United States: CFWIJ Condemns The Police Violence Against Journalist Shauna Sowersby
Location: United States
Date: March 9, 2021
Freelance journalist Shauna Sowersby was assaulted by police during her coverage of a Seattle protest on November 3, election night. Shauna recounted to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that while the press remained on the sidewalk, she was still shoved for a “good four or five seconds” when trying to film an arrest. Shauna was wearing a bulletproof vest, with her press credentials visible, but this did not deter the officer’s aggression. CFWIJ condemns the authorities’ continued assaults on journalists.
Shauna Sowersby was covering the protests in Seattle on the night of the U.S. elections. As she tried to record an arrest, she was assaulted on the sidewalk. Shauna said the police officer came from behind and went out of his way to attack her. Shauna told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, “I was shocked, it took me by surprise,”... “My friend tried to take a video of it happening [and] says it looked like he was going out of his way to push me. [The police] were barrelling through the press on the sidewalk.”
The journalist shared several videos from the demonstration showing the scuffle between protestors and the police. She also spoke about the assault she suffered at the hands of a security officer, “The SPD officer who shoved me earlier (Officer G. Gaffney-Bills) is now joking around with other officers after returning to Cal Anderson, ‘if we can make one arrest look good, we have to do it ten times.’”
SPD makes another rush at protestors, followed by more arrests. #seattleprotests pic.twitter.com/RySeI8zG18
— Shauna Sowersby (@Shauna_Sowersby) November 4, 2020
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has recorded several cases of assaults against women journalists covering protests. We once again ask law enforcement authorities to respect press freedom and allow journalists to report without interference. We reiterate the importance of press safety and the media’s fundamental role in keeping the public well-informed.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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