A resolution presented to the Seattle City Council would give journalists protection during protests. | Unsplash
A resolution presented to the Seattle City Council would give journalists protection during protests. | Unsplash
The Seattle City Council was recently presented with a resolution to give journalists, legal observers and medical personnel protection during protests.
Council Member Teresa Mosqueda introduced the resolution, which calls for the city attorney to stop enforcement of a Seattle Police Department (SPD) subpoena requiring journalists to hand over photos and video of protesters, according to a press release from the City of Seattle.
"Journalists and legal observers should never be intimidated or targeted as they cover protests, and medics and firefighters should be free from harm when caring for protesters," Mosqueda said in the press release. "It’s appalling that the City Council has to affirm basic human rights while we are in the midst of a civil rights awakening combined with overlapping crises, including a deadly pandemic, economic collapse and ongoing affordable housing crises."
Local media is claiming that the SPD's actions have infringed on the freedom of the press and eroded public trust, according to the press release.
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