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News crew arrested covering Minneapolis protests

Regional
By Tom Wray
CNN Correspondent Omar Jimenez being arrested during a live broadcast on CNN's New Day. (Screen capture)
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MINNEAPOLIS — A CNN news crew was arrested by state police during a live broadcast Friday morning while covering the uprising in the city.

CNN reported that their correspondent Omar Jimenez, producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez were released an hour later. Jimenez is Hispanic and black and Mendez is Hispanic.

In a tweet, the Minnesota State Patrol said, “In the course of clearing the streets and restoring order at Lake Street and Snelling Avenue, four people were arrested by State Patrol troopers, including three members of a CNN crew. The three were released once they were confirmed to be members of the media.”

The video that was being broadcast live directly contradicts that statement.

Jimenez is seen and heard telling the police officers that they were trying to stay out of the way and would move where ever they needed to, while also saying they broadcasting live and saving their CNN press badges. Jimenez asked why they were being arrested, but no answer could be heard on the video.

Anchors for CNN’s New Day, who had been taking with Jimenez during the live broadcast, expressed disbelief at what they were seeing, saying they had never seen anything like this by U.S. police.

On their own Twitter account, CNN’s public relations office said, “A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves – a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately.”

They were released an hour later and the Minnesota governor did apologize. Which did not calm down reactions:

CNN’s law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey was shocked as well.

“The state police are going to have a lot to answer for with this arrest here,” he told the outlet. “He’s standing there, he identified himself. You can see his credentials. Just move him to where you want him to be.”

Ramsey added that the there was “no way something like that should occur.”

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Tom Wray is the founder, editor and publisher of the Illinois Eagle. His writing has been in The National Provisioner and the Windy City Times. He's also served as an editor at the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana and the Kokomo Tribune. He lives in Springfield.

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