Carolyn Sung, a CNN producer, was among the media covering protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, last week following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.
Sung was trying to leave the area in compliance with a dispersal order when state troopers reportedly grabbed Sung “by her backpack, threw her to the ground, zip-typing her hands behind her back.” Sung was repeatedly trying to identify herself and did not resist, as her male security agent was briefly detained and released upon his identification.
Sung, who is Asian-American, complained that the zip-ties were too tight.
Over the course of the arrest, one of the troopers allegedly yelled “do you speak English” at her. Shortly after, she was taken to the local jail where “she was patted down and searched by a female officer who put her hands down Sung’s pants and in her bra, fingerprinted, electronically body-scanned, and ordered to strip and put on an orange uniform before attorneys working on her behalf were able to locate her and secure her release, a process that took more than two hours.”
Attorneys for several news organizations released a letter pointing out several examples of mistreatment of the media in the protests.
In another instance, several media members, including one from the New York Times, were assaulted by police officers, according to the letter. The officers surrounded their car, banging on windows and doors with wooden sticks before dragging the driver out and arresting them. Officers allegedly hit the New York Times journalist repeatedly and tried to break his camera, the letter said. The letter includes a photo of an unidentified law enforcement officer spraying chemical agents on journalists, clearly identifiable by their equipment and clothing.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he was embarrassed about the treatment of reporters.
Tim Walz gives lip service on Sunday morning, addressing the attacks on the media, and the attack on the Minnesota National Guard.
