LAPD Has Already Violated a Court Order in Case Brought by Journalists

LOS ANGELES — The First Amendment Coalition or FAC Aug. 21 highlighted that the Los Angeles Police Department or LAPD has a long, sorry history of abusing journalists going back at least 25 years to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. And it appears LAPD still hasn’t learned from its mistakes.

FAC reported After LAPD roughed up even more journalists covering a protest on Aug. 8, FAC and co-counsel asked a federal judge to hold the City of Los Angeles in contempt for violating a month-old court order in the case of L.A. Press Club v. Los Angeles Police Department.

That court order prohibits LAPD officers from stopping journalists from entering or remaining in closed areas; assaulting, interfering, or detaining, or arresting journalists who are “gathering, receiving, or processing information for communication to the public”; and citing, detaining or arresting journalists in closed areas for failure to disperse, violation of curfew, or obstructing a law enforcement officer for gathering, receiving, or processing information.

And yet, LAPD did just that.

On Aug. 8, LAPD officers assaulted and detained journalists who were covering a protest at a federal detention center in downtown L.A. Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, a journalist and member of the L.A. Press Club, was shoved and hit in the ribs with a baton by an LAPD officer. Photojournalist Nick Stern was hit in the face, causing his chin to bleed. And Tina Berg of Status Coup was shoved and suffered a deep cut to her left hand.

This case has a hearing on Aug. 25, in which the judge will consider whether to hold the city in contempt and issue a preliminary injunction while the case remains pending.