Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- May 31, 2020
- Location
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Targets
- KMBC-TV
- Equipment Broken
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
At least two news vehicles were vandalized amid protests against police violence in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 31, 2020.
The protests were held in response to a video showing a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a Black man, during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Protests against police violence and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement have been held across the U.S. since the end of May.
A news vehicle belonging to KMBC News 9 was vandalized during demonstrations downtown that night, according to social media posts by a reporter with KSHB 41 News. The car’s windows were broken, internal mechanisms reportedly tampered with and the exterior spray-painted with graffiti. KMBC didn’t respond to requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
A KSHB 41 News vehicle was also vandalized that night, and was set on fire. The Tracker has documented that case here.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documents journalists assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas or who had their equipment damaged in the course of reporting. Find all incidents related to Black Lives Matter and anti-police brutality protests here.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
