Black security guard for CNN sues after being arrested at George Floyd protest

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A Black man contracted to provide security for CNN’s coverage of the George Floyd protests is suing Minnesota State Troopers for $500,000 for an alleged unlawful arrest and conduct towards him, according to a recent criminal complaint.

The lawsuit comes more than a year after the retired Illinois State Police trooper, Michael Cooper, 65, was arrested.

In the complaint, Mr Cooper alleges that he was arrested on 30 May 2020 due to his race, as no other white team member was taken into custody, according to the complaint filed on 27 May. Mr Cooper was taken into custody at Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office but was not charged of any crime, and released after 20 hours.

According to the complaint, “As it became dark on the evening of May 30, the broadcast team found itself in a dangerous location where the police were shooting tear gas and rubber bullets towards the crowd.”

The complaint details the damage done to the team, including them being tear gassed and a producer being hit by a bullet. It states that Mr Cooper tried to speak to a Minnesota State Trooper, explaining that they were members of the press. Despite, this Mr Cooper was then arrested, and was the only member of his team to be detained.

The complaint states that both his First and Fourth Amendments were violated.

Describing the alleged unlawful arrest, the complaint read, “The troopers ordered Mr Cooper to kneel down, then lay down, and place his arms straight out from his body with his palms straight up.”

According to police, Mr Cooper was arrested because he was viewed to be violating the curfew that had been imposed, but the complaint said journalists, among other professions, were “exempt from the curfew”.

The complaint also outlines the emotional impact the arrest had on Mr Cooper, stating: “The experience has caused Mr Cooper great stress and anxiety – not only due to his own unlawful arrest but because he has now been left to contemplate that he has dedicated his life to is capable of unlawfully arresting and causing resulting harm to wholly innocent men and women.”

Mr Cooper spent 34 years working in law enforcement, which was a contributing factor to his being hired by CNN to be a part of Omar Jimenez’s reporting team at the protests in Minneapolis. In light of the restrictions and danger presented in reporting the story, Mr Cooper was given press accreditation and authorisation to carry two firearms.

The day before Mr Cooper’s arrest, Mr Jimenez had been arrested live on air despite telling law enforcement that he was a journalist with the correct certification. The complaint notes that police did not arrest Mr Jimenez’s white colleagues and that his arrest was “condemned by Minnesota officials including, including Governor Tim Waltz”.

During an interview broadcast on CNN, Mr Waltz, a Democrat, apologised to Mr Jimenez, as he said, “Thank you for the professionalism, thank you for understanding, and I'm deeply sorry. And you can know that we've made other mistakes on this as far as making sure that you have access. But protocols and everything else, as we're learning, have to change because we have to create the space for you to tell the story.”

Protests, in Minneapolis and around the world, began after footage emerged of police officer Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Chauvin was found guilty on two counts of murder and one of manslaughter on 23 April. He will be sentenced on 16 June. Yesterday, he appeared in a federal court accused of violating Mr Floyd’s civil rights by restraining him.

In a statement, one of Mr Cooper’s lawyers, Christopher O’Neal said, “How many times will the country need to see this script play out, where a Black man is treated differently than other people in the same situation?”

The Independent reached out to the Minnesota State Patrol for comment on Mr Cooper’s complaint.