Four years before a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, hundreds of people marched in Baton Rouge, La., to protest officers’ killing of Alton Sterling in front of a convenience store. Law enforcement responded in force: Officers armed with rifles, body armor and gas masks pushed protesters back and forcibly arrested about 200 people. A group of 13 protesters and two journalists sued, alleging their constitutional rights were violated when they were arrested. Eventually, the city agreed to pay them $1.17 million. Photographs and videos taken by protesters, witnesses and journalists were critical in contradicting officers’ claims that protesters were the aggressors, said plaintiffs' attorney William Most, reports ProPublica.
On Thursday, a Louisiana law went into effect that will make it a misdemeanor for anyone, including journalists, to be within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer if the officer orders them back. The journalists who sued, whose photos were used to support allegations against the police, said they wouldn’t have been able to capture those images if the law had been on the books. On Wednesday, a coalition of media companies filed suit against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges and East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III, alleging the law violates the First Amendment. Murrill said the law ensures law enforcement officers can do their jobs without being threatened or impeded by others. She looks forward to “defending this reasonable response to documented interference with law enforcement.” Police buffer laws, as they are known, are relatively new; Louisiana is the fourth state to enact one. Although those states already prohibit interfering with police officers, supporters say buffer laws are necessary to protect police from distrustful, aggressive bystanders. With advances in cellphone cameras, including zoom lenses, supporters say there’s no need to get close to record officers' activities.
Comments