Sidewalk Freedom

2bfree

ACLU Sues Los Angeles Police For Harassing Photographers For Taking Photos With No Apparent Aesthetic Value. I hope this case goes well, police harassing photographers is nonsense that doesn't make anyone any safer.

Sail

I was just thinking about how it's been quite a while since the last time the LAPD did something crazy. Guess I jumped the gun a little bit.

highdefinition

the LAPD are just really concerned about the low quality of flickr accounts

Churba

the LAPD are just really concerned about the low quality of flickr accounts

The composition of this is terrible, citizen. You need to center your subject in the frame, and focus properly. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, I want to see your shutter speed and aperture set correctly, or I'm gonna have to issue you a ticket.

2bfree

Wow, I didn't realize it has gotten this bad in NYC. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/opinion/sunday/young-black-and-frisked-by-the-nypd.html

Cops jumping out of nowhere with the badge numbers covered up with tape, guns drawn and no probable cause is bullshit.

Rym

That's hardly specific to New York.

SquadronROE

I also seem to recall there being a lot of very specific case law dealing with the stop and search issue, I think it even went up to some high level courts. If my memory serves correctly, the terminology at play isn't "probably cause" but "reasonable suspicion" or something like that. Meaning that as long as the cop is vaguely suspicious, you can be searched.

Personally, I'm not a fan, but I'd have to re-read the cases to be sure to form any substantial opinion on the subject. It's one of those incredibly tricky issues for police to navigate, and one that often gets trodden upon.

ninjarabbi

From what I understand in at least some parts of New York there are some bullshit laws that allow cops to search just about anyone for any reason without probably cause.

GreatTeacherMacRoss

There were some pot-related laws in NYC that stated that anyone could be stopped for basically being poor and black or latino, frisked for drugs, and if the cops found drugs, they could then arrest that person.
I'm generalizing and glossing over some things, but basically a NYC politician made sure that that was not legal any more. If any officer just grabs someone and frisks them, that's illegal search and seizure and you can sue.

ninjarabbi

They still have the frisk anyone law as far as I know, but from what I understand the cops were making the weed arrests stronger charges than they had to be. The law stated that if you were in possession of marijuana then you'd have to pay a fine, but if you had it in plain sight you'd automatically get arrested. The police were making them take out the weed into plain sight so they could give them worse charges. They made that illegal because its so fucked up.

KapitänTim

I'm generalizing and glossing over some things, but basically a NYC politician made sure that that was not legal any more. If any officer just grabs someone and frisks them, that's illegal search and seizure and you can sue.

Really all a cop has to do is say you are acting suspicious. Hell, they can ask to search you, and if you deny that can be considered suspicious.

2bfree

"Last week a federal jury in Oregon awarded damages to an environmental activist who sued the city of Eugene after a police officer seized his video camera and arrested him for wiretapping." http://reason.com/blog/2012/01/30/federal-jury-says-cops-cant-arrest-peopl

Glad to see some sanity.

johndis

I wonder if the US govts descent into neoliberalism is spawning a sort of war against the rights of its non-corporate citizens, and if laws like this and bills like the NDAA signal a future of militarized control over the majority of citizens (who would sort of be wards of the state).