Updated 4:10 p.m.
The Black Zebra Productions page on Facebook has been restored.
Facebook deleted the page this morning and sent a message to founder Khanstoshea Zingapan that it had removed the page and disabled access to its content, which included videos from the George Floyd demonstrations in Sacramento, “for violating the Facebook Terms of Service.”
Black Zebra’s account was down for several hours, beginning at or before 10 a.m. The page has been restored as of 4 p.m.
Zingapan told CapRadio that the page “just reappeared” this afternoon without any word from Facebook.
Facebook did not return CapRadio’s emails to discuss why the page and its videos and pictures were removed.
Original story:
Facebook has deleted the page and videos for Black Zebra Productions, a Sacramento-based media company that has documented nearly every minute of the George Floyd demonstrations against police brutality.
Black Zebra owner and CEO Khanstoshea Zingapan woke up this morning and checked Facebook at 10 a.m. to discover a message that content had been removed, and they could no longer access the company’s Facebook page.
“I was shocked, and definitely confused,” Zingapan said. “We weren’t given specific reasons why, specific videos, specific content. We weren’t given the terms that were violated. Nothing.”
Zingapan’s media company, which was founded in 2016 and does everything from travel and music videos to a documentary on unsheltered people, emerged during June’s protests decrying the death of Floyd, who police killed on May 25.
Black Zebra says it reached millions of viewers worldwide, including for its live-stream videos from the demonstrations. “We’re just putting out raw, uncut, unfiltered life experiences. Live things that are actually happening in the real world. And for that to be flagged as fraudulent, that speaks volumes,” Zingapan said.
Facebook did not immediately respond to an email from CapRadio to discuss why Black Zebra’s page and content were deleted. Zingapan estimates that thousands of videos, live streams and images are now missing.
“It’s been crazy that we are providing the truth to the people, without any narrative or any censorship whatever, and the fact that they are hiding the truth speaks volume,” said Jeoffrey Zingapan, a videographer who co-founded the company.
Black Zebra has filed an appeal to Facebook but has yet to hear back from the company.
Until then, Zingapan says they will move their content, including as many videos and live streams as possible, to its TravelWithBlackZebra.com. They will be covering Tuesday’s “Black Justice Heals” event in Curtis Park.
Last week, Black Zebra workers were briefly detained by law enforcement during the demonstrations. The Sacramento Bee has since provided the company with press credentials to cover the protests.
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