'Not acceptable': USA TODAY Network reporter covering George Floyd protest arrested in Delaware - USA TODAY

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Ira Porter and Jordan Culver USA TODAY

Published 11:03 PM EDT Jun 9, 2020

DOVER, Del. — A staff photographer/reporter for the USA TODAY Network was arrested by Delaware State Police on Tuesday night while covering a protest near the state's capital.

Andre Lamar, who has covered several demonstrations for The Dover Post  since the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a now-fired Minneapolis police officer held his knee to Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was filming a Facebook Live of police officers detaining several protesters.

The protesters are seen on the ground with their hands behinds their backs, their signs nearby. Lamar can be heard on the video saying, "The police have arrested protesters. We don't know why they arrested them. They slammed them to the ground."

This is unacceptable: Our journalists are being attacked while doing their jobs.

He is heard asking officers repeatedly why they were being arrested. Then he filmed his own arrest.

His camera is turned upside down and Lamar can be heard screaming, "I'm with the press!" multiple times as police placed him on the ground. He is later heard saying that he can't breathe.

The video is a little more than two minutes long and ends with officers confiscating his press badge and a camera bag. Lamar was released from police custody later in the night, USA TODAY confirmed.

Delaware Gov. John Carney immediately denounced Lamar's arrest.

“Reporters have a fundamental right to cover the demonstrations we’re seeing in Delaware and across our country,” Carney said in a statement to USA TODAY. “They should not be arrested for doing their jobs. That’s not acceptable.”

Delaware State Police said a statement regarding Lamar's arrest would be coming "in the near future." 

The incident is the latest in a string of police arrests of journalists covering protests — including multiple USA TODAY Network reporters. In some cases, the arrests have turned violent. 

USA TODAY Network President and USA TODAY Publisher Maribel Wadsworth called the arrests of journalists covering protests "unacceptable."

Other arrests: Journalists blinded, injured, arrested covering George Floyd protests nationwide

"We have seen, incident after incident, over the last many days of reporters, photographers, other journalists on the front lines of this coverage being arrested, yes, but worse, being pepper sprayed, hit with rubber bullets," Wadsworth told USA TODAY. "These attacks on journalists absolutely are unacceptable and absolutely must be stopped."

She added, "When law enforcement are trying to keep journalists from reporting on the news as it’s happening, they’re going against our very constitution. The journalists are there to document the story. The journalists are there to shine a light on what’s going on. We absolutely will defend every one of our journalists with the full weight of our company to ensure the freedom of the press in this country." 

Dover Post News Editor Ben Mace said he watched the livestream and was disturbed.

“It’s shocking,” Mace said. “I can’t believe that after he identified himself as the press that it still happened. It didn’t look like to me that he was interfering with anything.”

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'Not acceptable': USA TODAY Network reporter covering George Floyd protest arrested in Delaware - USA TODAY
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