After documentarian Anthony Orendorff was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department last week while capturing footage of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Pacoima, the Los Angeles Press Club issued a statement about the police’s actions towards the press and called for his release.
“LAPD has a thoroughly documented history of misconduct towards the press over the last 25 years,” Adam Rose, press rights chair of the LA Press Club, said in a statement. “We’ve seen an unprecedented escalation this month, including an incident where officers assaulted a journalist live on national television and then tried to blame the victim.
“Thursday’s incident in Pacoima should be on [an] officer’s body-worn video,” the statement continued. “LAPD manages to release video within hours if it makes them look good. They can do the same here. Release the footage or release Anthony.”
On June 19, multiple ICE raids were conducted throughout the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Orendorff and several others arrived in the area to capture footage. Officers from the LAPD Foothill Division arrived at the scene to control the growing crowd protesting the raids.
During the chaos, Orendorff was arrested by police, who claimed that someone at the scene had laid their hands on an officer. He was held for four days until June 23, when the misdemeanor charge against him was rejected and he was released outside the San Fernando Courthouse.
Before Orendorff’s arrest, the LA Press Club filed a lawsuit against the LAPD for allegedly violating journalists’ rights while covering the anti-ICE protests. In a press release, they said, “Recent police attacks on our colleagues while covering protests are both wrong and unlawful. Journalism is not a crime.”
The San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol reached out to the LA Press Club for an update but they did not respond by press time.