SeanPaul Reyes, widely known as the cop watcher and First Amendment auditor operating under the digital moniker Long Island Audit, faces potential investigation after receiving emails warning him that he may be a target. The development was discussed on a breaking news edition of the Police Accountability Report hosted by Taya Graham and Stephen Janis. The program is produced by Taya Graham and Stephen Janis with post-production by David Hebden.
Reyes, who has been covering police misconduct for roughly five years, has gained millions of subscribers and a huge audience through his provocative videos and creative tactics aimed at holding law enforcement accountable. According to Reyes, this work has attracted the attention of law enforcement, bringing pushback that includes recent emails warning him about a serious investigation that could have significant consequences for him and his family. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office has in fact subpoenaed 14 months of his financial records from various social media accounts, which has been confirmed to him for Facebook, TikTok, and Google.
The Threat of Retaliation and Intimidation
During the broadcast, Janis compared Reyes’s current ordeal to his own past reporting experiences in Pocomoke City, a small town on the Eastern Shore. Janis described how he faced a grand jury investigation and intimidation tactics intended to prevent reporting on a witness interview related to the firing of the town’s first Black police chief. While that invalid case never went forward thanks to a judge, Janis emphasized the severe impacts of law enforcement attempting to criminalize speech or dissent. Janis noted that lawyers told him investigators were going to show up at his work and house, and explained that prosecutors were covering up after a witness lied. Graham emphasized that everyone needs to care about the First Amendment because individuals must exercise their rights or they will miss them when they lose them.
Broad Demonetization and Movement Implications
The warnings received by Reyes arrive amid a broader context of pushback against the accountability community. The mounting pressure includes a broad demonetization of cop watching and auditing videos, raising concerns regarding the wider consequences for individuals who utilize the First Amendment as a tool for reporting and dissent.
