Posted on 06/27/2011 2:32:01 PM PDT by Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears
(CNN) -- Prosecutors dismissed a charge Monday against a community activist who was arrested while filming a police encounter with her iPod camera because she was concerned it was initiated by racial profiling.
"I'm feeling vindicated, I'm feeling energetic" Emily Good, 28, of Rochester, New York, said of the decision to have the charge dropped. Good had been charged with obstruction of governmental administration when she began videotaping the interrogation of a black man by three white officers in front of her house on May 12, she said.
"Based upon the evidence, we could not make out the elements of the crime charged," Monroe County First Assistant District Attorney Sandra Doorley said.
Good said she intends to file a civil suit.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I will rewatch the video in detail, so I am on stronger ground and get back to you. I allow for the possibility that, because it’s been a few days since I’ve watched it, because I’m working a lot and interacting on my Blackberry, which doesn’t allow me to easily download and watch videos as I would on my computer.
But, in principle, my position remains the same. If you insert yourself unnecessarily into an arrest, it is fair game for the officer to arrest you. I do think the average person should be able to peacefully film an arrest, but don’t necessarily expect the justice system to take your copy seriously, since film can be edited. And your rights aren’t absolute if the state sees the need to override them, such as arresting somebody on their property if they’ve chosen to insert themselves into an arrest.
HUH???
Can't say...but then, it really doesn't matter, does it?
I despair at times when reading posts from fellow 'conservatives.'
For those who seem to be unclear on the issue, "A Nation of Laws, Not Men," means that the law is applied in a fair and impartial manner.
Political beliefs are irrelevant!!!
Obviously you’re not aware of the term pretense and must believe that people tell the truth all the time and nobody would ever harm somebody.
Now I did watch the video, in detail, again and firmly am of the opinion that the cop was in the right.
Since we don’t know the preceding events to the video, we cannot make any judgements about the young man being arrested.
However, the girl drew attention to herself by filming no more than 6 feet or so from the arrestee’s car. A city sidewalk, at least in my city, in the residential part, is about 2 feet wide. Give another foot or so to the street and maybe 18 inches to the car and you have about 5 feet. Even with other factors, like the girl being tippy-toed on the far side of the sidewalk, you, you’re not going to get more than 6 feet out of the deal. But she did start filming on the sidewalk, because you can see that she’s backing up when the cop mentions that she’s on the sidewalk.
Cops are not trained to think of citizens as cute puppies, incapable of harm. Their training requires them to look at everybody as potential hostiles, where anybody is capable of doing anything at anytime. Like it or not, this is a necessary mindset to help ensure a cop can go home at the end of a day, without going home in a bodybag.
The girl may have been just filming, but you cannot prove to me that it would have stayed that way. By necessity, the cop has to assume it may not stay that way either and must retain the control of any situation. As one cop said to me, “you gotta be the bigger jerk at all times.”
If a cop asks you to do something, as long as it is lawful, you need to comply. To fail to comply, gives the officer a basis for making an arrest even if he’s not planning on making charges.
And yes, they can arrest you, with cause, and hold you for upto 24 hours without having to lay charges.
Take your silly assumption to its logical end and it’s supposedly reasonable for the occifer to arrest anyone else in view at the time he’s arresting somebody else — because after all those other persons might have guns at the ready.
The woman moved away when asked to. Why was that not sufficient?
Again, how do you know the woman’s real intent?
The only thing the officer knows is that she came within 6 feet. Beyond that, her intent could be anything and the cop has to assume the possible worst.
The officer, by training, has to assume that nobody is harmless and that things can go south really fast. He’s in no position to assume that things are going to be all right.
How do you know the real intent of a man down the block? He too could have a gun and hit the occifer.
When the man, from down the street becomes a factor, they will deal with that at that time. The young woman was a factor at that moment and the cops dealt with her right there.
But he already is a factor. All it requires is that he be visible.
Oh, and re your catty little comment about not expecting the judicial system to take home videos seriously — undetectable forgeries in modern imaging are very difficult. Consider the scandal over Barack Obama’s supposed birth certificate.
No. He’s not a factor. He’s not in the scene and interacting. A person could have full-blown hatred for cops, as long as they stay out of the crime scene, they aren’t a factor.
The woman was a factor. When she refused the officer’s orders, she became subject to arrest.
I don’t know why you called it catty, it’s the truth. Videos can lie, especially digital ones.
>>However, the girl drew attention to herself by filming no more than 6 feet or so from the arrestee’s car.<<
That statement is idiotic on its face. “Drew attention to herself”? No, that is not even close to reality. That is false. That is a lie. So cut the crap.
And no, she was not within six feet of the cop, and she was not interfering.
Those are absolutely stupid, and false, statements.
You want to live in a world where cops get to tell you every move to make, and haul you off to jail if you don’t “obey orders” while standing harmlessly on your own property. You applaud it. You should be ashamed.
Well guess what? That cuts against the grain of what liberty is all about. It is unAmerican.
Everything you say is to defend the “cop’s” rights,that he has to “feel safe” whether the danger is real or not, or if he could articulate what the specific danger was. But you don’t give a crap about citizen’s rights. That’s your problem.
You want to mischaracterize this woman as physically interfering, which is a lie. You say the woman “drew attention to herself” which anyone can see is a lie.
Until you want to own up to your dishonesty, and retract it, please don’t address me again.
I wonder what would have happened had this woman had a fence around her yard and she was inside the fence as she filmed? Could officer Ego go into her yard uninvited or without a warrant?
You can’t explain why the other people weren’t arrested, although they were within the same proximity and could have “pulled a gun” or done some other nefarious act.
So your idiotic premise that the cop felt threatened by the woman falls apart right there. If he REALLY felt threatened, he would have dealt with the others as well.
BUT HE DIDN’T.
Wake the hell up and pull your head out of your ***.
>>I wonder what would have happened had this woman had a fence around her yard and she was inside the fence as she filmed? Could officer Ego go into her yard uninvited or without a warrant?<<
Ask Jonty, I’m sure some excuse will be manufactured.
How wide was the sidewalk? Most sidewalks in cities in residential parts are about two feet wide. Most borders from the sidewalk to the street are usually about a foot. The car was, at most about 2 feet from the sidewalk.
Am I forgetting something, jerk or are you off your Xantax?
If you remember your elementary school math, or pull out a calculator, 2 + 2 + 1 equals 5 feet. It is possible I might be an inch or two off, but that’s ok because I’m not in the area to take measurements. But if you could stop by Rochester, with your trusty school ruler, it’d be appreciated.
She was interfering by being a potential risk to herself and the cops, because every arrest is unpredictable and the cops need as few factors as possible to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
You don’t have the right to decide if you can approach an arrest from any distance and, if you take it on yourself to stand just a few feet, contrary to an officer’s orders, you deserve to sit in a holding cell for exactly 23 hours and 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
For your information, cops have always had the power to tell law abiding citizens what to do, in a lawful manner. The fact that you think citizens should have a free-for-all, is irrelevant to this basic fact.
Don’t like it? Tough cookies, Champ.
There’s no specific danger in this particular situation, but cops consider potential situations at all times. However, since you’re telepathic and all and know precisely which people are going to go off and specifically when they are going to do that, why not become a cop and be that shining example, from coast to coast and show them the kind of cops they could be, if they only had you as that shining example.
Otherwise, you’ve got shiat to complain about and about as much ground to stand on.
At least I’ve taken the time to educate myself on why cops act like they do? How many cops have you talked to in the last month, aside from the ones that might be locking you up in the drunk tank?
She was in her yard, and there were two other cops and a car between her and the cop. She was barefoot and in her pajamas.
She was not “interfering and drawing attention to herself”. So stop lying. Actually, keep ON lying, because anyone with two eyes can see it’s not true.
So yes, keep on lying and saying she was interfering.
And avoid the question of why the others weren’t dealt with. Because, in fact, you have NO ANSWER for that.
Go ahead, avoid it. I’ll be waiting for your answer, but I won’t hold my breath.
You can tell, from the video that the others were also very close with their video cameras and cell phones filming the event?
Amazing!
How’d you catch that, through the reflection of the car window? I’ll have to watch the video again to catch that.
Good call!
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