From: Cari Machet (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Aug 04 2007 - 18:02:03 PDT
On 8/4/07, Doug <email suppressed> wrote:
>
>
>
> Speaking in general psychological and political terms, people in
> government in general don't like people gathering information and don't
> like
> unregulated activities. Police like to control, that's why those people
> become policemen.
> These control impulses sometimes serve society and sometimes
> don't. Our
> only hope, for those like me who aren't willing to physically fight the
> government, is to keep the police and other controllers on a well-defined
> leash.
> We've all heard of abusive, illegal control by the police. It's
> corrosive to our democracy.
> Even with clear rules that prohibit the police from stopping filming,
> the police will still stop it when they're scared. The rules controlling
> the police are not a cure, but they give some symptomatic relief,
> sometimes.
correction - the police will stop it when they are told by their higher ups
to do so
they want to cap levels of energy under certain circumstances
and
there were no written guidelines for filming in NYC before regarding this
kind of filming that they are now set to regulate so...
i have personally witnessed a reuters reporter being arrested at a rally in
NYC
he had proper press credentials - wasn't doing anything wrong
but
the rally was getting - crazy - people chaining themselves to stuff and
laying in the road blocking traffic - they don't want images like that going
out into the world so answer - arrest the reuters photographer
these "rules" that they will make anew do not in anyway cap what officers
will do in the future - the present rules prevent them from arresting the
reuters reporter - they simply are not supposed to do that under normal
circumstances (unless the reporter is hitting them or obstructing
justice...- they also are not supposed to randomly film us - but they do
the rules should protect the people so that when they go to court the case
can be kicked out against them or they can sue the city (not that that
really does much to curb what officers will do - i always make it a point to
film officers for numerous reasons ((and i make sure they know they are
being filmed i speak to them and get in there face)) but one is that it
might be in the back of their mind - hey i was captured on film i better
keep my actions in check or i will be on national tv - maybe it will curtail
the abuse of power) - which is why all this is happening in the first place
this talks about the initial case:
http://www.indiewire.com/biz/2007/07/with_deadine_ap.html
other info:
http://www.nyclu.org/nyc_photo_permits_pr_071607.html
c
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