Posted on 12/07/2002 11:59:26 AM PST by FreedomCalls
An amateur photographer named Mike Maginnis was arrested on Tuesday in his home city of Denver - for simply taking pictures of buildings in an area where Vice President Cheney was residing. Maginnis told his story on Wednesday's edition of Off The Hook.
Maginnis's morning commute took him past the Adams Mark Hotel on Court Place. Maginnis, who says he always carried his camera wherever he went, snapped about 30 pictures of the hotel and the surrounding area - which included Denver police, Army rangers, and rooftop snipers. Maginnis, who works in information technology, frequently photographs such subjects as corporate buildings and communications equipment.
The following is Maginnis's account of what transpired:
As he was putting his camera away, Maginnis found himself confronted by a Denver police officer who demanded that he hand over his film and camera. When he refused to give up his Nikon F2, the officer pushed him to the ground and arrested him.
After being brought to the District 1 police station on Decatur Street, Maginnis was made to wait alone in an interrogation room. Two hours later, a Secret Service agent arrived, who identified himself as Special Agent "Willse."
The agent told Maginnis that his "suspicious activities" made him a threat to national security, and that he would be charged as a terrorist under the USA-PATRIOT act. The Secret Service agent tried to make Maginnis admit that he was taking the photographs to analyze weaknesses in the Vice President's security entourage and "cause terror and mayhem."
When Maginnis refused to admit to being any sort of terrorist, the Secret Service agent called him a "raghead collaborator" and a "dirty pinko faggot."
After approximately an hour of interrogation, Maginnis was allowed to make a telephone call. Rather than contacting a lawyer, he called the Denver Post and asked for the news desk. This was immediately overheard by the desk sergeant, who hung up the phone and placed Maginnis in a holding cell.
Three hours later, Maginnis was finally released, but with no explanation. He received no copy of an arrest report, and no receipt for his confiscated possessions. He was told that he would probably not get his camera back, as it was being held as evidence.
Maginnis's lawyer contacted the Denver Police Department for an explanation of the day's events, but the police denied ever having Maginnis - or anyone matching his description - in custody. At press time, the Denver PD's Press Information Office did not return telephone messages left by 2600.
The new police powers introduced by the USA-PATRIOT act, in the name of fighting terrorism, have been frightening in their apparent potential for abuse. Mike Maginnis's experience on Tuesday is a poignant example of how this abuse is beginning to occur. It suggests that a wide range of activities which might be considered "suspicious" could be suddenly labeled a prelude to terrorism, and be grounds for arrest.
We will continue to post updates to this story as we learn them.
"...if Dick Cheney can't stay in a hotel without infringing the rights of people for blocks around, then he shouldn't stay in a hotel. He should stay on military bases, or stay home."
I wonder what is his FReeper name? He got the correct description, just mabye the wrong person. LOL
All we have is this fools word, and he couldn't even get the names of the cops involved.
I'm not even sure that 2600 has his name correct. I googled "Mike Maginnis" and came up dry except for this story, but "Mike McGinnis" turns up someone with a Denver address.
I'll have to admit that it is troubling that he has no record whatsoever that this happened.
Apparently it was born on a hacker site (2600), then propagated to tinfoiler sites (rense.com), indymedia, and others of doubtful repute.
If the liberal news people were notified of this, they would be crawling all over this story.
An officer doesn't need to push a guy to the ground to arrest him unless he is running or putting up direct physical resistance.
The police wouldn't keep him isolated for 2 hours before interrogation, this would happen immediately, to keep him from developing a plausible story.
An officer would not disclose their suspicions of him being threat to national security to the arrested individual, and then say that he would be charged as a terrorist. This is BS.
The rest of the story is equally suspcious.
The photographer never mentions showing the cops his press credentials. All major cities issue them. That way when you show up for a news thing, you can prove to the cops on duty you are a news person or a photographer.
Lots of cops know all the news media people so it is no problem. But cops who do not work out of the main office or city hall may not know you at all.
To cover a VP or President you need White House Press credentials. If you want to cover a local VP visit you have to get credentials from the Secret Service before hand. They don't want a "Jack Ruby type" to be able to kill a President or Vice President by pretending to be a news person.
When I was a working broadcaster, my news directors and I all had local city, state and white house press credentials. All my news people has local city, and state credentials.
If this Dude was sent out by a paper to be a press photographer with no press credentials he was a set up to get a poor oppressed news man story.
Since Jack Ruby killed Oswald, it has been SOP everywhere... you have to have credentials. It is like a drivers license. Don't try to cover elected officials without one.
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