Certified members of the press can no longer be subject to the Minnesota State Patrol’s distribution orders, and troops will stop the practice of photographing them before letting them go while handling protests and are prohibited from taking other actions against the media.
A free press is the foundation of our democracy, and the ability of journalists to cover civil unrest in our communities must be protected and encouraged, “the MSP said in a statement on Saturday.
Law enforcers have pepper spray protesters and working media outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department during the sixth night demonstrations over the shooting death of Daunte Wright by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 16, 2021. – Police officer Kim Potter, who killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a black 20-year-old in a Minneapolis suburb, was shot dead after she saw her gun wrong for her Taser, was arrested on April 14 on a charge of manslaughter. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images)
The MSP began photographing journalists, their driving licenses and their press letters amid widespread protests over police brutality and racial injustice. It was allegedly intended as a way to identify press members amid chaotic protests that sometimes escalated into riots, but some members of the media reported authoritarian treatment.
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Critics claim that the police are using retaliatory measures against journalists who covered the anti-police demonstrations, and the American Civil Liberties Union brought the case to court, leading to a temporary restraint.
“Any law that impairs the freedom of speech or press is prohibited under the First Amendment.” U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright wrote in the order.
In addition to detaining and photographing reporters, they accused police of shooting with rubber bullets, spraying chemical agents and arresting them, all during protests over the death of Daunte Wright in the suburbs of Brooklyn. downtown Minneapolis.
The MSP said in a statement that it had briefly detained and released a number of journalists, but that they had not yet been arrested.
And members of the press were also attacked by the protesters themselves.
Law enforcement officers arrest a member of the media during the sixth night of protests over the shooting death of Daunte Wright by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 16, 2021. – Police officer, Kim Potter, who shot 20-year-old Black Daunte Wright in a suburb of Minneapolis, after mistaking her gun for her Taser, was arrested on April 14 on a charge of manslaughter. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images)
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“Following media feedback, and in light of a recent temporary restriction filed in federal court, MSP will not photograph journalists or their credentials,” the statement said. “However, troopers will still check the credentials so that the media is not kept longer than necessary.”
Under the new policy, members of the power are prohibited from arresting or threatening members of the media unless they are suspected of a crime. They cannot use or threaten to use violence on journalists who are not suspected of a crime.
The MSP will also no longer use chemical spray on members of the media and has been banned from seizing their equipment or ordering a journalist to stop.
“The MSP does not and does not want to direct the media to do the important work of showing those who exercise their rights for first amendment to express themselves, or those who engage in the violent, illegal activities that law enforcers are trying to prevent. “, the statement concluded. “Any journalist or member of the public is encouraged to contact the DPS Internal Affairs / Affirmative Action Division to lodge a complaint because they believe a soldier has misbehaved with him.”
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The state patrol said they are advising partners’ law enforcement agencies on their new policies.