This is kinda political, and as you shouldn’t give a fig about what I think of politics, please skip it. I’m doing it a) to vent my spleen about a stupid Congressional stunt and to show that I’d rather call out conservatives who behave badly than fill my blog with finger pointing that “they’re the problem” while remaining deathly quiet when their side screws up.
(I’m sorta little L libertarian, mostly, and will never be electable as I’m ‘a little for a, a little from b’ in my political leanings).
So a REPUBLICAN Congressman (Ohio) is afraid of bad publicity at a Town Hall meeting, so he gets the Cops to do his official suppression and intimidation, and they then did it!?
Talk about someone you shouldn’t buy a used car from, let alone vote for. Imperious behavior tells you everything you need to know about what he thinks of his constituents.
(I don’t live in OH, and won’t get the chance to vote against this idiot, but if you’re in his district it’d be worth the effort to have him thrown out).
August 23, 2011 @ 9:39PM
Ohio Congressman Has Cops Confiscate Cameras At Town Hall Meeting
Steve Chabot had two cameras confiscated in public meeting
By Carlos Miller -…
Hoping to prevent an embarrassing Youtube video from making the rounds, Republican Congressman Steve Chabot of Ohio ordered police to confiscate cameras from people attending a town hall meeting Monday night.
The result was two embarrassing Youtube videos that are sure to make the rounds.
The first video shows a police officer confiscating a video camera from a woman in the audience as television news videographers record the interaction.
The second video shows a police officer confiscating a man’s iPhone as it recorded, capturing the dialogue between the two.
The cop tells the man that he is not allowed to record the event “to protect the constituents.”
Meanwhile, televisions news crews were videotaping openly.
via Ohio Congressman Has Cops Confiscate Cameras At Town Hall Meeting | Pixiq.
Also note, now this idiot has videos that show the cops grabbing cameras, which is way, way worse than anything a Think Progress noodlehead could come up with in a YouTube rant. We fully expect nonsensical behavior from them, not official suppression and intimidation from an elected official. Thanks for proving the noodleheads’ point.
Yep yep yep. And I want to know what statute the police used to justify the confiscation. You can’t just go around making up laws on the spot.
Unfortunately, people are arrested, prosecuted, fined, and even jailed for filming public officials in public places. They makeup whatever rules they want, and since no district attorney will hold them accountable, there’s nothing to stop them. Here’s an ABC article on the trend: “Police and governmental recording of citizens is becoming more pervasive and to say that government can record you but you can’t record it, speaks volumes about the mentality of people in government…”
The weight is on the side of the people on this issue. A jury in Chicago threw out charges against a former stripper who secretly (and illegally according to Illinois law) recorded two policemen trying to talk her out of pressing a sexual harrassment complaint against a fellow police officer.
In light of the clearly stated law I have to assume this was an example of jury nullification, when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge’s instructions as to the law.
Judges and prosecutors hate jury nullification but they have a place in American justice, or injustice, and this seems to be the case.
I think any action of a law enforcement officer and politician is fair game to be recorded and videoed and I state that opinion as a retired law enforcement investigator of 24 years.
I have witnessed cops lying under oath and innocent people getting jailed because of it. No more, record them and then confront them.
That goes for politicians of either party who think they can make up rules that counter the Constitution.
I hope the people whose cameras were conficated sue the police and the Congressman. This kind of bad behavior on the part of politicians needs to punished, hard.
An amazing ruling just came down in MA. A guy was arrested for recording police in public. MA lawmakers had the gull to pass a law prohibiting people from doing exactly that. Not only does this ruling declare the law unconstitutional, it stops the police from using the defense “we were just following the law.” They may very well be held responsible for violating constitutional rights. Imagine that! (not holding my breath though)