Journalist Behind The McDonald Video Release Was Barred From City Press Conference

By Kate Shepherd in News on Nov 25, 2015 5:30PM

A still from the video

The freelance journalist who sued the Chicago Police Department to release the disturbing video of Laquan McDonald's fatal shooting was not allowed into Tuesday night's press conference at CPD headquarters with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

Police officers blocked Brandon Smith from entering the press conference because the room was so full they were only letting in journalists with credentials, he told the New York Times.

Because of his pivotal role in the video's release, Smith believes he should have been invited to the news conference. He's not sure if they deliberately kept him out of the room or if it was an oversight.

"This wouldn't be happening if not for my lawsuit," he told the Times.

Note: Chicagoist was barred from last night's press conference by police because our reporter did not have CPD credentials.

Our coverage of the protests after Tuesday night's video release can be found here.