Memorial Day weekend federal agents block press from recording arrest

[damnedifIknow]

"By @MarcACaputo: When a Miami Herald reporter tries to record a traffic stop and arrest of four black males during the Miami Beach Memorial Day weekend, law-enforcement officers try to shut down the press. One officer, who appears to work with the U.S. Marshals, said "get the fuck out of here." That's when the record button was pushed. Video taken c. 11:15 p.m. 05-25-13 **Update: It appears the two officers who tried to shut down the recording were federal agents. "

[Shrike47]

1. This crap of shutting down recording of police action (and maybe abuse) has got to stop.

[damnedifIknow]

2. What I found disturbing

is at about 18 seconds into this video the officer says "it's not about ID it's about you holding a camera."

[blackspade]

3. WTF?!

Do not trust the cops.
They are not here to protect and serve.

[KansDem]

6. Yes, they are...

They are not here to protect and serve.

...the One Percent.

When was the last time you heard about the NYPD stopping and frisking a banker or Wall Street CEO?

Stop And Frisk Led To 400,000 NYPD Encounters With Innocent Black And Latino New Yorkers In 2012

NEW YORK -- A new analysis of the New York City Police Department's stop-and-frisk practice found that it resulted 400,000 stops of innocent black and Latino New Yorkers, far more than of other racial groups, and those encounters frequently targeted young people of color.

The police also made more arrests for marijuana possession than any other crime in 2012, despite recent moves by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to minimize the number pot arrests on the street. Those findings from an analysis of NYPD stops released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the widespread use of the practice.

--more--
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/stop-and-frisk-race_n_3320355.html

[blackspade]

10. I guess I should have said, "the general public"

[sulphurdunn]

4. I can understand why

it could be annoying for a cop to be filmed while working, but that's just too damn bad. Last I heard, nobody drafted them.

[damnedifIknow]

7. Firefighters don't mind being on video

Roofers don't mind being on video. Fishermen don't mind being on video. Trash collectors don't mind being on video along with a host of other dangerous jobs so why are police so camera shy?

[freedom fighter jh]

5. Bugs me that the reporter's got to show his press creds.

Freedom of the press works best if anyone doing journalism is considered a journalist. Why should any citizen not be allowed to film the police? The reporter does make this point.

On the other hand, just any citizen should not be allowed to delay the police by expecting answers while the police are doing their work. In this case the press creds are reasonable.

[Plucketeer]

8. I'm not gonna stand in defense of these guys, but consider....

It's tough to find a job nowdays - even for an expirienced law enforcement type. These guys are practicing CYA. They aren't Robo-cops. They're guys with a family and a mortgage that depend on their monthly check and health benefits, and they likely take orders and proceedures from a superior.
In a prefect world (are we there yet?) these guys would ask if this reporter could use better lighting for his filming. In spite of the leaps of technology we're seeing, it's a brave new world now - where everyone's got a video camera in their pocket. It's gonna be awhile before all this "winnows out" to see what sort of standards will be established.

[W T F]

9. The Supreme Court upheld the right to video tape police in every State.....

However Police still continue to intimidate, harass and arrest people in order to stop the video taping. Court awards for their illegal behavior should be excessive and be required to come directly out of the police department's budget, causing a negative impact on the officer's salaries and pensions.

[link:http://www.courtroomstrategy.com/2012/11/supreme-court-upholds-legality-of-videotaping-police/|