Press Freedom Victory: Riot Charges Dropped Against Amy Goodman Over Dakota Pipeline Coverage

We’re just back from North Dakota, where on Monday District Judge John Grinsteiner refused to authorize "riot" charges against Amy Goodman for reporting for Democracy Now! on an attack against Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters. The judge did not find probable cause to justify the charges filed on Friday, October 14, by State’s Attorney Ladd R. Erickson, which were presented after Erickson had withdrawn an earlier charge against Goodman of criminal trespass. After the judge’s decision, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said, "After consulting with the Morton County States Attorney, I am assured charges are being considered against these individuals. Let me make this perfectly clear, if you trespass on private property, you will be arrested." Ladd Erickson, state prosecutor, told The New York Times: "I believe they want to keep the investigation open and see if there is any evidence in the unedited and unpublished videos that we could better detail in an affidavit for the judge. The 'Democracy Now' video that many people have seen doesn’t have much evidence value in it." After the decision was announced, Goodman’s attorneys Reed Brody and Tom Dickson joined her in speaking outside the Morton County Courthouse, where hundreds gathered to show support for more than a half-dozen water protectors who were facing charges related to the ongoing resistance to the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline.