal (HB 969) to set aside up to $5 million a year for broadband services to accompany the road corridors and a proposal (SB 7018) to direct the Department of Transportation to plan and build staging areas for emergency response along the turnpike system, with a priority in counties with a population of 200,000 or less in which a multi-use corridor of regional significance is located. Those bills were passed during this years legislative session.

An initial timeline called for the task forces to provide final reports by October, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2022. However, because of COVID-19, the deadline for the task-force reports has been pushed back to Nov. 15.

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First Amendment Group Opposes Webinars On Toll Roads - WUSF News

May 31, 2020 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. Federal, state and local law enforcement partners join together to condemn the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and offer sincere condolences to his family and colleagues, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, and Sacramento Chief of Police Daniel Hahn announced.

Mr. Floyds death is being addressed through our criminal justice system, which is moving quickly. The state prosecutor has brought murder charges against a former Minneapolis police officer. As United States Attorney General Barr announced on May 29, the Department of Justice, including the FBI, is also conducting an independent investigation to determine whether any federal civil rights laws were violated.

Peaceful protest is a time-honored tradition in our country, and we in law enforcement strive to protect these important First Amendment rights. The majority of those protesting are doing so peacefully. But when protests turn violent, this endangers the community, and law enforcement must act to protect the community. As a civilized society based upon the rule of law, we will not tolerate violence, anarchy or chaos that threatens the safety of the community.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement will continue to work together to protect the communitys First Amendment rights and to protect the community from violence and lawlessness. Federal and state felony statutes may apply.

As part of the community, we share the concerns about George Floyds death, said U.S.Attorney Scott. We also recognize that his death comes at a time when we are also fighting, as a nation, an unprecedented pandemic that has taken its toll across our country and our District. Together with state and local law enforcement, we have reached out to our community leaders to address the real and legitimate concerns about what happened to Mr. Floyd and to identify positive steps we can take going forward. Please join me in a call for unity and peace, not violence, as we work together during this difficult time.

The FBI Sacramento Field Office is deeply committed to protecting the civil rights of all people within the 34 California counties we serve, said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan.The FBI steadfastly investigates all allegations involving the deprivation of civil rights, including color of law violations official actions taken by persons acting under the authority of local, state, federal, or tribal laws to willfully deprive someone of a right or privilege secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. No one is above or beyond the law. The communities we serve can depend on the FBI to methodically collect facts in order to provide unbiased and independent investigative results so prosecutors can make a charging decision.Source: DOJ

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Federal, California and Local Law Enforcement's Statement on the Death of George Floyd and Riots Says They Will Continue to Work Together to Protect...

Home law First Amendment Legal Expert Floyd Abrams on Trumps Chilling Executive Order Designed...

Floyd Abrams is one of the countrys leading legal experts on the First Amendment. Hes also the father of journalist Dan Abrams. Floyd spoke today on Dans SiriusXM radio show regarding Donald Trumps new Executive Order designed to kill free speech.

Trump is incensed by Twitter fact checking his inane, crazy and dangerous Tweets regarding mail-in ballots for voting. Trump is trying to scare his followers into believing that mailed ballots arent safe and will be tampered with. This isnt true, of course, but Trumps sadly illiterate and easily impressionable base can be told almost anything including the sky is falling and theyd believe it.

Trumps Executive Order is only about him, and his petty differences with Twitter. But it threatens the First Amendment, which hes never read.

Says Floyd Abrams:

The First Amendment issue is: can you shut up the social media entities when they engage in what they view as fact-checking? And I dont think you can. Im confident that that would violate the First Amendment. And, at the end of the day, thats what this is all about. No matter what the results are of any internal studies. What is sought here by the president, what is sought here by the drafters of the executive order, is a limitation on speech. And thats what the First Amendment does not allow.

Of course, a lot of this has to do with Trump trying to distract his base from the fact that over 100,000 people have died from corona virus, and he let it happen. Or caused it by his inaction and his easily seen clips of denying that corona virus would do any harm. The death toll rises, the new cases rise, in places where Trump voters could be mortally affected, and he wants to point the finger at anyone else.

Nevertheless, Abrams said he doesnt think Trump can get away with it.

Abrams said: At the end of the day, Im confident, maybe wrong, but Im confident that the administration will not be able to prevent Twitter and its competitors from putting in their own ultimate, for themselves, judgment that something the presidentor anyone elsesays online is inconsistent with the truth.

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. He wrote the Intelligencer column for NY Magazine in the mid 90s, reporting on the OJ Simpson trial, as well as for the real Parade magazine (when it was owned by Conde Nast), and has written for the New York Observer, Details, Vogue, Spin, the New York Times, NY Post, Washington Post, and NY Daily News among many publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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First Amendment Legal Expert Floyd Abrams on Trump's Chilling Executive Order Designed to Kill Free Speech - Showbiz411

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a citywide curfew from 11 p.m. ET Sunday through 6 a.m. ET Monday following a weekend of unrest in the nations capital.

Skirmishes between groups of protesters and law enforcement flared across the city on Friday and Saturday night as tensions played out over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis who was pinned down by police.

Bowser stressed Sunday that protesters have the right to exercise the First Amendment but should not destroy our city in the process.

Were sending a very clear message to people that they have a right to exercise their First Amendment rights, but not to destroy our city, Bowser said in an interview on NBCs Meet the Press. We saw a level of just destruction and mayhem among some that was maddening.

The DC Fire Department extinguished two vehicle fires in the area north of the White House Saturday night, as well as several small fires in the downtown area. Some protesters also put up graffiti on some buildings.

DC Chief of Police Peter Newsham said Sunday that the Metropolitan Police Department had arrested 17 people Saturday night and that 11 MPD officers were injured during the protests. None of the officers sustained life-threatening injuries, though one officer is undergoing surgery for multiple compound fractures to his leg after a protester threw a rock at him.

Newsham said that of the 17 people arrested, eight either live in DC or have some ties to the area.

He said police expect to make more arrests, as the department is asking private businesses to review their security footage, and will ask the DC community to help identify those who were damaging property or hurting people.

More than 60 US Secret Service personnel were injured from Friday night through Sunday morning near the White House, according to a statement from the Secret Service. At one point on Friday night, President Donald Trump was briefly taken to the underground bunker, according to a White House official and a law enforcement source.

To this point, Trump has adopted an uneven message on the demonstrations. While in some appearances he has taken a measured approach in calling for calm, on Twitter he has used violent rhetoric and seemed to suggest on Saturday his supporters stage a counter-protest outside the White House.

Bowser on Sunday urged Trump to help calm the nation and to stop sending divisive tweets that are meant to harken back to the segregationist past of our country.

On Saturday, Trump wrongly accused Bowser in a tweet of not allowing the DC Metropolitan Police Department to help the Secret Service keep control of the situation with protesters in Lafayette Square on Friday night.

That claim was later refuted by the US Secret Service who confirmed in a statement that the DC police department and US Park police were on the scene.

Bowser responded to Trump on Twitter Saturday, saying that the DC police department, will always protect DC and all who are in it whether I agree with them (such as those exercising their First Amendment Right) or those I dont (namely, @realdonaldtrump).

The DC mayor said while Trump hides behind his fence afraid/alone, she stands with people peacefully exercising their First Amendment Right after the murder of Floyd and hundreds of years of institutional racism.

Trump also tweeted that protesters would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen, if they breached the fence outside the White House.

In a press conference Saturday, Bowser noted how Trumps reference to the ominous dogs was no subtle reminder of segregationists who would attack African Americans with dogs.

She added that the city is working on cleaning up after protests and is coordinating with law enforcement to ensure calm in our city.

Newsham echoed that message Sunday, praising the behavior of police incredibly responsible, heroic, in many instances, and said he doesnt expect Sunday night to be a repeat of last night.

Still, a law enforcement source tells CNN that US Park Police, in a situational report Sunday afternoon, informed law enforcement stationed in Lafayette Park that demonstrators have brought boxes of rocks to an evening protest across from the White House.

Another person was observed with a bat, the report stated. The information was shared with other law enforcement agencies on hand for the protest, the source said.

Earlier Sunday, White House executive office staff received an email urging them to stay away from the White House complex, if possible, due to ongoing demonstrations.

Due to ongoing demonstrations, please avoid coming to the White House Complex today if at all possible, the email reads, in part. The White House currently maintains an elevated security posture.

The email directs essential employees, who still need to work on the complex, to a specific entrance and to follow Secret Service instructions.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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DC mayor institutes curfew and urges calm after weekend of unrest - KEYT

(Reuters) - On Friday evening, viewers watched as CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested on live television while covering a protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

By Saturday, as protesters and the police clashed across the nation, reporter Kaitlin Rust from Louisville, Kentucky local station WAVE News screamed on air Im getting shot! Im getting shot! as cameras caught her and her crew being targeted at gunpoint and shot at by local police with pepper balls.

Over a three-day period, organizations that track press violence documented about two dozen acts of violence, including an incident on Saturday night in Minneapolis during which Reuters journalist Julio-Cesar Chavez and Reuters security adviser Rodney Seward were struck and injured by rubber bullets.

From Los Angeles to Minneapolis to New York, what seemed like isolated attacks on the press at political rallies and protests over the last few years intensified as trust in media is near a decade low, some media experts said.

It is an extremely scary place to be and not a place where journalists have felt since 1968 in this country, said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, referring to journalists being harassed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The numerous, targeted attacks that journalists reporting on protests across the country have faced from law enforcement over the last two nights are both reprehensible and clear violations of the First Amendment, he said.

Freedom of speech and the press are enshrined, among other freedoms, in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The attacks, which come amid the anti-media rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump, have been leveled at media organizations across the political spectrum.

Leland Vittert, a Fox News correspondent with experience in war zones, and his crew were attacked by demonstrators near the White House on Friday after being identified as an employee of Fox News. Its the most scared Ive been since being caught in a mob that turned on us in Tahrir Square (in Cairo, Egypt), Vittert said in an interview with Reuters on Sunday.

Vittert recalled how the public perception of the media similarly deteriorated during his time covering the Middle East. We saw that transition happen where those who we reported on went from being glad we were there to tell our stories to viewing us as potential targets, he said. And now were seeing that same shift in America which is terrifying.

Since taking office in 2017, Trump has frequently lashed out at the media.

Theres a campaign of vilification of the media by President Trump, said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Radsch said this is also occurring as protesters want to control their narrative as well. Everyone wants to go directly to public with their version of events.

On Sunday, the president wrote on Twitter: The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKE NEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!

Some Trump supporters in the past have played down the backlash against the media and the presidents role in it, saying the media had eroded its own credibility with partisan reporting.

He (Trump) is not the only trigger, Brown said. But, If he were to stop attacking journalists, that would help a lot.

Watching journalists get arrested and attacked on television sends a message to viewers that there are no repercussions for the violence, media experts say.

The governor of Minnesota apologized for the arrest of CNNs journalists and the Louisville police department apologized if Rust was singled out for being a reporter. No actions have been taken so far against the officers involved.

Fox and CNN both condemned the actions taken against their journalists and other members of the media.

A Reuters spokeswoman said the news organization strongly objects to police firing rubber bullets at its crew in Minneapolis and is addressing the situation with 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, the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Reporting by Kenneth Li; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

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Open season on the free press: Journalists targeted in attacks as U.S. protests rage - Reuters

Over the last two days, journalists covering protests in cities across the country have been deliberately shot at with rubber bullets, tear gassed, pepper sprayed, detained, and arrested by law enforcement officers, and attacked and harassed by protesters.

These protests began in Minneapolis in response to the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer, but demonstrations have spread and accelerated around the country, with protesters demanding justice, an end to violence against Black Americans and greater police accountability.

In response to these attacks, Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, made the following statement:

The numerous, targeted attacks that journalists reporting on protests across the country have faced from law enforcement over the last two nights are both reprehensible and clear violations of the First Amendment. These attacks not only endanger our free press, but also threaten our democracy and the essential role that journalists play in safeguarding constitutional rights.

Many of these attacks were captured on live broadcasts. The video evidence showing journalists under police assault simply for doing their jobs is harrowing. We strongly condemn these actions and will be contacting law enforcement in each jurisdiction to demand a full explanation and accountability for officers who knowingly targeted journalists.

We also condemn all attacks on reporters by protesters. Media coverage of the demonstrations is indispensable to helping our nation bear witness. Assaults on journalists from protesters are unlawful and make it harder for reporters to keep the country informed during this period of civil unrest.

Journalists can consult the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Presssguide to covering protestsandtip sheetfor more information on their rights and how to avoid arrests while reporting on these events. Journalists covering protests who have questions or are in need of legal assistance can contact the Reporters Committees hotline at 800-336-4243 orhotline@rcfp.org. The Reporters Committee is also a partner of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which is documenting these incidents. If you are a journalist or know of one who has been assaulted, arrested or had equipment seized or damaged in the course of covering a protest, emailtips@pressfreedomtracker.us.

The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations pro bono in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on our work by signing up for our monthly newsletter and following us on Twitter or Instagram.

Screenshot image via WAVE 3

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RCFP condemns attacks against journalists covering protests - Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Portland police said demonstrators were setting off numerous fireworks and "aerial mortars" at officers.

PORTLAND, Ore. After hours of protesting outside the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland, police declared a gathering of thousands of demonstrators a civil disturbance and an unlawful assembly. People are now being told to leave the area or be subject to police force.

Police have used flash bangs and tear gas to disperse protesters. KGW reporters say the crowd is smaller than it was outside the justice center, but there are several smaller groups in downtown.

At around 11:30 p.m., Portland police said demonstrators were setting off numerous fireworks and "aerial mortars" at officers. At least two people have been arrested.

There are reports of shattered windows in the downtown area.

The large group of demonstrators reached the justice center at around 9:30 p.m. after peacefully marching miles from the eastside of Portland.

The large crowd initially gathered at Laurelhurst Park at 6 p.m. and at first marched to a former police precinct building on Southeast 47th Avenue and Burnside. The group then marched several miles westbound, crossed the Burnside Bridge and entered downtown Portland.

As the crowd marched to downtown, police announced over loud speakers that they would protect the demonstrators' First Amendment rights if they remained peaceful.

"The actions of this group will set the tone for this evening. Do not destroy your city," police announced.

The tensions between police and the group of protesters appeared to increase as the night went on. At around 10:45 p.m., Portland police caused confusion by saying demonstrators had broken in inside the federal courthouse, which is next to the justice center. However, minutes later, police said no demonstrators entered the courthouse. Police then said projectiles were being thrown at officers before declaring the unlawful assembly.

All of this occurred after the 8 p.m. curfew that was put into place for the second straight night due to destructive riots that took place Friday and Saturday.

Earlier Sunday night at the justice center, police declared a separate demonstration with a smaller, but still formidable, group of protesters an unlawful assembly and dispersed the group.

Portland police said protesters were throwing water bottles at officers.

In an attempt to prevent crowds from gathering in downtown, Portland police asked the Oregon Department of Transportation to close freeway off-ramps leading into downtown Portland, including off-ramps from US-26, I-5, I-84 and I-405. ODOT said the closures will last until midnight or later if necessary.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler explained during an appearance on MSNBC why the city asked for the ramps to be closed.

"Tonight we took an usual step of closing off on-ramps into the city of Portland because we heard anecdotally that some of the demonstrators were coming from outside of our city," Wheeler said.

Earlier Sunday afternoon, a passerby captured an inspiring moment on camera, as Portland police officers took a knee with protesters in downtown Portland.

Sunday marks the third day of protests over the death of George Floyd and police violence against African Americans.

In the first two days of protests in Portland, at least 70 people were arrested. Late-night protesters shattered storefront windows and looted businesses. On Friday night, the Multnomah County Justice Center was set ablaze. At least two officers were injured.

On Sunday morning, Wheeler said the protests have been "co-opted by rioters and looters." He said the rioters' actions no longer feel like sincere mourning for Floyd. At the same press conference, Portland Police Bureau Chief Jami Resch called the rioters a "group of selfish individuals."

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Day 3 of protests in Portland, Oregon over death of George Floyd - KGW.com