The Southlander v LASD

We are suing the LA County Sheriff’s Department. 

Earlier this month, two of our reporters who were covering the anti-ICE uprisings that began in Compton and Paramount were injured by so-called “less-lethal” projectiles shot by sheriff’s deputies. Both of our reporters, Abraham Márquez and Ben Camacho, were in the middle of newsgathering and clearly identifiable as press when they were shot.

These assaults are a violation of the fundamental right to a free press guaranteed by the First Amendment. They also trample on two state laws passed in the wake of the George Floyd uprisings of 2020. The first prohibits police agencies from shooting indiscriminately into a crowd to force dispersal or compliance. The second exempts the press from curfews and orders to disperse, and allows reporters to go behind police lines in situations such as protests. 

The LA County Board of Supervisors even passed a resolution in 2020 that “opposes the targeting, harassment, use of excessive force, and arrest of members of the free press by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, or any other law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County.”

By shooting at our reporters, and many others, LASD and other militarized police agencies responding to the civil unrest this month broke the law.

Joining us as co-plaintiffs are the LA Press Club and Status Coup, an independent news network. Together, we are seeking injunctive relief against LASD. That means we are demanding that LASD stop targeting and assaulting the press. You can read our complaint here.

“We don't shoot reporters in this country. That's not how the First Amendment works,” said Weston Rowland, an attorney representing The Southlander in our case against LASD. “...If the Sheriff's Department doesn't want to be seen indiscriminately firing at protestors the solution isn't to shoot the press. The solution is to stop indiscriminately shooting at people, stop interfering with free press, and follow [the law].”

Also named as a defendant in our civil suit is Sheriff Robert Luna. This is not the first time police under his watch have brutalized protestors and journalists. During his tenure as Long Beach police chief, our reporter Kevin Flores documented the violence his officers unleashed in 2020 during the Long Beach George Floyd protests.

Lawsuits over police repression of the press during the anti-ICE protests have also been filed by press advocacy groups and individual journalists against the Los Angeles Police Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

In the weeks since the anti-ICE uprisings, dozens of protesters and other members of the press have reported injuries, some serious, due to the violent response from local police forces:

• Data engineer Sergio Espejo says he had to have a finger amputated after he was hit by flashbangs shot by sheriff’s deputies. His lawyer posted a video about the incident and injury. 
• British photojournalist Nick Stern required emergency surgery after he was struck in the leg by an explosive fired by LASD.
• Teal McMurtry was hospitalized with brain bruising after being trampled by an LAPD horse and shot by “less-lethal” munitions.

Both LASD and LAPD have issued statements denying that they used "less-lethal” weapons indiscriminately.

But, police in the LA area have a long history of unlawfully targeting and attacking journalists. Reforms and lawsuits — with costly settlements and jury awards paid for by taxpayers — have not proved to be an effective deterrent.

Below is a non-exhaustive timeline of previous violence against members of the press by LA-area police.

Halfway to our fundraising goal 🎉

In better news: It has been just over a month since we soft-launched The Southlander website, even though it has felt like nearly a year. Still, we wanted to take a moment to share with you all that we have nearly reached the halfway mark for our first funding goal of $2,000 in monthly subscriptions — we're only $54 shy. That is money that can now go toward covering essential operating expenses like web hosting, email service, and online investigative tools. Additionally, that funding will help to support the investigative stories already in the works that we cannot wait to bring you. 

But before then, we just wanted to say thank you to all our paid subscribers for being a part of this from the beginning. Just about 90% of paying subscribers are pledging between $5 and $10 per month. It is with your support that we will be able to succeed in building this newsroom without billionaire owners, advertisers, or corporate stockholders.

If you're unable to donate at the moment, you can still do us a solid by sharing this newsletter with someone you know who...

➡️ appreciates holding elected officials accountable…

➡️ believes in the First Amendment and press freedom...

➡️ or just loves a good lawsuit / watches Court TV.

While we continue to fundraise and ramp up toward our full launch some of our reporters are freelancing to pay the bills. Here’s some of their recent work in other outlets:

The Terror of Life Under ICE

People snatched off the streets. Residents in hiding. This is the past week in Los Angeles.

IntelligencerMiranda Green, Ben Camacho

This Front-Yard Restaurant In Watts Offers a Taste of Palestine ~ L.A. TACO

The couple behind Mid East Eats cooks to survive, remember, and resist, serving ancestral foods like falafel, hummus, fatayer, and manoushe. In an L.A. twist, there are also tacos and nachos.

L.A. TACO homeAbraham Marquez

Tom Morello Unites B Real, Pussy Riot, K. Flay and More to “Defend L.A.” at The Echoplex ~ L.A. TACO

Morello brought out all the artists at the end to sing along together to “This Land is Your Land,” encouraging everyone to continue to defend L.A. and not back down in the face of state repression.

L.A. TACO homeAbraham Marquez

For any inquiries or to give feedback, please contact: hello@thesouthlander.com. You can also find us on Instagram @thesouthlander and Bluesky @thesouthlander.com.