Journalists testify in lawsuit claiming New Orleans police threaten people who film them
By APTuesday, March 16, 2010
Journalists describe New Orleans police encounters
NEW ORLEANS — Several journalists are testifying in New Orleans as part of a lawsuit by two men who claim New Orleans police routinely arrest or threaten people who film or photograph them.
Jurors heard testimony Tuesday from Associated Press Television News videojournalist Rich Matthews, whose crew filmed a 2005 arrest in the city’s French Quarter several weeks after Hurricane Katrina.
Matthews says an officer grabbed him, shoved him against a car and ordered him to stop taping.
The suit was filed by two men who claim their rights were violated when they were arrested in 2007.
Capt. John Thomas of the department’s Public Integrity Bureau says he is not aware of any complaints by people arrested while videotaping officers.
