Photos Present ICE Brokers Forcefully Tackling Photographer In Minneapolis

John Abernathy, a photographer from Minneapolis, was flat on the bottom. He had the knees of not less than one federal officer on his again. He heard somebody shouting to place his fingers behind his again, however his arms have been half pinned beneath him. He was surrounded by dozens of officers deploying one thing ― tear fuel, he thinks ― that made it arduous to see or breathe. He felt like he might puke or cross out.

He feared what would possibly occur if federal brokers received maintain of his tools. So when he locked eyes with one other photographer, he took his digital camera ― a Leica M10-R with a 28-millimeter lens ― and threw it, pitching his cellphone away from him shortly after.

Pierre Lavie, a fellow photojournalist, snatched the Leica by the strap and introduced it near his physique. As he reached for Abernathy’s telephone, which had solely traveled a few ft, a federal officer repeatedly tried to stomp on it.

“I had to Hungry Hippo my hand in and out to avoid my hand getting stepped on, and I managed to finally grab it and get it away,” Lavie instructed HuffPost.

It’s a well-known scene to each. Abernathy, who beforehand did photography work for ads and magazines, mentioned he got down to doc the protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s crackdown in Minneapolis and the killing of Renee Good “just to show what’s happening to whoever might see it.” Lavie, a member of the National Press Photographers Association from Dallas, had come from New Orleans, the place he was additionally capturing ICE exercise, to cowl the unrest.

On Thursday, Jan. 15, each have been outdoors the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, which has lately been used to carry individuals detained by ICE officers. When Abernathy noticed what he referred to as “agitators” ― pro-ICE demonstrators ― carrying bear spray, he grabbed a can from somebody and tossed it apart so it couldn’t go off close to him.

He speculates that’s why he was focused by federal brokers, who yelled that they noticed him spraying the gang, although he mentioned they didn’t present proof to again that up after they handcuffed him and took him contained in the Whipple Building. (He obtained a quotation, however has but to obtain a courtroom date.)

As he struggled beneath the brokers, he fought to maintain respiration.

“I couldn’t breathe. I screamed my name because I didn’t know what was about to happen, and I also sort of subconsciously screamed ‘I can’t breathe,’ and right when it came out, I thought of George Floyd, and I thought, ‘Oh shit, this is getting real,’” he mentioned.

Lavie, who has traveled across the United States in current months documenting ICE exercise, mentioned officers working in Minneapolis are harsher than these he’s seen elsewhere, doing issues like taking pictures pepper spray into the air consumption of automobiles to power individuals out.

“They’re very threatening right away, instead of de-escalating a situation,” he mentioned.

“Their unprofessionalism worries me as an observer because I just see it as a short distance to travel to having somebody really hurt,” he added. “It’s reckless and dangerous.”

Despite struggling a chemical burn in his eye, wounds from pepper bullets and abrasions from hitting the bottom, Abernathy didn’t rush to the hospital after he was launched from custody.

Instead, he got down to discover his telephone and digital camera, although due to the chemical agent he was doused with, he didn’t have a transparent concept of who had scooped them up.

“I found some guy with a bullhorn, and I asked him to walk up and down and ask if anybody has my camera, and nobody had it,” he mentioned.

He enlisted his spouse’s assist, having her use the Find My iPhone characteristic. At the identical time, Lavie had handed the tools to a different journalist he was touring with, who tried to seek out the proprietor utilizing the contact data on the telephone’s Medical ID.

The two lastly reunited at a lodge the place they met for the primary time.

“He hopped out of the car and gave me a big handshake and a hug and said, ‘thank you so much,’” Lavie mentioned, including Abernathy “was a little beat up, but he’s obviously a tough dude and quick-thinking, and he seemed good.”

Abernathy went to the hospital after retrieving his digital camera, the place he found the previous few photographs he captured earlier than officers took him down.

Abernathy mentioned he’s high-quality now, however drained and continually shaky.

“I don’t know if it’s a nervous system response to stress or something with tear gas or what,” he mentioned.

Lavie mentioned Abernathy didn’t keep down lengthy, noting he noticed him out making extra photographs on Saturday, after being tackled on Thursday.

“We don’t like to stop,” Lavie mentioned.

Abernathy famous that he’s by no means been tackled, handcuffed or pepper-sprayed till final week, however he’ll hold documenting what’s taking place.

“The world needs to see it, not just people here,” he mentioned, “because the whole world has to come down on this.”