Police Use Teargas, Rubber Bullets, Handcuffs On Reporters Covering George Floyd Protests
Two Detroit reporters on the George Floyd protests: Christine MacDonald describes wearing a gas mask amid tear gas and being briefly handcuffed while filming an arrest, and Louis Aguilar shares what he saw at the protests and in livestreams; both discuss curfews and police tactics.
About This Episode
In a special live episode, Mike Morse and Kevin Dietz talk to two Detroit reporters who are in the middle of the Detroit anti-racism protests, BridgeDetroit Senior Reporter, Louis Aguilar and Detroit News Reporter, Christine MacDonald. MacDonald was detained on May 31st briefly due to filming an arrest. She highlights how reporters can be targeted by cops because the cops believe they are reporting negatively about them. They talk about their experience in the crowds and their opinions on city curfews. Both reporters have unique perspectives on the situation and give useful historical context.
Stay tuned for more on this topic and subscribe to our channel for more stories regarding the protests in Detroit.
Show Notes
- Introduction and context
- Reporter's detention
- Protest scene analysis
- Atmosphere of the marches
- Role of the curfew
- Police and crowd dynamics
- Detroit vs. national trends
- Challenges in media coverage
- Police and protest motivations
- Understanding the protest
- Improving media access
- Journalism in a pandemic
- Closing thoughts
FAQs
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What happened when Detroit News reporter Christine MacDonald was handcuffed while covering the protests?
She said she was filming an officer arresting someone from quite a distance, a little after 9 p.m., when she felt someone behind her and cuffs on her wrists. She had a gas mask on and her ID on a lanyard around her neck. A group of nearby reporters eventually vouched for her.
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Did the reporters believe journalists were being deliberately targeted by Detroit police?
Louis Aguilar said he didn’t think so, saying emotions were getting raw and people were tired, stressed and in a chaotic situation. Christine MacDonald said she didn’t think journalists were being targeted but couldn’t be sure, noting that in two of her three interactions with police, officers let her continue once she said she was a reporter.
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What did Christine MacDonald say about the effect of Detroit's Sunday curfew?
MacDonald said it was hard to say, but police cleared people out really quickly on Sunday: canisters started flying around 8:30 p.m., and shortly after that only handfuls of people remained downtown. She said things were much different with the curfew than what she saw online from Friday and Saturday.
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What did Louis Aguilar say about the lack of destruction in Detroit?
Aguilar said crowds downtown on Friday and Saturday nights had ample opportunity to cause much more destruction and chose not to, so it wasn’t just a police strategy. He called it fascinating that others in the crowd stopped people who were trying to throw rocks at a Nike store window.
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What did the reporters say was motivating protesters to keep showing up despite curfews?
MacDonald described a 47-year-old Detroiter who brought his three kids to each of the three protests. He told her he had reached his limit, had had multiple bad interactions, particularly with DPD, and doesn’t trust police.
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