THAT REPORTER, ANDREA SAHOURI,
IS WITH THE DES MOINES REGISTER,
AND SHE JOINS US NOW.
IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I WANT TO START FIRST WITH YOUR
ARREST LAST MAY.
POLICE PEPPER SPRAYED YOU AND
THEN ARRESTED YOU WITH ZIP TIES.
WALK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED
AND WHAT YOU WERE THINKING AS IT
ALL WENT DOWN.
>> YEAH, SO IT WAS MAY 31st.
IT WAS THE THIRD DAY OR NIGHT OF
PROTESTS.
RACIAL JUSTICE PROTESTS IN DES
MOINES, IOWA.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS POLICE IN
RIOT SHIELDS AND RIOT GEAR AND
TEAR GAS WAS USED, PEPPER SPRAY
WAS USED, AND IN ONE INSTANCE
WHEN TEAR GAS WAS USED, I WAS
FLEEING THE SCENE, GETTING AWAY
FROM THAT WITH ANOTHER DES
MOINES REGISTER REPORTER, AND AS
WE ROUNDED THE CORNER OF A
BUSINESS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE STREET, I LOOK BACK AND I
SEE AN OFFICER CHARGING AT ME.
AND SO IMMEDIATELY, YOU KNOW, I
DIDN’T WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM THE
OFFICER, SO I PUT UP MY HANDS
AND I SAID, I’M PRESS.
REPEATEDLY.
AND HE GRABBED ME, PEPPER
SPRAYED ME RIGHT IN THE FACE AT
CLOSE RANGE, AND SAID THAT’S NOT
WHAT I ASKED.
>> YOU WERE CHARGED WITH FAILURE
TO DISPERSE AND INTERFERENCE
WITH OFFICIAL ACTS, BOTH
MISDEMEANORS.
PROSECUTORS MOVED AHEAD WITH THE
TRIAL DESPITE A LOT OF CRITICISM
FROM FREE PRESS ADVOCATES.
I WANT TO PLAY SOUND ON YOU ON
THE STAND LAST WEEK EXPLAINING
YOU WERE JUST DOING YOUR JOB.
>> IT’S IMPORTANT FOR
JOURNALISTS TO BE ON THE SCENE
AND DOCUMENT WHAT’S HAPPENING.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN’TKNOW, WE WO
WHAT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, YOU
KNOW, IF NO REPORTERS WERE ON
THE SCENE.
AND IT’S A HISTORICAL MOMENT.
I MEAN PROTESTS ERUPTED NOT JUST
ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUT ALL OVER
THE WORLD, AND I FELT LIKE I WAS
PLAYING A PART OF THAT.
I KNOW IT’S A SMALL CITY HERE,
BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO THE
COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE -- IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW
WHAT’S GOING ON AND TO DOCUMENT
THAT.
SO THAT’S THE ROLE I FELT LIKE I
WAS PLAYING THAT DAY.
>> IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT YOU
HAD TO EXPLAIN THAT.
I WANT TO POINT OUT A CONVICTION
COULD HAVE LANDED YOU A SENTENCE
OF 30 DAYS IN JAIL.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU THINK
PROSECUTORS WANTED TO SEND BY
TAKING THIS TO TRIAL?
>> YOU KNOW, I CAN’T REALLY
SPEAK FOR THE PROSECUTORS, BUT I
DEFINITELY DID SEE THAT CHILLING
EFFECT, YOU KNOW.
I COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT CHARGES
WERE PUT FORTH AGAINST ME, EVEN
IF I WAS A JOURNALIST OR NOT.
THERE WAS JUST NO EVIDENCE THAT
I DID ANYTHING WRONG.
I WAS COMPLYING WITH POLICE
ORDERS AND, YOU KNOW, MOVING
AWAY WITH TEAR GAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE SCARED, YOU KNOW, THAT I WAS
TAKEN TO TRIAL.
OBVIOUSLY I WAS SCARED AND, YOU
KNOW, NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON’T HAVE
A FREE PRESS, THEN WE DON’T HAVE
A JUST DEMOCRACY.
AND THAT’S A LITTLE -- YOU KNOW,
THAT’S A SCARY FEELING, AND I
COULD DEFINITELY SEE IT FELT,
YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THIS
COUNTRY AS THE DAYS LEADING UP
TO MY TRIAL.
>> DID GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS
CHANGE THE WAY THAT YOU LOOK AT
YOUR JOB, AT YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY, AT THE ROLE THAT
YOU PLAY?
>> YOU KNOW, IT JUST REAFFIRMED
THE IMPORTANCE TO DOCUMENT
HISTORY, TO TELL THE STORIES OF,
YOU KNOW, YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND IT REMINDED ME THAT IN THIS
JOB, YOU’RE GOING TO GET
PUSHBACK, AND YOU’RE GOING TO
HAVE PEOPLE REALLY TRYING TO
TEAR YOU DOWN OR TELL YOU YOU’RE
DOING SOMETHING WRONG, AND YOU
JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP
STRONG AND KEEP AT IT AND JUST
REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE DOING THIS
JOB, WHY IT’S IMPORTANT.
>> THE U.S. PRESS FREEDOM
TRACKER FOUND POLICE ARRESTED
MORE THAN 125 REPORTERS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY DURING PROTESTS LAST
SUMMER, SO YOU WERE NOT ALONE.
ABOUT A DOZEN JOURNALISTS STILL
FACING CHARGES.
HOW DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR
ACQUITTAL IS GOING TO IMPACT
THIS TREND OF ARRESTS?
WE’VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
HOW IT IS IMPACTING JOURNALISTS
MORE BROADLY.
BUT I WONDER WHEN YOU LOOK AT
HOW IT PLAYED OUT EQUALLY, IF
YOU THINK IT WILL HAVE ANY
COROLLARY?
>> YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK I’M
GOING TO BE THE LAST JOURNALIST
ARRESTED, AND HOPEFULLY I’M THE
LAST JOURNALIST THAT’S BROUGHT
TO TRIAL.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AS WE SAW IN
IOWA, THERE ARE COUNTY ATTORNEYS
OUT THERE WHO MIGHT DIG THEIR
HEELS IN AND PURSUE THESE
CHARGES.
SO I AM HOPING, AND I DO REALLY
BELIEVE THAT THIS CASE WILL SET
PRECEDENT FOR OTHER JOURNALISTS
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, BEYOND
JOURNALISTS, ANYONE WHO IS