Las Vegas police wrongly jail Strip protesters

Two photojournalists also booked

Las Vegas police wrongly jailed dozens of protesters and two photojournalists during a tense Friday protest on the Strip, violating a court order that prohibits most misdemeanor bookings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday said 80 people were arrested while people protested George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody. Review-Journal photographer Ellen Schmidt was arrested, along with Bridget Bennett,

a freelance photographer and former Review-Journal employee.

Most people arrested appear to face misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse.

“These people should have never been held on these misdemeanors,” said Las Vegas Chief Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum. “It’s a travesty.”

Both Schmidt and Bennett face the failure to disperse charge, and they were released from the Clark County Detention Center early Saturday after posting a $1,000 cash bond.

Baucum said Saturday that none of the people arrested on that charge should have had to post bail. Because of the coronavirus and earlier bail reform efforts, those arrested on misdemeanors should be released on their own recognizance, with few exceptions, she said.

A related order, aimed at protecting the community from the spread of COVID-19, was issued on March 17 by Baucum and Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Kristina Pickering.

Anyone who remained jailed on the failure-to-disperse charge as of Saturday afternoon was being processed and would not need to post bail to be released, Baucum said. Those who posted bail will get refunds, she said.

“That should never have happened,” Baucum said. “But there was a miscommunication from one of the chiefs at the jail — I don’t know who that was — to a supervisor at the jail via a telephone call to Las Vegas Justice Court pretrial services. I’m still working through that.”

‘I was shouting that I’m a journalist’

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told the Nevada Independent on Saturday that the journalists were arrested after refusing to obey two orders to disperse and that they did not identify themselves as members of the media.

Schmidt disputed Lombardo’s claim.

Photo by Steve Marcus courtesy of Las Vegas Sun, © 2020 Las Vegas Sun ReviewJournal staff photographer Ellen Schmidt is arrested by Las Vegas police officers while covering a protest Friday.

Ellen Schmidt Las Vegas Review-Journal Photojournalist Bridget Bennett is arrested by Las Vegas officers while covering a protest Friday near the Strip. She faced a misdemeanor charge of failure to disperse.

L.E. Baskow Las Vegas Review-Journal @Left_Eye_Images Police secure the Fremont Street Experience from demonstrators during a protest and march Saturday leaving Container Park.