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The Supreme Court - say you can film police - case closed even in Illinois -

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posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 04:49 PM
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Good News Everybody - they took 3 steps into facism and took one step back.. what can you say - at least they gave us a minor victory - maybe we should make it a point to show the police our cameras at every opportunity now.


The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the Cook County state's attorney to allow enforcement of a law prohibiting people from recording police officers on the job.

The justices on Monday left in place a lower court ruling that found that the state's anti-eavesdropping law violates free speech rights when used against people who tape law enforcement officers.

Related

Cook County State¿s Attorney Anita Alvarez at a news conference in June. Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune
Full text of ruling on Illinois police recording law
The law set out a maximum prison term of 15 years.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in 2010 against Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to block prosecution of ACLU staff for recording police officers performing their duties in public places, one of the group's long-standing monitoring missions.

Opponents of the law say the right to record police is vital to guard against abuses.

Last May, a federal appeals court in Chicago ruled that the law “likely violates” the First Amendment and ordered that authorities be banned from enforcing it.

The appeals court agreed with the ACLU that the "Illinois eavesdropping statute restricts far more speech than necessary to protect legitimate privacy interests.”

The appeals court ruling came weeks before the NATO summit when thousands of people armed with smart phones and video cameras demonstrated in the city. Officials had already announced that they would not enforce the law against summit protesters.

Public debate over the law had been simmering since last summer.

In August of 2011, a Cook County jury acquitted a woman who had been charged with recording Chicago police internal affairs investigators she believed were trying to dissuade her from filing a sexual harassment complaint against a patrol officer.

Judges in Cook and Crawford counties later declared the law unconstitutional, and the McLean County state's attorney cited flaws in the law when he dropped charges this past February against a man accused of recording an officer during a traffic stop.

Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, said the organization was "pleased that the Supreme Court has refused to take this appeal. . .The ACLU of Illinois continues to believe that in order to make the rights of free expression and petition effective, individuals and organizations must be able to freely gather and record information about the conduct of government and their agents – especially the police. The advent and widespread accessibility of new technologies make the recording and dissemination of pictures and sound inexpensive, efficient and easy to accomplish."




edit on 26-11-2012 by 1BornPatriot because: (no reason given)

edit on 26-11-2012 by 1BornPatriot because: (no reason given)

edit on 26-11-2012 by 1BornPatriot because: (no reason given)

edit on 26-11-2012 by 1BornPatriot because: (no reason given)




 

Mod Edit: Link format - Jak
edit on 26/11/12 by JAK because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 04:54 PM
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ah, thank god!
Second line.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 04:56 PM
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This is amazingly great news. Any accountability that can be used to keep power in check is welcome in my opinion.

Thank you supreme court.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 05:03 PM
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I guess that, this time, for Justice we didn't have to call Don Corleon.

I'm glad the court made this decision...

And btw this quote on that page is awesome.


If the police are not planning to commit any crimes or abuse, they have nothing to be afraid of.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 05:43 PM
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That's great news! If everyone brought a video camera with them everywhere (becoming quite likely with the rise of these 50-functions-in-one IPhone things), I bet the police would think twice about acting like the playground bully.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 05:47 PM
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Do you really think this will actually stop many power tripping cops from making arrests against people who film them? Highly unlikely. There will be many who will continue to ignore the laws and do whatever they want.
They will still act like they are Gods walking the earth and continue to abuse their power at will. This means nothing. If they can fine you, arrest you and hold you for as long as they can all the while insulting, intimidating, and harassing they will, regardless of what the law says. Just watch how many more cases of police abuse regarding filming will happen over the next month.
Most of these low brow, bottom feeder, uneducated cops don't even know half the laws they are sworn to uphold. All they care about is the power they think they have and the way it makes them feel. Remember most of these people have very low self esteem that's why they became cops in the first place to feel powerful and to control because in their normal lives they have no power or control over anything. They couldn't care a less about law's, they work for the system and the system protects them, not us.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 06:13 PM
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reply to post by mark1167
 


You also have the power of arrest. You can arrest a police officer and you can do what you have to to carry out the arrest. Would be good if a group did it. The only risk in groups standing up for themselves is that it can create a them vs us mentality.

LEO started that quite some time ago. I have said before, the next round of occupy demonstrations deed everyone armed. If a truncheon wielding moron comes towards you with intent, level a 40cal at him and say "Make my day."

This is why you have the second amendment. You are supposed to do this.

P



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 06:26 PM
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It's funny cause everytime I see a police incident regardless if there is a confrontation and they are there just do there just cause, I always film them. I don't know why but after seeing all the vids we see, after having been on the end of a your word against mine situation, I make sure I record all interactions, be it for myself, or any other citizen who may have to deal with our "enforcement officers" Long ago I used to like the police but they have done a good job of making me distrust their every move now. Not a good one left where I live.....


SaneThinking



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 06:42 PM
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reply to post by pheonix358
 





You can arrest a police officer and you can do what you have to to carry out the arrest.


I admire your optimism and wish the world we lived in allowed for such actions, but please show me one example of where and when this has actually happened.
It hasn't and I dare anyone to try.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 06:50 PM
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reply to post by grey580
 


interesting - how do you arrest a police officer is the question .... YouTube had these examples - if you want to call them that... I firmly believe they are above the law - as you know there is a code blue you have to over come.





humm, lots of city police arresting their own for various crimes - but I see evidence of a average citizen taking such an action.

edit on 26-11-2012 by 1BornPatriot because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 07:00 PM
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Took them long enough. Filming police doesn't even fit the definition of eavesdropping.
Also the point about police thinking twice about abuse isn't realistic. They've never cared about cameras before and also when they really go over the line they can always arrest the person filming them on some bogus charge and make the footage disappear.



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 07:02 PM
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reply to post by 1BornPatriot
 


A group of people leveling .270cal hunting rifles at them would do the job. Would help if one or two were lawyers. The point is that just a few of these events across the US would change the dynamics entirely.

Could you imagine an occupy party where everyone has scoped hunting rifles and many are wearing there ex military insignia. When the Cops yell at you to put down your weapons, you yell back the details of the second amendment. They can not demand that you put down your weapons. The entire concept of the second is to put the citizens in a position of being able to SHOOT BACK.

This shift in paradigm is very necessary. Instead of the odd person walking around armed we need hundreds doing it. When the population is back in charge and powerful enough to tell cops to 'bugger off' you will get your freedoms back.

It is the people who believe that their freedoms are being taken from them.

As you believe, so do you act!

Believe differently and you will behave differently.

P

edit on 26/11/2012 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 07:07 PM
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I live in Illinois
That's fantastic news.
Thank you for posting that!!!



posted on Nov, 26 2012 @ 07:46 PM
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www.infowars.com...

Watch this video and tell me cops give a crap about laws regarding filming. They don't, they mock us and our rights. They know they will get away with it no matter what. " The department will investigate it internally". What a joke. These freaks are supposed to serve and protect us? Ya right....



posted on Nov, 29 2012 @ 03:56 PM
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good, its only fair we film them, since there are millions of cameras filming us.



posted on Nov, 29 2012 @ 04:32 PM
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Civilian Gives Cop A Ticket -- and it WORKS!







And here's a great example of why we need the power to tape cops:

Cop freaks out over refusal to search. (this one is minor compared to some I've seen, but given the scary demeanor of the cop, I believe it could have gone worse.)




Cop threatens to kill a civilian when he doesn't alert the cop to his conceal carry card (the guy tried but the cop kept cutting him off. This does not show the whole exchange, though I've seen it before)




etc etc...




posted on Nov, 30 2012 @ 04:27 AM
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reply to post by 1BornPatriot
 


Dont be a D . Not every police officer is abusive. Make use of the cam when appropriate.




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