Don sits down for his first interview since his arrest, detailing what occurred after he was detained whereas reporting on an anti-ICE protest inside a church. He breaks down the vital distinction between protesters coming into a spot of worship and journalists documenting occasions as they unfold, emphasizing that he was there strictly in a reporting capability not as an activist.
Don recounts providing to give up peacefully and receiving no response, outlines the timeline of his arrest, and speaks on fellow journalist Georgia Fort, who was additionally arrested whereas masking the identical protest. He addresses the broader implications of the Trump administration’s coverage permitting ICE brokers to enter faculties, healthcare amenities, and homes of worship, and displays on the overwhelming help he’s obtained from fellow journalists.
Although he says he’s “okay,” Don is candid concerning the actuality: these are federal fees stemming from him doing his job. He explains that he adopted the group into the church to interview these concerned, documenting occasions as a journalist, not taking part within the protest. Regardless of this, each activists and Don have been arrested.
The incident occurred on Thursday whereas Don was in Los Angeles to cowl the Grammys. FBI brokers later got here to his resort, offered a warrant on a cellphone, and arrested him—a second he describes as deliberately intimidating and humiliating. He says he was held for a number of days with out a cellphone name, has since retained authorized counsel, and underscores why defending and supporting impartial journalism is extra essential than ever.
