A media watchdog organization claims in a court case that their team members experienced physical attacks and were prevented from entering certain zones where they should have had access, during their coverage of intense demonstrations against forceful ICE raids in Los Angeles. The protests were in response to the aggressive actions taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A lawsuit was submitted against the city of Los Angeles and its police chief, Jim McDonnell, in a federal court in California on Monday. This action follows growing conflicts between local law enforcement and the media, where officers are accused of harassing reporters following protests on the streets. The lawsuit claims infringements on the First Amendment (freedom of speech), the 14th Amendment (equal protection under the law), as well as state regulations designed to control the application of certain non-lethal weapons. It aims to obtain a court order prohibiting law enforcement from any further misconduct in these matters.
The complaint alleges that the frequent application of force by LAPD officers against journalists suggests a deliberate effort to hinder public observation of police actions towards protesters. This also implies a disregard for the legal protections afforded to journalists in such situations, as well as a systemic shortcoming within the LAPD.
During the No Kings protests, numerous instances of journalists clashing with law enforcement have been broadcast live on cable TV or social media platforms. One such incident involved Lauren Tomasi, a reporter from 9 News Queensland, who was struck by a less-lethal round fired by an LAPD officer in her leg. At the time, she was situated in a mostly deserted intersection and was not near any protesters. According to the complaint, the video suggests that the officer looked towards Tomasi and pointed his weapon at her.
Status Coup, in conjunction with the L.A. Press Club, has claimed that Tina Berg was physically removed from various sites by police officers. In one case, she was prevented from recording a demonstration near downtown Civic Center, with officers stating they were escorting her out of the area for her own safety despite being more than 100 feet away from the protest. When she asserted that she had the right to film, the officer acknowledged this but expressed that he understood it.
The grievance likewise highlights the instances where journalists from The New York Times, Cal Matters, and Capital & Main were shot at. As Carol Sobel, a lawyer for the L.A. Press Club, states in the complaint, “In every one of these situations, the journalists involved were merely doing their job by reporting on the protests, which they had both the right and obligation to do.” “Notably, none of them were participating in actions that could have warranted any form of force, let alone the level of force that was applied,” adds Sobel.
Last week, the National Press Club asserted that journalists in Los Angeles were not simply collateral damage; rather, they were deliberately targeted.
As a passionate supporter, I’d rephrase it like this:
I’ve been following the situation closely and, unfortunately, the peaceful protest on Saturday took an unfortunate turn towards violence according to the LAPD, who chose not to comment on my query. However, in an interview with KNBC, McDonnell shared that everything was going smoothly until police officers allegedly came under attack.
Some journalists have reported that law enforcement inflamed with unnecessary violence.
As I found myself on live television during our encounter with the officer on Saturday, I felt him shoving me. Yet, we’ve never pushed anyone, something you must know is true. In this piece, I also mentioned that these officers are clearly exhausted and it’s been a long week, with temperatures adding to their fatigue. However, throughout this experience, there has been an underlying respect between the media and law enforcement here. We’ve made sure to keep our distance.
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2025-06-17 00:55