The Story:
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the midst of protests, riots, and looting, Friday morning, Minnesota state troopers arrested a three-person CNN news crew, including on-air reporter Omar Jimenez.
The Audio:
The recording of the event indicates that Jimenez sought to cooperate with the authorities. He can be heard saying, “We can move back to where you like. We are live on the air here. …Put us back where you want us.”
They wanted him, and his colleagues, handcuffed and in the back of a squad car. The team was held for an hour and then released. But only after the president of CNN had called the Governor of Minnesota to demand that release.
The Thing to Know:
The riots were already racially charged. The catalyzing event, after all, was the violent death of an unarmed black man in the custody of a white police officer. The polarized atmosphere was not assisted by the arrest of the CNN team. Jimenez is black. A colleague of his, Josh Campbell, was reporting from one block away. Campbell was also approached by law enforcement but, after brief discussion, Campbell was allowed to proceed with his reporting.
Campbell is white.
