Unicorn Riot
| Founders |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
Official language | English |
| Website | www |
Unicorn Riot is a decentralized, non-profit media collective that originated online in 2015. The non-hierarchical media organization operates in the US cities of Boston, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Philadelphia. They produce live streams of rallies and protests[1] and are funded by viewer donations.
Structure
Unicorn Riot currently has around 10 members, based in Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia.[2][1] The media collective is non-hierarchical and makes decisions based on consensus.[3]
Unicorn Riot has maintained a channel on livestream.org since May 2015.[3] Besides creating live video of protests, the media collective also engages in investigative journalism, producing web series, video packages, blogs, and podcasts.[1] They have published documents obtained through open records requests, including a copy of the Denver Police Department Crowd Management Manual.[4] They also produce the weekly news show Deprogram. Unicorn Riot releases its content under a Creative Commons license.[5]
History
Foundation
The founding members of Unicorn Riot met while filming direct actions in support of Tar Sands Blockade and Occupy Wall Street.[6] Some had previously worked for online news outlets and had grown frustrated with news organizations that failed to publish their work. The founders of Unicorn Riot started meeting in Minneapolis in the fall of 2014. Among the founders were Lorenzo Serna, Andrew Neef, Niko Georgiades, Pat Boyle, and Ray Weiland,[1].[2] Unicorn Riot seeks to amplify the voices of people from marginalized communities and to broadcast and bring context to stories that are not picked up by the mainstream media.[7] Early on, they documented the Ferguson protests following the shooting of Michael Brown. During the next year, Unicorn Riot registered as an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[1]
Unicorn Riot journalists are often embedded in protests, and film from the front lines.[6] Members of the media collective have been repeatedly targeted for arrest by law enforcement officers[2] and often have their cameras and equipment confiscated.[3] Their press credentials have also been challenged by the police.[6]
Black Lives Matter protests
Unicorn Riot has documented a number of rallies and protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement. Following the November 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis, Unicorn Riot maintained a live stream of the occupation of the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct station.[1] The media collective also documented the protests that took place following the shooting of Philando Castile, including blockages of interstate freeways.[7]
Denver homeless encampments
In Denver, Colorado, Unicorn Riot live streamed the removal of homeless encampments, including an eviction that took place during a blizzard on the morning of December 15, 2015.[2]
Dakota Access Pipeline protests
During the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Unicorn Riot was one of the first media groups to be present when Standing Rock Sioux tribe members set up the Sacred Stone Camp on April 1, 2016. The media collective has maintained a near continuous presence at the pipeline protests. Video from Unicorn Riot showing a crowd of protesters being sprayed with water cannons during sub-zero temperatures was used to contradict police reports that the cannons were only being used to put out fires.[6] Four Unicorn Riot reporters were arrested in September and October 2016.[8] Chris Schiano and Georgiades were arrested on September 13 as they were filming protesters who had locked themselves to equipment being used to construct the pipeline. Reporter Lorenzo Serna was arrested in both North Dakota and Iowa, and reporter Jenn Schreiter was arrested in October while reporting on a lockdown at a DAPL construction site in Iowa.[6]
Unite the Right rally
Unicorn Riot had documented several of the chat rooms in the Discord application prior to the Unite the Right rally in August 2017, which led to violence between alt right groups and local citizens, including the death of one person. The group subsequently released this material, which is being used to identify the anonymous uses on Discord that may have been part of the conspiracy to direct more violence at the rally.[9][10]
Documentary Film
Unicorn Riot produced a feature-length documentary film about the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline entitled "Black Snake Killaz: A #NoDAPL Story." The film was premiered on November 17, 2017 at the Parkway theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and released online free of charge for educational purposes via Unicorn Riot's website on November 18, 2017.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Nelson, Cody (May 5, 2016). "The media, the protest movement and Unicorn Riot". MPR News.
- ^ a b c d Sterling, Anna (June 2, 2016). "Why Are The Police Targeting This Group Of Journalists?". Fusion.
- ^ a b c Walker, Chris (February 10, 2016). "Guerrilla Video Journalists Unicorn Riot Focus on Homelessness and the Police". Westword.
- ^ O'Connell, Kit (February 4, 2016). "Leak Reveals Denver Police Use Undercover 'Shadow Teams' To Target Protest Leaders". MintPress News.
- ^ Rietmulder, Michael (December 3, 2015). "Indie news group Unicorn Riot brings Jamar Clark protest to your laptop". City Pages.
- ^ a b c d e Brown, Alleen (November 27, 2016). "Arrests of Journalists at Standing Rock Test the Boundaries of the First Amendment". The Intercept.
- ^ a b "Unicorn Riot a new force in covering protests". MPR News. July 14, 2016.
- ^ Funes, Yessenia (October 17, 2016). "Charges Dropped Against Amy Goodman for Covering DAPL". Colorlines.
- ^ Tiku, Nitasha (August 27, 2017). "Violent Alt-Right Chats Could Be Key to Charlottesville Lawsuits". Wired. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Flynn, Meagan (August 7, 2018). "Subpoena for app called 'Discord' could unmask identities of Charlottesville white supremacists". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
External links
