Plenty of journalists are in Minneapolis covering the fallout of the police killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. However, media members have alleged harassment by local law enforcement.
According to Jasper Colt, a photojournalist for USA Today shared on Twitter that law enforcement had them lie on their stomachs and then photographed their faces.
“After quickly dispersing protesters in #BrooklynCenterMN tonight, police surrounded members of the media and made us lie flat on our stomachs. They then photographed our faces, credentials, and identification before allowing us to leave the perimeter,” Colt tweeted.
Meanwhile, Tim Evans, a freelance photographer, stated to The Associated Press that he had a physical encounter with police there while covering the protest. Evans claims that an officer punched him and ripped his credentials before pushing him onto his stomach.
“I’m extremely upset,” Evans said. “I felt like they were targeting the press in general. I’m out there doing what I’m doing because I have such strong convictions about the importance of this work.”
The Minnesota State Patrol Department of Public Safety announced that it started photographing reporters and verifying credentials amid concerns about how long it needed to identify journalists last year.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
