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 ...
I give the police pretty good marks for no violence, reasonably polite actions, and no arrest. The site has the video.
Force multiplier at least 25 to 1, or was it more? And the helicopters? Interesting.
Kudos for the calmness. They probably had him ready to pick off at the word, is why.
Taking a picture of public property or legally carrying a gun... which part of this is illegal?
/johnny
I disagree with the approach here...what was the guy trying to prove?
I’m not going to open carry even if its legal...why?
Us good guys will be going “gray” soon, no sense painting a bulls-eye on your/our forehead.
Granted it’s just bad form to be rude for rudeness sake. But no, none of it.
Helicopters are expensive to fly, something like thousands of dollars per hour.
Someone locally needs to try and demand the city/county justify this expensive use of a helicopter.
Tend to agree... I get tired of drama queening whether it’s the left or the “good guys.” Go make sport somewhere you won’t get some nellies nervous.
“Us good guys will be going “gray” soon, no sense painting a bulls-eye on your/our forehead.”
Too late. You have already done so by posting the above post.
/johnny
Was he being rude? The story before the link doesn’t sound like he was very rude.
If enough people exercise their rights, lurking becomes unnecessary.
Man, there has to be some happy medium between cowering and gratuitously shocking folks. I don’t think THIS was it.
I think this guy is an *sshole for deliberately baiting the police, putting them on guard for no good reason, calling them out unnecessarily, costing taxpayers money, and giving everyone normal who conceals and carries a bad name. This guy is a big, big jerk. And he tempted fate to boot. What an idiot. And to take pics of a courthouse. What kind of a response did he expect? And with so any terrorists lurking out there, the police are sent there on an adrenalin high thinking possible the worst, and all for this double *sshole trying to make some phony point. Makes me sick. What a pukehead.
/johnny
if you don’ exercise the right, it likely won’t exist long
Once addressed, no. It’s just that he did have reason to know that this was going to get nellies nervous. Is it possible to break it a little more gently to the nellies that they can stop being nervous, than to do something like this???
I thought he did great, considering that was his first time.
I’m sure he’ll do it again, and I approve 100%.
“Go tell it on the mountain...”
BE the change you want.
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