We Are Suing Los Angeles and Its Police Chief

“Being a journalist in Los Angeles is now a dangerous profession,” our lawsuit against Los Angeles/LAPD chief states amidst crackdown on journalists covering ICE raid protests.

***TRIGGER WARNING-GRAPHIC PHOTOS BELOW***

Did you know that the so-called “less lethal” ammunition LAPD has recklessly been firing at anti-ICE raid protesters, and journalists, can be…lethal?

“They're not less lethal if they're used lethally,” Rohini Haar, an emergency physician and medical adviser at Physicians for Human Rights, told WIRED. “There are many, many instances of them causing death, and there's also a lot of trauma that can be caused, even if they don't penetrate the skin.”

If you have any doubt, here’s a visual display of what “less lethal” rounds can do to a person.

That is the leg of Nick Stern, a videojournalist who has previously freelanced for us, after LAPD shot him with a “less lethal” round. The impact severely injured him, leading to emergency surgery.

“Back from surgery; they removed a 40mm less lethal round,” Stern told us on June 8.

Due to the size of the injury to his leg, emergency surgeons told him they were treating his injury as if it came from a real bullet from a rifle. “In fact, they cut most of my clothes off and checked the hole in my body to see if there was an exit penetration somewhere.”

Fortunately for Stern, he didn’t suffer permanent nerve damage—just a “big f*cking hole” in his leg, he told us. He was grateful that it was his leg—rather than his head—that was hit.

“That would’ve been so serious,” he concluded.

While reporting ON-THE-GROUND on protests against Trump’s ICE raids in Los Angeles, our own reporter, Tina-Desiree Berg, was also struck by “less lethal” ammunition fired by LA cops.

“Jesus you hit me!” Desiree-Berg shouted after she was hit.

(WATCH HER ON-THE-GROUND REPORTING BELOW)

Fortunately for Tina, she had Kevlar protective gear underneath her pants, preventing the “less lethal” ammunition from penetrating her skin.

Yet, the corporate media has been lazily—and irresponsibly—minimizing the Seal Team Six-esque offensive displayed by the LAPD, and other police departments around the country, as “non lethal” or “less lethal” ammunition being fired at mostly peaceful protesters and the journalists covering events.

Essentially, the media has been normalizing violent attacks on…themselves.

Well, we are the opposite of mainstream media. That’s why Status Coup, along with the Los Angeles Press Club, has launched a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell for their illegal violence throughout the ongoing protests.

“Being a journalist in Los Angeles is now a dangerous profession,” our lawsuit court filing begins.

Our joint lawsuit continues:

“This case responds to the continuing abuse, including the use of excessive force, by Los Angeles Police Department (“LAPD”) officers during recent protests in downtown Los Angeles against federal immigration policies. Dozens of journalists from around the world were present during these protests to record and report on the events as they unfolded. These journalists were not engaged in protest or unlawful activity and were exercising their First Amendment rights and safeguarding the First Amendment rights of all members of the community. They were fulfilling an important function in a democracy as set out in the First Amendment.”

Our lawsuit seeks to force the LAPD to “respect the constitutional and statutory rights of journalists engaged in reporting on these protests and inevitable protests to come.”

We will provide more information on our lawsuit as the days and weeks proceed. As humbly as I can say it, THERE IS NO OTHER INDEPENDENT OUTLET in America who is ON-THE-GROUND covering injustice, terrorism, and corruption like Status Coup. It takes resources to do this ON-THE-GROUND REPORTING consistently.

Please support our reporting as a paying member for as low as $5 bucks a month (16 cents a day). Already a member? You can support this work with a donation:

Let’s keep waking up the masses.

Jordan