Posted on 08/10/2013 7:15:45 PM PDT by marktwain
With a .45 caliber legally strapped to his side, Jordan McManus decided to photograph the federal courthouse in Phoenix last night, realizing he would probably draw attention from police, especially after reading about Raymond Michael’s experience last May.
But he was still a little surprised when a police helicopter hovered over him with a spotlight as two patrol cars pulled up next to him and another two cops approached him on foot.
They immediately tried to disarm him, but he refused to let them do it as it is legal to open carry in Arizona.
Then they tried to pat him down, which didn’t make sense considering he was already showing a firearm. But he wouldn’t let them do that either.
“You’re carrying a firearm and taking a picture of a federal building,” the cop exclaimed, trying to justify the pat down.
Then they demanded to know who he was, but didn’t get anywhere with that either.
Here is a portion of the exchange:
“Am I being detained right now?” McManus asks.
“Absolutely you are, yes,” the cop responds.
“You have reasonable suspicion that I committed a crime, right?
“Well, I’m concerned …”
“You’re concerned. Are you detaining me?”
“I am,” he says weakly.
“Under the suspicion that I committed what crime?”
“I don’t know yet. You’re not giving us any information.”
And there you have the reason why police are always demanding to see people’s identification even though the people are not breaking the law. It gives them a hope that if they run your name through their system, they will find a bench warrant and have an excuse to arrest you.
(Excerpt) Read more at photographyisnotacrime.com ...
A lot of people in Arizona wear a gun hon. It’s a freedom zone. Stay in Illinois.
‘I would not have given a false name either. No use giving them possible valid excuses to have “suspicion”.’
At the time, how would you know he wasn’t John Doe? I know a John and Mary Smith. That’s their name. In your book they’re obviously lying.
“ragheads” - YOU’RE A RACIST AND YOU’RE PROFILING!!!!
“Ever occur to you that maybe he’s interested in architecture? Or maybe he’s just a camera bug. Or maybe it’s proportions and ratios: phi, orthogons and all that. Or maybe he likes to piss assh*les off.
You seem to think that everybody who takes a photo is up to no good.”
And what part of “so tonight I set out to test them” do you not understand, Mr. Brilliance? He was setting the cops up as anyone who can read the king’s english in the article can figure out. That is, everyone but you:
“So tonight I set out to test them with a 1st and 4th Amendment test. I arrived at the Courthouse around 11pm. I parked my truck on Jefferson St and proceeded to walk the courthouse’s perimeter and towards the PPD HQ all while taking pictures.”
Geez, put your specs on.
“No expense is too much for the feds when their using your money.”
I see a lot of expensively enclosed climate controlled empty space. And it’s not attractive or impressive... more like a hangar.
He told the cops which vehicle was his, so I'm sure they ran the plates.
flaglady47 I don't know how old you are but I suspect you are very young. I am 71, when I was a boy in the 40s and 50s and a young man in the 60s, it was common to see someone carrying a firearm IN MOST STATES. No one called the cops and if you took a picture of a public building while carrying no one would stop and question you let alone send out an aircraft and squad cars full of cops.
The reason this seems bad to some people is that we have allowed our rights to atrophy from misuse especially in certain states.
We have let the liberals, especially the media, dumb us down in respect to our rights. Arizona has no permit laws for concealed carry or open carry.
Why these cops came unglued over this is in Arizona seems strange to me.
In no way, IMO, was this guy an a**hat for exercising his rights, just because you are a coward doesn't mean the rest of us should be. I bet you let them search your house without a warrant too.
““ragheads” - YOU’RE A RACIST AND YOU’RE PROFILING!!!!”
I hope so, lol. I just LOVE to profile.
Not that far back in history kids took their rifles to school, on the subway and buses, for after school target practice... in NEW YORK CITY.
If they were performing a structural analysis of the building, then they would likely begin by taking photos of the building. Behaving in a manner consistent with planning such an action, but with little other apparent intent is a good way to be labeled as a suspect.
Was not aware of any bad experience, apologies. Stepping through the thread I see a lot of cowering from this person, which is unfortunate for any American to feel so.
Dude! Post of the day!
If you read “king’s” english go to England. We snuffed out monarchy and are free citizens, not subjects.
How is taking pictures “setting up cops”? Are you insane?
“In no way, IMO, was this guy an a**hat for exercising his rights, just because you are a coward doesn’t mean the rest of us should be. I bet you let them search your house without a warrant too.”
Now that you’ve made a bunch of assumptions about someone you don’t know at all, I will fill you in. I am not young, I am a seasoned citizen, thank you, and proud of it. And yes the guy was an *sshat for the reasons I stated in many comments on this thread (go look at my comments). And if someone tried to search my home without a warrant, I’d be all over the media and any other outlet including on FR to rat them out.
And I don’t see Cops as my enemy. There are some lemons like in any group, including there being Freeper lemons, a few of whom have been posting on this thread tonight. And I’m a big gun rights advocate, as is my Cop friend, who is an activist on the matter. But that doesn’t fit the bad cop stereotype, does it. And you can try to defend this Bozo all you want. He is still a big jerk:
“So tonight I set out to test them with a 1st and 4th Amendment test. I arrived at the Courthouse around 11pm. I parked my truck on Jefferson St and proceeded to walk the courthouse’s perimeter and towards the PPD HQ all while taking pictures.”
Put your specs on and read the whole article.
Do you make your husband/boy friend don a uniform?
Get off your knees and be an American!
Sounds like the police didn’t fall for the asshole’s bait.
I don’t think anyone here sees cops as enemies, put YOU seem to think they’re GODS.
“How is taking pictures “setting up cops”? Are you insane?”
“So tonight I set out to test them with a 1st and 4th Amendment test. I arrived at the Courthouse around 11pm. I parked my truck on Jefferson St and proceeded to walk the courthouse’s perimeter and towards the PPD HQ all while taking pictures.”
Put your specs on and read the whole article. Are you people all blind? You can’t even read cursive.
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