The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit against the state’s police department over the “unconstitutional conduct targeting journalists” as they covered the protests over the death of George Floyd.
The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, named the city of Minneapolis, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Minneapolis police, and high-ranking officers as defendants.
“The power of the people is rooted in the ability of the free press to investigate and report news, especially at a time like this when police have brutally murdered one of our community members,” Teresa Nelson, ACLU-MN legal director, said. “Police are using violence and threats to undermine that power, and we cannot let that happen. Public transparency is absolutely necessary for police accountability.”
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The lead plaintiff, Jared Goyette, is a freelance journalist who says he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet after identifying himself as a member of the media while covering the demonstrations.
“Journalists aren’t the only victims,” Goyette said. “Actions like this make protesters, people trying to advocate for change, more vulnerable because journalists provide a witness, and police are aware of that. Without journalists there, police or other people in power can feel a sense of impunity that no one will see what’s happening anyway. Everyone needs to know people are watching.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests calling attention to police brutality and racial inequality. In some cases, those protests have become violent, resulting in property damage, looting, and clashes with law enforcement.
The officer who used his knee to pin Floyd down, Derek Chauvin, was fired and later taken into custody on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers who helped detain Floyd, who was suspected of attempting to use a fake $20 bill, were also fired but have not faced any charges.
Reporters have been caught in the crossfire in some cases as law enforcement officers crack down on some of the rowdier protests across the nation.
The suit alleges law enforcement officers “target[ed] and intimidate[d] the press by threatening, spraying chemical irritants, and firing less-lethal ballistics designed for riot control directly at members of the media. Defendants further interfered with the news media’s right to cover public events by refusing access to areas where events were unfolding and creating obstacles to reporters’ movement about the city.”
