The William Allen White Community Partnership is changing locations for its upcoming presentation this weekend.
Marion County Record publisher Eric Meyer will have a presentation called “Seized! The Marion County Newspaper Raid and Freedom of the Press.” The event is at White Auditorium’s Little Theatre instead of Red Rocks State Historic Site and begins at 2 pm Sunday.
The presentation highlights a law enforcement raid on the newspaper almost 3 years ago after an investigation into a restaurant owner following a conviction for DUI. Marion Police raided the newspaper offices, as well as Meyer’s home. Then-police chief Gideon Cody said the raid was conducted legally, with officers looking for evidence of an illegal computer search to confirm information about the restaurant owner. Media and civil rights organizations roundly condemned the raid, saying officers violated First Amendment rights. Meyer also says the raid and fallout led to the death of his mother shortly after the raid — and the Record was investigating Cody for alleged misconduct while a Kansas City Missouri officer when the raid happened. Cody later resigned; reasons were not divulged.
