first_published_at,last_published_at,title,slug,latest_revision_created_at,charges,legal_orders,updates,categories,links,equipment_seized,equipment_broken,targeted_journalists,authors,date,exact_date_unknown,city,state,latitude,longitude,body,introduction,teaser,teaser_image,primary_video,image_caption,arrest_status,arresting_authority,release_date,detention_date,unnecessary_use_of_force,case_number,case_statuses,case_type,status_of_seized_equipment,is_search_warrant_obtained,actor,border_point,target_us_citizenship_status,denial_of_entry,stopped_previously,did_authorities_ask_for_device_access,did_authorities_ask_about_work,assailant,was_journalist_targeted,charged_under_espionage_act,subpoena_type,subpoena_statuses,name_of_business,third_party_business,legal_order_target,legal_order_type,legal_order_venue,status_of_prior_restraint,mistakenly_released_materials,type_of_denial,targeted_institutions,tags,target_nationality,workers_whose_communications_were_obtained,politicians_or_public_figures_involved 2017-05-24 01:48:49.773084+00:00,2023-11-03 18:33:48.368171+00:00,"Vocativ journalist charged with rioting in Washington, D.C.",https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/vocativ-journalist-charged-with-rioting-in-washington/,2023-11-03 18:33:48.240158+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-01-27),,(2021-09-17 00:00:00+00:00) Vocativ journalist receives payout from class-action settlement with District of Columbia,"Arrest/Criminal Charge, Assault, Equipment Search or Seizure",What happened during my arrest at Trump's Inauguration (https://freedom.press/news/what-happened-during-my-arrest-trumps-inauguration/),"camera: count of 1, cellphone: count of 1",,Evan Engel (Vocativ),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"
Evan Engel was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests in Washington, D.C., on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration. At the time, Engel was a senior producer at Vocativ. Vocativ spokeswoman Ellen Davis told the Committee to Protect Journalists that police seized Engel’s camera and mobile phone.
In a blog post for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Engel wrote about the circumstances of his arrest:
The group – which included protesters, journalists (including myself), medics, and legal observers – raised their hands in the air and awaited further instructions from the police.
I livestreamed the detention on Facebook. After about 40 minutes, police officers from DC’s Metropolitan Police Department began pulled me from the group (livestreamers were among the first arrested). As I’ve done in numerous protests since 2008, I showed officers my camera and business cards and explained that I was a journalist.
“That’s great,” one officer replied. “I’m a sergeant.”
Engel was charged with the highest level of offense under Washington, D.C.’s law against rioting, which applies when there are injuries as a result of the activity or property damage in excess of $5,000, which can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
Engel wrote that he was detained for over 27 hours. He said that he and other detainees were subjected to abusive treatment, including being locked in the back of an overheated van.
On Jan. 27, all charges against Engel were dropped. Police later returned his phone and camera.
Aaron Cantú — an independent journalist who has written for The Baffler, the website Truthout, and Al-Jazeera — was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests on the day President Donald Trump's inauguration.
Cantú was among more than 230 people arrested in Washington on Inauguration Day after some individuals set fire to a car and broke windows of downtown businesses.
Cantú was one of nine journalists arrested during the protests. Charges were later dropped against most of the journalists, but not Cantú. On April 27, a grand jury indicted him on eight separate felony counts — inciting a riot, rioting, conspiracy to riot, and five counts of destruction of property. If convicted on all counts, he could face to 75 years in prison.
He is scheduled to go to trial in October 2018.
Journalist Aaron Cantú was required to wear this bracelet while detained, after he was arrested while covering protests against President Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,None,None,False,1:20-cv-00130,['SETTLED'],Civil,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,[],,"chemical irritant, election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-05-25 21:09:36.767540+00:00,2023-11-03 18:35:20.284957+00:00,Producer Jack Keller arrested at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/producer-jack-keller-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/,2023-11-03 18:35:19.906193+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-01-30),,,"Arrest/Criminal Charge, Equipment Search or Seizure",,"camera: count of 1, cellphone: count of 1, storage device: count of 1",,Jack Keller (Story of America),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Jack Keller, producer of the web documentary series Story of America, was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Annabel Park, the co-director of the web series, confirmed that Keller was arrested and detained for 36 hours while covering the protest. He was returned his video camera after being released, but both the video and his cellphone remained in police custody.
He was charged with the highest level of offense under Washington D.C.’s law against rioting, which applies when there are injuries as a result of the activity or property damage in excess of $5,000, which can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
On Jan. 30, the charges against Keller were dropped.
A demonstrator smashes a Starbucks window using a trash can at 12th and I streets in Washington, D.C., on Friday, during a march that ended with a partial encirclement and mass arrest.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,2017-01-21,2017-01-20,False,None,[],None,returned in part,False,law enforcement,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-05-25 21:15:44.100054+00:00,2022-09-21 19:08:34.958901+00:00,Photojournalist Matthew Hopard arrested at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-matthew-hopard-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/,2022-09-21 19:08:34.896746+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-01-30),,,Arrest/Criminal Charge,,,,Matthew Hopard (Independent),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Matthew Hopard — an independent photojournalist who has published with The New York Times, Fox News, and Business Insider — was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
He was charged with the highest level of offense under Washington D.C.’s law against rioting, which applies when there are injuries as a result of the activity or property damage in excess of $5,000, which can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
On Jan. 30, the charges against Hopard were dropped.
Washington DC police made a number of arrests, including of journalists, after protests against Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, resulted in windows being smashed and other damage.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-05-25 21:19:08.544615+00:00,2023-11-03 18:35:39.506952+00:00,Reporter Alex Stokes charged with rioting at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-alex-stokes-charged-rioting-trump-inauguration-protest/,2023-11-03 18:35:39.363390+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-02-21),,(2021-09-17 00:00:00+00:00) Independent journalist receives payout as plaintiff in class-action lawsuit,"Arrest/Criminal Charge, Equipment Search or Seizure",,"camera: count of 2, cellphone: count of 1",,Alex Stokes (Independent),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Alexander Stokes — an independent journalist whose show was broadcast on Albany Public Access TV news show — was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Stokes, whose full name is Alexander Stokes Contompasis, stated that he was never asked for press credentials despite informing officers that he was press, and his cellphone and two cameras were seized by police during his arrest.
He was charged with the highest level of offense under Washington D.C.’s law against rioting, which applies when there are injuries as a result of the activity or property damage in excess of $5,000, which can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
On Feb. 21, the charges against Stokes were dropped. On March 1, his cameras and cellphone were returned, though he told Buzzfeed that he was uncertain whether they had been searched.
Stokes is now a member of "Press Connection," a group that advocates for those still facing criminal charges in connection with the Inauguration protests.
Protesters and journalists scramble as stun grenades are deployed by police during a protest near the inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, U.S., Jan. 20, 2017.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,None,None,False,1:18-cv-00120,['SETTLED'],Class Action,returned in full,False,law enforcement,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-05-25 21:25:00.130739+00:00,2023-11-03 18:36:09.505614+00:00,Photojournalist Cheney Orr arrested at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-cheney-orr-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/,2023-11-03 18:36:09.357441+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-02-21),,,"Arrest/Criminal Charge, Equipment Search or Seizure",,"camera: count of 3, storage device: count of 3, work product: count of 1, cellphone: count of 1",,Cheney Orr (Independent),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Cheney Orr, an independent photographer, was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, while covering protests on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Orr was doing a portrait series that day when he was arrested with a group of 60 protesters, handcuffed with zip ties, and his gear confiscated: this included his digital Canon DSLR camera, two lenses, a Contaxt point-and-shoot, memory cards, a Rolleiflex 120 film camera, and his cellphone.
He was one of more than 200 people arrested and charged with felony rioting, the highest level of offense under Washington D.C.’s law against rioting. While he was released the next day, law enforcement wanted to use his images as evidence, but couldn’t access them without a warrant or Orr’s permission. When Orr’s attorney advised him that the warrant would almost certainly be granted and that waiting for the warrant would leave his equipment impounded for weeks or months, Orr granted his permission.
The felony charges were dropped on Feb. 21, though Orr is still waiting for the return of both his film and memory cards.
DC riot police form a line across K Street Northwest at 13th Street as protesters react to the swearing in of U.S. President Donald Trump in downtown Washington, U.S., Jan. 20, 2017.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,None,None,False,None,[],None,returned in part,False,law enforcement,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-07-12 19:39:24.339114+00:00,2022-09-21 19:09:13.504114+00:00,RT America reporter arrested at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/rt-america-reporter-arrested-trump-inauguration-protest/,2022-09-21 19:09:13.416275+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-01-30),,,Arrest/Criminal Charge,"RT America reporter arrested while covering inauguration protests (https://www.rt.com/usa/374421-rt-reporter-arrested-inauguration-protests/) via RT America, Two journalists covering inauguration protests face felony riot charges (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/23/two-journalists-trump-inauguration-protests-felony-riot-charges-evan-engel-alex-rubinstein) via Guardian U.S., Updates on journalists arrested and charged with rioting during Presidential Inauguration protests (RCFP) (https://www.rcfp.org/inauguration-protest-arrests)",,,Alexander Rubinstein (RT America),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Alexander Rubinstein, a reporter with the Russian state-funded broadcaster RT America, was arrested while covering protests on the day of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. RT said in a Jan. 20, 2017, report on its website that Rubinstein showed his media credentials to police before he was encircled with a crowd of people who were all arrested.
He was charged with the highest level of offense under Washington D.C.’s law against rioting, which applies when there are injuries as a result of the activity or property damage in excess of $5,000, which can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
On Jan. 30, the charges against Rubinstein were dropped.
Protesters and journalists scramble as stun grenades are deployed by police during a protest near the inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, U.S., January 20, 2017.
Independent photojournalist Alexei Wood was arrested while covering protests on Jan. 20, 2017 — the day of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Wood was among more than 230 people arrested in Washington on Inauguration Day after some individuals set fire to a car and broke windows of downtown businesses.
Wood told the Freedom of the Press Foundation that, when he was arrested, he was carrying a lot of professional equipment — including a Canon 7D camera body with a 16–35 L lens, at least four memory cards with over 200 GB of photos, a Rode external microphone, a monopod, and an Android phone (which he used to livestream the protest on Facebook Live).
All of his equipment was seized and searched by police after he was arrested. The lens was later returned to him, but the rest of his equipment was not.
Like other journalists arrested during the Inauguration protests, Wood was initially charged with one count of rioting, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail.
But on April 27, a grand jury indicted him on eight separate felony counts:
The eight counts carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 60 years in prison.
Alexei Wood stands outside D.C. superior court.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,None,None,False,1:20-cv-00130,['SETTLED'],Civil,returned in full,False,law enforcement,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,[],,"chemical irritant, election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-07-31 06:22:54.285953+00:00,2024-01-09 14:24:00.073974+00:00,Washington Post reporter thrown to ground by police at Inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/washington-post-reporter-thrown-ground-police-inauguration-protest/,2024-01-09 14:23:59.974597+00:00,,,,Assault,,,,Dalton Bennett (The Washington Post),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Washington Post videojournalist Dalton Bennett was thrown to the ground by police while covering a protest of President Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017.
Alex Emmons, a reporter at The Intercept, captured video of the altercation and published it on Twitter.
Washington Post reporter Dalton Bennett thrown to the ground by riot police. pic.twitter.com/4I442QhEqM
— Alex Emmons (@AlexanderEmmons) January 20, 2017
A screencap from a video showing Washington Post photographer Dalton Bennett after being knocked to the ground by police officers during protests in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2017.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,law enforcement,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,[],,"election, Election 2016, protest",,, 2017-07-31 06:36:26.674996+00:00,2022-09-21 19:10:24.596418+00:00,WJLA photographer injured during Trump Inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wjla-photographer-injured-during-trump-inauguration-protest/,2022-09-21 19:10:24.523833+00:00,,,,Assault,"WATCH: ABC7 photographer knocked down, injured in downtown inauguration protests (http://wjla.com/news/local/wjla-photographer-knocked-down-injured-in-downtown-inauguration-protests) via WJLA",,,Vanessa Koolhof (WJLA-TV),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Vanessa Koolhof — a photographer at WJLA, the local ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. — was knocked down and injured while covering a protest in response to President Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.
WJLA reported that Koolhof found herself in the middle of a shoving match between a group of anti-Trump protesters and a Trump supporter. After Koolhof fell down, D.C. police moved in to break up the struggle and help Koolhof up off the ground.
Vanessa Koolhof after being knocked down during a protest of President Donald Trump's inauguration, on January 20, 2017.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,private individual,no,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, protest",,, 2017-08-01 15:19:53.063008+00:00,2024-02-27 21:33:31.073009+00:00,Shay Horse arrested at Trump inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/shay-horse-arrested/,2024-02-27 21:33:30.975733+00:00,rioting (charges dropped as of 2017-02-01),,"(2017-06-21 15:45:00+00:00) Photojournalist arrested while covering Inauguration Day protests named as plaintiff in ACLU lawsuit, (2021-04-26 00:00:00+00:00) DC settles class action lawsuit brought by independent journalist, others","Arrest/Criminal Charge, Assault",,,,Shay Horse (Freelance),,2017-01-20,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"Independent journalist Shay Horse was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C., while covering protests around the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Like other journalists and protesters arrested that day, Horse was charged with the highest level of offense under the district's law against rioting, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
In February, the charges against Horse were dropped.
Activists stand amid smoke from a stun grenade during a protest against President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017.
",arrested and released,Metropolitan Police Department,2017-01-21,None,True,1:17-cv-01216,['SETTLED'],Class Action,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,law enforcement,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,[],,"chemical irritant, election, Election 2016, kettle, protest",,, 2017-09-07 19:05:57.313070+00:00,2022-09-21 19:12:20.781099+00:00,Chicago Sun-Times reporter punched while covering inauguration protest,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/chicago-sun-times-reporter-punched-while-covering-inauguration-protest/,2022-09-21 19:12:20.718014+00:00,,,,Assault,Tweet from Sam Charles about the incident (https://twitter.com/samjcharles/status/822634725252694016),,,Sam Charles (Chicago Sun-Times),,2017-01-20,False,Chicago,Illinois (IL),41.85003,-87.65005,"Chicago Sun-Times reporter Sam Charles was punched in the chest while covering an anti-Trump protest in Chicago on Jan. 20, 2017 — the day of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
Charles told the Freedom of the Press Foundation that, while reporting on the Chicago protest, he spotted a woman with a black mask spray painting “Die Fascist Scum” on a bus stop and took out his phone to record it. When he started recording, another man attacked him.
“Two seconds into the video, a guy runs over to me, knocks the phone out of my hand and then punches me in the chest,” he said.
Video filmed by Charles shows a man quickly approaching the camera, just before the camera seems to be thrown violently to the side. “Get the fuck out of here!” a man can be heard yelling on the video.
After being punched, Charles left the area but continued to cover the protest. He said that he did not notify police about the assault because his priority was continuing to report on the protest.
“It’s one of those things where, in that moment, it’s not my main focus,” he said. “My main focus is on getting back to work.”
I just got punched in the chest for recording a masked woman tagging a bus stop on Michigan Ave pic.twitter.com/WQxFjR5740
— Sam Charles (@samjcharles) January 20, 2017
Sam Charles was attacked while filming a protester spray paint this "Die Fascist Scum" graffiti in Chicago, Illinois, on January 20, 2017.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,private individual,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"election, Election 2016, protest",,, 2017-08-02 07:52:40.115762+00:00,2022-08-09 20:09:50.040513+00:00,Trump International Hotel bans journalists during Inauguration week,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-international-hotel-bans-journalists-during-inauguration-week/,2022-08-09 20:09:49.953021+00:00,,,,Other Incident,Trump's D.C. hotel bans press during inauguration week (http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/01/trump-dc-hotel-bans-media-inauguration-week-233766) via Politico,,,,,2017-01-17,False,Washington,District of Columbia (DC),38.89511,-77.03637,"A Politico reporter was prevented from entering the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., for a previously-scheduled meeting on Jan. 17, 2017. When he identified himself as a journalist, he was told that "media" would not be allowed in the hotel during the week of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration.
"Media is not allowed in this week in respect of the privacy of our guests," the hotel's director of sales and marketing told Politico in a statement.
The hotel is owned by Trump's family real-estate company, The Trump Organization, which won a bid to redevelop the property for the federal government in 2012. The Trump Organization has a 60-year lease on the property; one condition of the lease is that the public must be granted access to certain areas of the building.
The entrance of Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,Politico,"election, Election 2016",,,