After Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R-Ky.) announced that two of the officers involved in the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor would not be charged and that the other officer would face reckless endangerment charges (which are serious but less serious than homicide), Black Lives Matter protests escalated into riots in a disturbingly familiar pattern. Police reportedly arrested reporters along with the rioters. While such arrests may be an honest mistake, the cops have reportedly refused to release the reporters. Neil Patel, co-founder and publisher of the Daily Caller, threatened a lawsuit should the police continue to detain his reporters.
“The Louisville police arrested two of our employees Wednesday night. We have informed the police that these are reporters who were peacefully doing their job, but they are still refusing to release them,” Patel began in a statement on Twitter.
“They will not even let us speak with them. Given the fact that our reporters have been repeatedly harassed, punched and even shot at during past protests, we fear for their safety in lockup with people who may want to do them harm,” the Daily Caller co-founder added.
“We appreciate the difficult situation that officers are in trying to balance their own safety while allowing protestors to exercise their first amendment rights,” Patel noted. “Unlike other outlets, we have interviewed police about this and told their side of the story. But this is not China. Those reporters flat out have a constitutionally protected role to play on our streets.”
“The Louisville Police Department is going to find out all about this in the form of a lawsuit unless things start changing fast,” Patel warned.
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The Louisville Police Department (@LMPD) is going to find out all about this in the form of a lawsuit unless things start changing fast.
/END
— Neil Patel (@NeilPatelTDC) September 24, 2020
Daily Caller Associate Editor Virginia Kruta identified the arrested reporters as Jorge Ventura and Shelby Talcott, who have been on the ground in many of the riots across America this summer.
Kruta noted that the Louisville Police Department “has been informed multiple times that they are press, and still they have not been released.”
Two @DailyCaller reporters, @ShelbyTalcott and @VenturaReport, were arrested while covering riots in #Louisville last night.
LMPD has been informed multiple times that they are press, and still they have not been released.#LetOurPeopleGo https://t.co/ODh2nBOjqr
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) September 24, 2020
The police department did not respond to PJ Media’s requests for comment.
Julio Rosas, on the ground in Louisville reporting for PJ Media’s sister site Townhall, has faced threats after a pro-antifa account revealed his location on Twitter.
Editor’s Note: Want to support PJ Media so we can keep telling the truth about the riots and attacks on law enforcement? Join PJ Media VIP and use the promo code LAWANDORDER for 25% off your VIP membership.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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