Said award-winning journalist and plaintiff Amy Goodman: “We shouldn’t have to get a record to put things on the record. This is not only a violation of freedom of the press but a violation of the public’s right to know. When journalists are arrested, that has a chilling effect on the functioning of a democratic society.”
Goodman v. St. Paul seeks compensation and an injunction against law enforcement’s unjustified encroachment on First Amendment rights, including freedom of the press and the independence of the media. Attorneys say the government cannot limit journalists’ right to cover matters of public concern by requiring that they present a particular perspective; for instance, the government cannot require journalists to “embed” with state authorities. Goodman further asserts that the government cannot, in the name of security, limit the flow of information by acting unwarrantedly against journalists who report on speech protected by the First Amendment, such as dissent, and the public acts of law enforcement.
“The media are the eyes and ears of the American people—that is why there are laws to protect them,” said CCR attorney Anjana Samant. “Law enforcement and Secret Service agents are not exempt from those laws in their dealings with un-embedded journalists who are documenting peaceful protestors or law enforcement’s use of force and violence against those protestors.”
“The protests on the streets outside the convention center are just as important to the democratic process as the official party proceedings inside,” said journalist and plaintiff Sharif Abdel Kouddous. “Journalists should not have to risk being arrested, brutalized or intimidated by the police in order to perform their duties, exercise their First Amendment rights and facilitate the rights of others to freedom of speech and assembly.”
“The video of my arrest and of Amy’s mobilized an overwhelming public response,” said journalist Nicole Salazar. “The public has both an interest and a right to know how law enforcement officials are acting on their behalf. We should ask ourselves what kind of accountability exists when there is no coverage of police brutality and intimidation."
For more information on the case, visit CCR's legal case page.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
Goodman v. St. Paul: Synopsis
Goodman, et al. v. St. Paul, et al. is a lawsuit brought on behalf of three journalists against federal and local Minneapolis and St. Paul law enforcement. The lawsuit alleges that their policies and conduct during the RNC culminated in the unlawful arrests and unreasonable use of force against three Democracy Now! journalists, Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, violating their First Amendment rights as members of the press to report on matters of public concern and the public actions of law enforcement.Status
CCR and co-counsel Bruce Nestor of De Leon & Nestor, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP filed the case in the U. S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in May 2010.
Description
Through pre-emptive raids and mass coordinated actions, local and federal law enforcement interfered with the media’s ability to report on public protest, civic engagement and on law enforcement’s activities around the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC) in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Law enforcement authorities arrested, questioned, detained and even brutalized journalists who were simply doing their job—covering the RNC and the protests around the Convention.Scores of journalists and other members of the media were arrested, detained, assaulted and searched. Their belongings were also seized and searched, including their cameras, video and other media equipment. The journalists prominently displayed their press credentials throughout the incidents and repeatedly identified themselves as members of the media to the acting law enforcement.
Three of the journalists who were arrested and assaulted during the RNC were Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. On September 1, 2008 while covering the 2008 RNC for Democracy Now! Nicole Salazar was cornered, assaulted and arrested by police, despite repeatedly identifying herself as a member of the press. Following her arrest, Sharif Abdel Kouddous -a Democracy Now! producer with whom Nicole was videotaping police activity that day- was similarly arrested and assaulted by law enforcement. When co-worker Amy Goodman heard of their arrests and came to the site to question officers about the incident and locate her colleagues she was also arrested.
Goodman, et al. v. St. Paul, et al. is a lawsuit brought on behalf of Goodman, Kouddous, and Salazar against the City of St. Paul, the City of Minneapolis, Ramsey County, John Harrington – chief of St. Paul police, Timothy Dolan – chief of Minneapolis police, Bob Fletcher – Sheriff of Ramsey County, an unidentified secret service agent, and multiple unidentified law enforcement officers to challenge the targeting by law enforcement of journalists during the 2008 Republican National Convention, the unlawful arrests of the journalists, and the use of excessive force.
Timeline
Goodman, et al. v. St. Paul, et al. was filed on May 5th 2010 in the United States District Court in the District of Minnesota.Click to download the attached file(s):
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