An elderly newspaper co-owner in Kansas has passed away following a police raid on her house. Marion County Record co-owner Joan Meyer, 98, passed out after being accosted by police at her house. The 2,200-copy weekly paper was raided, and police were accused of acting like the Gestapo.
A discussion on press freedom and the right to free expression has been sparked by the raid by five police officers and two deputies on the offices and the proprietor’s house.
The newspaper claims that Mrs. Meyer was “stressed beyond her limits” when police raided her home. As she sobbed, the police officers removed her computer, router, and Alexa smart speaker, citing the search order they had obtained.
Mr. Meyer, 69, reported that his mother, who was in generally good health for her age before the raid, was now unable to eat or sleep. The newspaper’s offices were also searched by the police, and computers and the phones of two reporters were taken.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Kansas newspaper co-owner, 98, dies after ‘tearfully’ watching police raid her home https://t.co/1ms55KZiR7 via @Yahoo
The Marion County Magistrate Judge Laura Viar & the Marion PD have this lady’s death on their hands.
— The Ghost of Lindsey Graham’s Past (@PogoChrestman) August 14, 2023
To quote Mr. Meyer from the Kansas Reflector: “everything we have was taken by the police.” He went on to say that in his 26 years of teaching journalism at the University of Illinois and 20 years at the Milwaukee Journal, he had never heard of a police raid on a newspaper.
“It’s going to have a chilling effect on us even tackling issues,” Mr Meyer said, as well as “a chilling effect on people giving us information”. Kansas Press Association director Emily Bradbury agreed that it was unprecedented and strongly denounced it.
“An attack on a newspaper office through an illegal search is not just an infringement on the rights of journalists but an assault on the very foundation of democracy and the public’s right to know,” Ms Bradbury said. “This cannot be allowed to stand.”
After the raid, Mrs. Meyer “tearfully watched as police not only carter away her computer… but also dug through her son Eric’s personal bank and investment statements,” as reported on the paper’s website.
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Mr. Meyer continued, “Basically, all the law enforcement officers on duty in Marion County, Kansas, descended on our offices today and seized our server and computers and personal cellphones of staff members all because of a story we didn’t publish.”
An argument with a local entrepreneur about an article that was never even published sparked the raid. Local police chief Gideon Cody said: “As much as I would like to give everyone details on a criminal investigation, I cannot.”
“I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated.” He added: “The Marion Kansas Police Department believes it is the fundamental duty of the police is to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all members of the public.”
“This commitment must remain steadfast and unbiased, unaffected by political or media influences, in order to uphold the principles of justice, equal protection and the rule of law for everyone in the community.”
The website CaliforniaExaminer.net is a great resource for staying up of current events and reading thought-provoking articles.