; Whereas Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote that Covering protests and demonstrations is vital, both in order to inform the public about the demands of the protesters and also to hold officials accountable ; Whereas, as of June 4, 2020, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a nonpartisan website managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has received reports of more than 300 reports of press freedom violations committed against journalists covering the demonstrations nationwide; Whereas these cases include instances of journalists and media workers being specifically targeted by law enforcement with tear gas, pepper spray or pepper balls, or rubber bullets despite displaying press credentials and identifying themselves as members of the press; Whereas, on May 29, 2020, police in Minneapolis shot a rubber bullet at the face of a freelance writer and photographer, permanently blinding her in one eye; Whereas, on May 30, 2020, Minneapolis police fired tear gas, pepper spray, and concussion grenades directly at multiple journalists and photographers; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Seattle police fired projectiles directly at an MSNBC reporter and camera crew; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, a KPCC/LAist reporter was shot in the throat with a rubber bullet by Long Beach police; Whereas, on June 1, 2020, an Australian reporter and camera operator were struck by Federal law enforcement as they covered a demonstration outside the White House in Washington, DC, leading to a formal request by the Australian Ambassador for a police investigation; Whereas the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has identified more than 49 instances of journalists and media workers being arrested at protests as of June 4, 2020; Whereas, on May 29, 2020, CNN reporter Omar Jiminez, an African-American and Latino journalist, was arrested in Minneapolis while reporting on camera, despite displaying his press credentials and offering to comply with police directives