Posted on 08/24/2011 6:43:47 PM PDT by GreaterSwiss
A congressman from Ohio had cops grab the cameras of constituents during a town hall meeting. Steve Chabot, a Republican, had cell phones and cameras confiscated in order to “prevent an embarrassing Youtube video from making the rounds,” according to Carlos Miller, who runs a blog documenting efforts by the state to stifle the First Amendment rights of photographers. Police said the cameras were taken “to protect the constituents.” A local television station, however, was allowed to videotape the meeting and the brazen move by Chabot and the cops.
(Excerpt) Read more at nation.foxnews.com ...
That is about as dumb a statement as I have seen today.
That has been my thought about several of these posters.
Pardon me Congressman? You’re taking my Camera? Do you have a warrant? No? What is your “probable cause?” Oh — you THINK I might use said pictures or video that I MIGHT take to embarrass you?
How ‘bout this, Congressman? I’ll THINK about giving up my camera when you get a warrant for it.
Oh — so I can’t come in and SEE you WITH a Camera? Is this a Public Forum COngressman? Yes? If this was being held in a private venue and only private guests we invited, then restrictions on certain personal “rights” might be ceded. But, this is a public meeting in a public place to see a public servant. Since when does the servant command what the master is to do?
I’m still waiting on the Warrant, Congressman. Still feel i’m in an episode of the twilight zone that has me back in Nazi Germany or the old Societ Union — or maybe China or Cuba right now.
What? You’re going to arrest me?? For asking questions? For being disruptive? FOr holding up progress?? Are you insane?! This is a violation of my 1st and 4th AMendment rights!
(scuffle)
Darn right I’m resisting! THis is unconstitutional! Congressman! YOu are violating the very Constitution you swore an oath to uphold!....
(Strugglings as he’s pulled away)
Congressman!!
(Jerks against the handcuffs and leg shackles the 5 cops who had converged upon him managed to subdue him with)
YOu are complicit in a false arrest Congressman! Kidnapping! False imprisonment!
(Camera thrown into back of Police cruiser)
Hey watch it! That wasn’t Che -—
(He is picked up suddenly by 3 cops and tossed roughly into the back of the cruiser, and the door is slammed)
__________________________________
Nice picture of the future if we don’t get rid of RINO’s like Chabot.
Vision of the future???
More like a vision of today!
I seriously doubt the sign had an apostrophe in the word "cameras."
1st amendment also.
OHIO PINGS...
Monday night, at a “town hall” meeting in North Avondale featuring U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, video cameras owned by two Democratic activists were seized by a Cincinnati police officer at the direction of Chabot’s staff.
A Chabot spokesman said the had the cameras seized “to protect the privacy of constituents” at the event, although there were at least two media outlets at the North Avondale Recreation Center filming the meeting.
Tim Burke, the chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, has written a letter to Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp asking for an explanation of “the legal basis for the seizure and the enforcement by Cincinnati police of rules created by the Congressman.”
Signs were taped to the doors to the hall where the Monday night meeting was held saying that no video cameras were allowed inside.
But David Little, a Cincinnati Democrat working with ProgressOhio, a liberal organization, and Liz Ping, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio House last year, were taking video at the event. Little was using an iPhone video camera while Ping, who was taping the meeting for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was using a flip video camera mounted on a stand. About 100 persons were present – most of whom were clearly not supporters of the 1st District Republican congressman.
A Cincinnati police officer was present at the request of Chabot’s staff. Chabot spokesman Jamie Schwartz said that the House Sergeant at Arms has advised members of the House to coordinaate with local law enforcement on all public events.
Burke also filed a public records reuest for all records relating to Chabot’s use of the city facility, any instructions given to law enforcement officials regarding videotaping, and any record relating to the seizure of the cameras.
Schwartz said that a staff member asked the police officer to take the cameras being operated by Little and Ping. The seizure can be seen clearly on a YouTube video. The cameras were returned to the two Democrats after the meeting.
“The officer was very nice about it; and we politely and cordially defended our right to record a public official speaking in public in a public building,” Little said. “What are they afraid of?”
Schwartz said that sometimes at the town hall meetings, citizens ask questions about their own personal situations and the Chabot staff did not want them videotaped. The media cameras were allowed to continue to roll, Schwartz said, “because they can be expected to respect people’s privacy.”
But, at this meeting, as at other recent Chabot town hall events, participants were required to sign in as they entered and write out questions for the congressman. Members of the staff chose which questions he answered at Monday’s meeting.
By the time Chabot holds his next town hall meeting at Westwood Town Hall Monday, Schwartz said, the rules will have changed. People will be allowed to ask questions of the congressman directly and cameras will not be seized.
“We’ll just advise the audience that if they have something of a personal nature they want to discuss with the congressman, they come up afterwards and the congresssman will stay around as long as it takes to talk to them,” Schwartz said.
So only people of a certain political persuasion should be allowed to video tape members of the Government?
Very cool gear on that site. Great prices also.
The guy who trained me said something that sent a slight shiver through my spine:
“Every bullet has a lawyer attached to it.”
Better safe than sorry.
Its a disgrace to read that about any politician. I hope he gets booted.
And what is worse, is the lamestream media will report that Chabot is a tea party card carrying republican. Barf.
Doesn't matter what your political leanings are either, and it happens EVERY DAY!
Some people instantly recognize it as the confluence of the First and Fourth Amendment ~ with the First telling you that you already had the right to speak and gather and God gave it to you, and the Fourth telling you that you are free from unreasonable searches ~ so the government renting you the can't itself take movies of you, or allow others to do so, WITHOUT probable cause and quite likely a warrant!
So, what do you propose doing to this guy? Do you perhaps want the cops to run in there and beat him to the floor?
The last time we discussed this issue it turned out the guy rented the hall ~ and it was a George Soros affiliated individual making the complaint.
So, what's your real affiliation? Are you one of us or one of "them" (dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum tympanic drum beats rising in volume)?
If a hall is rented you have rights.
The term "public" is not being used properly in this debate.
Most people's hands don't shake just because somebody else has a private video session somewhere ~ mine don't ~ yet I know the Obots and Mitbots and maybe even the Bushbots are out there doing stuff I don't know about ~ GAD!!!! ~ even the Perrystas are doing stuff.
America is a place where you are supposed to be able to "do stuff" without every crank and would-be secret policeman sticking his nose into your business.
Most people's hands don't shake just because somebody else has a private video session somewhere ~ mine don't ~ yet I know the Obots and Mitbots and maybe even the Bushbots are out there doing stuff I don't know about ~ GAD!!!! ~ even the Perrystas are doing stuff.
America is a place where you are supposed to be able to "do stuff" without every crank and would-be secret policeman sticking his nose into your business.
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