Omaha police detain journalist during protest, refusing to believe he is media

July 25, 2020
Video journalist Jazari Kual was detained by police officers while covering protests in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 25, 2020, according to news reports and the journalist’s statements on social media. Kual said he was held for more than an hour by officers who doubted his professional status, but he eventually was released without charge.On the night of July 25, protestors had been marching for several hours in downtown Omaha while police officers accompanied them and redirected traffic, Kual told the …

Omaha police shove, detain freelance journalist during protest

July 25, 2020
Journalist Melanie Buer was detained by police officers while covering protests in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 25, 2020.Buer told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker she was held for more than two hours by officers who doubted her professional status, but she eventually was released without charge.On the night of July 25, protesters had been marching for several hours in downtown Omaha while police officers accompanied them and redirected traffic, according to local news reports. The demonstrators were protesting against the …

Journalist struck in ankle with projectile while covering LA protest

July 25, 2020
A projectile fired by law enforcement struck freelance journalist Sam Slovick in the ankle as he covered a July 25, 2020, protest in Los Angeles, the journalist told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.The city had witnessed a series of racial justice protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. The local TV channel CBSLA reported on July 25 that several hundred protesters had gathered in downtown Los Angeles.Slovick, a freelance journalist and filmmaker whose work …

Commonwealth Times editor detained while covering Richmond protest

July 25, 2020
Eduardo Acevedo, news editor for The Commonwealth Times, an independent newspaper run by Virginia Commonwealth University students, said he was detained by police while covering a protest in Richmond, Virginia, the night of July 25, 2020.Protests against racial inequality and police brutality were held in Richmond throughout the summer in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people at the hands of police.Acevedo told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he and two colleagues from …

Photographer pepper sprayed while covering Seattle protest

July 25, 2020
A photographer said a Seattle law enforcement officer pepper-sprayed him while he was covering protests in Seattle, Washington, on July 25, 2020.The independent photographer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker it was clear police were aiming for his head when he was hit with pepper spray. “The entire right side of my helmet was blue,” he said.The Washington Post reported there were approximately 2,000 people demonstrating that afternoon, the largest gathering in more than a …

Journalists hit with projectiles, shoved while covering Portland protest

July 25, 2020
Two journalists said they were assaulted by law enforcement officers while covering protests in Portland, Oregon, on the night of July 25, 2020.The protests were among many demonstrations that broke out in response to police violence and in support of Black Lives Matter following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents involving journalists covering protests across the country.Law enforcement officers in Portland had targeted journalists since …

Multiple journalists say they were targeted by law enforcement while covering a Portland protest

July 25, 2020
Three journalists said law enforcement officers targeted them with crowd-control munitions and physical force while they were covering protests in Portland, Oregon, in the early morning hours of July 25, 2020.The protests were among many demonstrations that broke out in response to police violence and in support of Black Lives Matter following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents involving journalists covering protests across the country.Law …

Independent journalist shoved by NYPD officer

July 25, 2020
Independent journalist Janet Burns said she was shoved by a police officer while covering a protest in New York City on July 25, 2020.Burns said she was covering a demonstration that night in Lower Manhattan, at the corner of Delancey and Ludlow streets, for NYC Protest Updates 2020, a Twitter account set up by a group of young journalists after the May killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests. The Twitter account has over 40,000 followers and provides …
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