Laura Saavedra Forero, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill and a well-known campus activist, participated in a constitutionally protected protest last fall. As a wheelchair user, she is easily identifiable in a crowd. Following the protest, UNC police obtained a search warrant for her phone under false pretenses, claiming she had been seen photographing an unrelated graffiti incident nearby and that they needed her phone for an “investigation.”
Laura was not involved in the graffiti and had no photos of it. When police arrived to seize her phone, they falsely accused her of trying to destroy evidence by turning it off—then knocked her out of her wheelchair.
Emancipate NC represents Laura in a lawsuit over these abuses. The misuse of search warrants to intimidate and retaliate against activists poses a grave threat to constitutionally-protected protests. Laura engaged in no unlawful activity, nor did her phone contain evidence of any crime.
“Obtaining a warrant to take Saavedra Forero’s phone is especially concerning for people who participate in protests,” said Jaelyn Miller, a staff attorney for Emancipate NC representing Saavedra Forero.
Emancipate NC stands against government overreach, defending activists to protect democracy for all.