A woman who livestreamed Robbinsdale police arresting two men last year should not be prosecuted for an obstruction charge filed against her by an officer at the scene, a judge ruled.
"This Court finds that it is not fair and reasonable to require Defendant to stand trial because she did not physically obstruct, resist, or interfere with a peace officer engaged in the performance of official duties," wrote Hennepin County District Judge Susan Robiner.
The judge dismissed the case against Amy Koopman, who filmed three officers with guns drawn arresting two young black men on Aug. 16, 2018.
"I breathed a loud and deep sigh of relief," Koopman said of her reaction to the judge's decision last week. "… I was absolutely confident, as were my lawyers, that the charge was unjust, but I was not sure and had no indication that [Robiner] would necessarily or inherently rule in my favor."
Koopman, 37, was represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who challenged the charge of obstruction of the legal process.
"Charging Amy Koopman with a misdemeanor was an attempt to chill the First Amendment right to monitor, record and even verbally challenge policing in public spaces," ACLU-MN Legal Director Teresa Nelson said in a written statement. "We hope officers across the state will take heed of this ruling and respect people's right to observe and record police activity."
Robiner ruled that case law protected Koopman's actions that day. She also said that there was no evidence to support the case against Koopman, and therefore did not address the ACLU's assertions that the charge violated Koopman's constitutional right to free speech.
Koopman said she was driving to her home in north Minneapolis when she saw officers at the car. She livestreamed the incident on Facebook, where it was viewed 18,000 times.
