A coalition of press rights organizations, including the Los Angeles Press Club, has filed a federal lawsuit against the LAPD, aiming to protect journalists' constitutional rights during protests. The suit cites several misconduct instances, including cops firing projectiles at reporters and detaining them unlawfully, violating a state law designed to shield journalists. This legal action arises from rising tensions in protests related to President Trump's immigration policies and echoes past complaints following the George Floyd protests, aiming to enforce compliance with existing protections for the press.
"You have people holding up their press credentials saying, 'I'm press,' and they still got shot. The Legislature spent all this time limiting how use of force can occur in a crowd control situation, and they just all ignored it."
The suit cites multiple instances of officers firing foam projectiles at members of the media and otherwise flouting state laws that restrict the use of so-called less-lethal weapons in crowd control situations.
Collection
[
|
...
]