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A freelance photojournalist who came to Portland in 2020 to cover the George Floyd protests is suing the city of Portland after a series of run-ins with police left her unconscious and hospitalized.
Maranie Staab, whose work has been featured worldwide in outlets that include Reuters and The New Yorker, is alleging 10 different incidents of misconduct by Portland cops—all caught on video, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
She is seeking payment for her medical care and lost wages, as well as punitive damages, according to the complaint. Her attorney, Ashley Marton, says the suit is not about money. “She wants to have the opportunity to tell her story.”
The case joins dozens of others by protesters who were injured during confrontations with police during the 2020 protests. Some have settled. So far, only one case has gone to trial: A civil jury awarded $40,272 to Erin Wenzel earlier this month after she was thrown to the ground by police, breaking her arms.
The complaint lists a series of incidents in which Staab was allegedly targeted by police despite prominently identifying herself as a member of the press. In two separate cases, she was hit in the leg by “less lethal” munitions. The injury swelled, became infected and sent her into septic shock. She was hospitalized “for at least three days.”
The suit names three Portland police officers whom Staab identified as assailants: Colby Marrs, Justin Damerville, and Craig Lehman. Damerville and Lehman, members of the Portland Police Bureau’s since-disbanded riot team, were removed from the streets in 2021 after a judge issued an injunction barring the city from arresting or assaulting journalists. Damerville resigned from the force in May.
Neither the Police Bureau nor the City Attorney’s Office immediately responded to a request for comment.
It’s not just cops who have been hostile to Staab’s work. She has been attacked by anti-fascist protesters, and she has been criticized by media watchers for submitting staged photos to Reuters that the agency was later forced to remove.