Covington, Kentucky. The two journalists who were arrested last week while covering a protest near the Roebling Bridge have had their felony rioting charges reduced.
Less than a week after a protest on the Roebling Bridge transformed into a vigil for an ICE inmate, over a dozen individuals showed out at the Kenton County Justice Center on Wednesday afternoon.Officers’ response to the protest, which had blocked a portion of the road, is seen on police and bystander video.
Officers are seen in the footage warning demonstrators to go to the sidewalk or face arrest. Two Cincinnati CityBeat reporters are seen filming and taking pictures of the arrests from the road as police start handcuffing some demonstrators. Officers then start taking the two journalists into custody.
WATCH: We witnessed the court appearance of the two journalists and further demonstrators.
Everyone who was taken into custody was charged with a number of crimes in addition to the felony of first-degree rioting.
The two journalists, Lucas Griffith and Madeline Fening, had the felony allegation against them dismissed in court with prejudice. They continue to be charged with misdemeanors.
All other counts were dropped with prejudice and time served when several demonstrators entered guilty pleas to one of the misdemeanors, failure to disperse.
The judge commanded everyone to avoid the bridge, including the reporters.
The judge turned down a motion from one of the journalists’ lawyers to let the two utilize the bridge for their work.
When he said, “Cross another bridge,” “Stay off the suspension bridge, that’s an order of this court.”
“Their commitment to journalistic integrity and professionalism is emblematic of the press freedoms the First Amendment is designed to protect, and we fully anticipate a complete vindication of their rights,” CityBeat said in a social media statement following the arrests, expressing its “full support” for the two journalists who were among those arrested.
The demonstrators’ and journalists’ next hearings are set for August 14.
View our earlier coverage of the arrests here:
