Brad Williams has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago police department after he said he was beaten by police in response to his filming an officer holding and dragging a man outside of his squad car.
As we have seen in other cases, one of the officers falsely told Williams that citizens were not allowed to film police officers in public, according to the complaint.
He said that he was handcuffed and grabbed by the throat in the encounter. His mother was injured after she says that an officer caused her to stumble to the ground.
The eight-count suit claims excessive force, false arrest and imprisonment.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit became the latest court in a recent decision to rule that police efforts to bar such videotaping is a violation of the First Amendment. That case involved Boston attorney Simon Glik, who was arrested for recording another arrest in public. We discussed the case earlier.
These cases continue to occur because officers are not disciplined for such abuses. Most such threats probably succeed and other cases are simply dropped with no action taken against officers. In the meantime, city council members and state legislators have done little to protect the public from such violations.
Source: WLSam
I don’t drop many remarks, however i did a few searching and
wound up here Chicago Police Allegedly Beat Up Man Who Videotaped
Them Dragging Man Outside of Squad Car | JONATHAN TURLEY.
And I do have a couple of questions for you if you usually do not mind.
Is it just me or does it seem like some of these responses look like they are written by brain dead folks?
😛 And, if you are writing at other places, I would
like to follow anything fresh you have to post.
Would you list of every one of your communal pages like your twitter feed, Facebook
page or linkedin profile?
Appears to me that if the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals did not rule the same as in the matter of Glik. Then these matters should be addressed in the U.S. Supreme Court to settle it once and for all. But commonsense should tell you that because a guy pins on a piece of metal and says I’m the law. Beats you up for video recording him then he’s not qualified to walk down the same street as an idiot.
In another interesting First Amendment case…
“Supreme Court Rules First Amendment Does Not Apply To Annoying Man”
http://theonion.com/video/supreme-court-rules-first-amendment-does-not-apply,21161/
Illinois is in the Seventh circuit, not the First, but I wonder if anyone is actually being charged under the Illinois Wiretapping law? I would think that actually pursuing such a charge would result in it being appealed in the same way the other case was (from Boston?). Unless there is some substantial difference in the IL law from the other one that was overturned by the First Circuit or some substantial difference in the details of the case, I’d be surprised if the Seventh Circuit didn’t rule the same way as the First.
It’d be cool if a judge ordered the Chicago PD to prominently place bumperstickers on their patrol cars saying something like “IT’S LEGAL TO VIDEOTAPE US! / We Welcome Your Help”
We must halt the Police State of tyranny, corruption and brutality that is becoming the norm in this country.
From the beating death of the homeless Kelly Thomas in Fullerton, to the planned execution of the innocent Troy Davis and now this – things have gotten Too Far out of Control.
They work for us and we need to remind them of such!
Mr. Turley, Please sign the Petition to save Troy Davis from Execution?
http://www.change.org/petitions/7-of-9-witnesses-say-my-brother-is-innocent-stop-troy-davis-execution-on-sep-21?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=goPCTbusWf_sOZfmrPUTC
What up wid dat Rahm ?
Motorcyclist rescued from fiery crash
I would MUCH rather see cops having fun at a West Indian parade than beating the hell out of people. I hope that more people will be inspired to tape cops acting badly as a result of these cases.
AY,
You may be right that it might be a distinction without a difference. I suspect that the City will try to settle the suit quietly, but it would be nice to see it get to a jury.
Here’s the other extreme,this just happened:”
Video: Cops Dry-Hump, Dirty Dance With Revelers At West Indian Day Parade:
“Some may remember this month’s West Indian-American Day Carnival for the gunfire, others for the delicious food and festive costumes. After watching this video, we’ll probably associate it with cops grinding and bumping up against scantily-clad revelers’ backsides. Don’t miss the 1:06 minute mark, when an eager young police officer really gets down with the “daggering”:
http://gothamist.com/2011/09/12/video_cops_daggering_raunchily_at_w.php
So many things have gone on with these situations had it not been recorded so many cases would have went by the wayside.
One case here in the Northeast:
“Another Critical Mass ride, another stunning display of police brutality. Watch as one of New York’s finest violently shoves a cyclist off his bicycle, launching him through the air to the curb at 46th street and Seventh Avenue during Friday night’s monthly Critical Mass ride.”
http://gothamist.com/2008/07/28/cop_caught_on_video_assaulting_cycl.php
A national education ad on this topic should be made (by the ACLU?) and run repeatedly in order to broadly educate the public and police about the actual legality and rights of citizens to record police actions in public situations.
Blouise,
I think that this is an issue that will be decided by the Sct….It has to be the recording of cops in an official capacity is unlawful….The recording of cops committing illegal acts is an exception to the recording statute in IL…And if it is Chicago….it is a distinction without a difference…..
If a police officer is doing something that inspires others to videotape him/her then one can be pretty certain said officer will lie, cheat, or beat you you in order to stop the taping. Thugs are thugs even if they have conned their way onto a police force.
If I recall in Illinois law, audio recordings are illegal unless everyone involved has consented…..now beating the hell out of someone is totally different……
Woman acquitted of recording Chicago cops
CHICAGO, Aug. 25 (UPI) — Jurors acquitted a woman who used her BlackBerry to record two Chicago police officers secretly, with one saying jurors saw the charges as “a waste of time
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/08/25/Woman-acquitted-of-recording-Chicago-cops/UPI-37731314330129/#ixzz1XpkuJlWP
Let’s see.. the case will probably be dismissed, or the officers in question will get a ‘penalty’ of 3 weeks off with pay or so…