'Democracy Now!' Host, Reporters Win Settlement Over Police Action At Republican Convention

Settlement Victory

"DEMOCRACY NOW!" host AMY GOODMAN and producer/reporters NICOLE SALAZAR and SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS have obtained a $100,000 settlement of their lawsuit alleging violation of their First Amendment rights when they were arrested while covering the Republican National Convention in ST. PAUL for the public radio show on SEPTEMBER 1, 2008.  

The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports that the cities of ST. PAUL and MINNEAPOLIS will pay $90,000 and the federal government will pay $10,000, and the journalists' arrest records will be expunged.  The ST. PAUL police department will also change its training policy for dealing with the media at public demonstrations.

SALAZAR and KOUDDOUS were arrested on the convention's opening day while taping riot police preparations; they alleged that they were wearing clearly visible press passes and were holding equipment when police pushed them and arrested them, while GOODMAN was arrested when coming to their aid and asking for their release.  All charges were subsequently dropped.

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