Two local photojournalists were among the 80 people arrested Friday night during a tense protest on the Las Vegas Strip in which demonstrators demanded police reform in the aftermath of the in-custody death of a black man by a white Minnesota police officer.
Ellen Schmidt, a staff photographer at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Bridget Bennett, a freelance photojournalist, were each booked on one misdemeanor count of fail to disperse, Las Vegas Justice Court records show. Their cases were being forwarded to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Both women bailed out this morning, records show. They were among dozens of people taken into custody by Metro Police officers who showed up in full force to patrol what began as a mostly peaceful protest. Police on Saturday said 12 officers sustained injuries when demonstrators began hurling rocks at them.
Protesters had showed up by the hundreds to decry the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died during a Wednesday arrest in which Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd's neck while he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Metro could not immediately be reached for comment about the arrested journalists, but in a statement provided to the Reno Gazette-Journal said that “anyone who ignored” orders to disperse was arrested.
Asked about Schmidt’s arrest Friday night, Capt. Dori Koren said he did not know about it, but said those arrested were given multiple chances to follow police orders.
Las Vegas Review Journal staff photographer Ellen Schmidt is detained by Las Vegas Metro Police and apparently arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest in Las Vegas Friday, May 29, 2020. Protesters were reacting to the death of George Floyd, who died while in Minneapolis police custody.
Schmidt’s arrest was captured by a Sun photographer.
“A dispersal order was given by officers after the protesters became unruly and created an unsafe situation for other citizens in the area of the protest,” Metro said in Saturday’s statement. “(Metro) respects the rights of journalists to cover news stories but when a reporter crosses the line and begins violating police orders, that reporter is subject to the same laws as every other protester.”
A video posted on YouTube shows Schmidt and Bennett photographing a large scuffle between police and demonstrators from a sidewalk several yards away. That's when an officer pushed Bennett, knocking her to the ground, then pushed Schmidt.
He returned to knock Bennett down a second time. Another officer appeared in the video frame and grabbed Schmidt, while the first officer forcefully grabbed Bennett.
Bennett and Review-Journal editor Glenn Cook could not immediately be reached for comment.
Richard Karpel, executive director of the Nevada Press Association, released the following statement:
“The press serve a vital, constitutionally protected role during moments of national strife and civil disobedience. Journalists put themselves at risk to inform citizens about protestors’ grievances and their actions, and to observe whether law enforcement personnel are operating within the bounds of the law. The arrest of journalists working in a public forum at a highly newsworthy event is absolutely unacceptable.”
Schmidt on Saturday took to Twitter to dispel speculation that the arresting officer was looking through her photos. “He was “rather turning my cameras off,” she wrote. “I don’t agree with being arrested while doing my job, but this is untrue speculation.”
Following the arrest of a CNN crew on live television by Minneapolis police on Friday, an apologetic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz promised that journalists would not be interfered with in reporting on violent protests over the death of Floyd.
More protests in Las Vegas were planned for today.