As members of the media, we are appalled by the felony charges that have been brought against journalists arrested on January 20, 2017 while covering protests in Washington, DC, surrounding the inauguration of Donald Trump.

According to the National Lawyers Guild (NLG):

“[T]he Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) unlawfully detained and arrested 222 protesters, bystanders, journalists, and NLG Legal Observers while subjecting them to chemical weapons including tear gas and pepper spray. This violated § 5–331.07, which prohibits kettling and mass arrests and requires police to give dispersal warnings. Despite the media’s focus on isolated incidents of property destruction, MPD indiscriminately targeted people for arrest en masse based on location alone.”

Any unlawful detention and arrest should be condemned. The arrest of journalists, in particular, has a chilling effect on free speech and a free press, at a time when the new White House administration has openly declared itself to be in a “running war” with any critical media.

Other treatment described by the NLG is also to be condemned:

“Police held arrestees at 12th and L St. NW for hours, denying basic needs such as treatment for injuries, water, and access to bathrooms. Police then pepper sprayed, tear gassed and subjected other protesters to concussion grenades without warning, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and children. Most were held overnight, and all were eventually charged with the felony of inciting a riot, despite a lack of individualized probable cause. In addition, phones and other belongings were confiscated by police as evidence, with many protesters only having their wallets returned. If convicted, the protesters face up to ten years of incarceration and a fine of $25,000.”

At least six media workers are among those facing a felony charge, up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. [Note: As of January 27, 2017, all charges have been dropped against one of the six, Vocativ reporter Evan Engel. As of February 2, the NLG is demanding that “The prosecutor’s office must drop all the charges stemming from J20, brought against 200+ people, immediately.”]

We believe it is essential that journalists and members of the media be able to cover protests, including disruptive protests that may involve property damage, without risk of arrest and charge simply for being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”

Our support for these journalists is unequivocal, and we demand that DC authorities drop all charges against them immediately. We condemn this blatant criminalization of journalism and will resist all efforts to control the press.

In solidarity,

Candice Bernd, Truthout

Samantha Borek, Truthout

Kendel Gordon, Truthout

Kelly Hayes, Truthout

Dahr Jamail, Truthout

Mark Karlin, Truthout

Mike Ludwig, Truthout

Joe Macaré, Truthout

Cherise Morris, Truthout

Joseph Peterson, Truthout

William Rivers Pitt, Truthout

Alana Yu-lan Price, Truthout

Jared Rodriguez, Truthout

Maya Schenwar, Truthout

Britney Schultz, Truthout

Annie Stoddard, Truthout

Anna Sutton, Truthout

Lauren Walker, Truthout

Rebecca Burns, In These Times / Washington-Baltimore News Guild

Miles Kampf-Lassin, In These Times

Jessica Stites, In These Times

Jason Pramas, DigBoston

Manolia Charlotin, The Media Consortium

Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, The Media Consortium

John Knefel, Radio Dispatch

Melissa Gira Grant

James Trimarco, Yes! Magazine

Maya Binyam, The New Inquiry

Ava Kofman, The New Inquiry

Rachel Rosenfelt, The New Inquiry

Aaron Cynic, Chicagoist

Tyler LaRiviere, Chicagoist

Zach D Roberts, The Mudflats

Kit O’Connell

Leslie Thatcher

Adam Hudson

Susie Cagle

Matthew Filipowicz

Eleanor J Bader

Kevin Gosztola, Shadowproof.com

Brian Sonenstein, Shadowproof.com

Mark Hand, DC Media Group

Anne Meador, DC Media Group

John Zangas, DC Media Group

Jes Skolnik

Sarah Jeong

Andrea Grimes, Traitor Radio

Anne Elizabeth Moore

Adam Klasfeld

Lisa Rudman, Making Contact

Steve Pavey, Hope In Focus

Sam Knight, The District Sentinel

Sam Sacks, The District Sentinel

Allison Kilkenny, Citizen Radio

Jesse Hicks

Rick Carp, Rolling Stone

Suzy Exposito, Rolling Stone

Matthew Maitland Thomas, The Montpelier Bridge

Jody Sokolower, Rethinking Schools

Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance

Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance

Erin Corbett

David Drum

Sarah Jaffe, Reporting Fellow, The Nation Institute

Matthieu Aikins, Reporting Fellow, The Nation Institute

Sarah Leonard, The Nation

Mickey Huff, Project Censored / Media Freedom Foundation

Mohamed Elmaazi, The Real News Network

Shir Hever, The Real News Network

Ziggy West Jeffery, The Real News Network

Kathleen Maitland-Carter, The Real News Network

Dharna Noor, The Real News Network

Jaisal Noor, The Real News Network

Kayla Rivara, The Real News Network

Uruj Sheikh, The Real News Network

Gregory Wilpert, The Real News Network

Moira Donegan

Chip Gibbons

Corey Pein

Eyal Press

Adam Shatz, London Review of Books

Robert James Parsons

Orin Langelle

Robert Adler

Aldous Tyler, TMI

doris pfalmer

Sasha Abramsky

Michelle McCarron

Cole Stangler

Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director, Media Alliance

Jihan Hafiz

Yana Kunichoff

Clark Mindock

David Toll, Gold Hill News

Dorothy Kidd, Department of Media Studies, University of San Francisco

Norman Stockwell, The Progressive

Ruedi Suter, OnlineReports.ch

Abe Louise Young

Lark Corbeil, Public News Service

Jeff Cohen, Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College

Shannon Young, Free Speech Radio News

Doug Cunningham, Workers Independent News

Frank Emspak, Workers Independent News

Rinku Sen, Colorlines

Sue Katz

J.G. Sandom

Alex S. Vitale

Chase Madar

Carla Murphy

Maxine Phillips, Democratic Left

Nina Henderson Moore, Free Speech TV

Jon Stout, Free Speech TV

Ron Williams, Free Speech TV

Kim Kelly, VICE/Noisey

Chris Steele, Truthout

Mark Collier, Photojournalist

Barbara G. Ellis

If you are a journalist or other member of the media who would like to add your name to this statement, please email: [email protected]

To support the legal fund for protesters arrested on January 20 in DC, click here.

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