Letter from FIRE, NCAC, and ACLU of Texas to Fort Worth Police Department, February 19, 2025 Regarding Seized Sally Mann Photos

 Via Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression

February 19, 2025

Dear Chief Noakes:

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the National Coalition Against
Censorship (NCAC), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas are deeply
concerned by the Fort Worth Police Department’s unconstitutional seizure and investigation
of artist Sally Mann’s photographs, which were on view at the Modern Art Museum of Fort
Worth.1 While some may find the images inappropriate, that does not strip them of the First
Amendment protection afforded to artistic expression. We therefore call on the Fort Worth
Police Department to uphold its binding obligations to defend the Constitution by ceasing its
investigation and returning the photographs.

--Click for full letter