Below is my column today in USA Today on the Boston bombing and the call for new security laws and expanded surveillance. I have been doing interviews trying to caution against these calls for immediate action — a mantra that we hear after every attack no matter the cause. I am in Chicago today and was struck by how quickly Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel called for more surveillance cameras in a city with one of the largest surveillance systems in the United States.
For civil libertarians, all terrorist attacks come in two equally predictable parts.
First, there is the terrorist attack itself — a sad reality of our modern life. Second, comes the inevitable explosion of politicians calling for new security measures and surveillance. We brace ourselves for this secondary blow, which generally comes before we even fully know what occurred in an attack or how it was allowed to occur.
Politicians need to be seen as actively protecting public safety and the easiest way is to add surveillance, reduce privacy and expand the security state. What they are not willing to discuss is the impossibility of detecting and deterring all attacks. The suggestion is that more security measures translate to more public safety. The fact is that even the most repressive nations with the most abusive security services, places such as China and Iran, have not been able to stop terrorist acts.
While police were still combing through the wreckage from the Boston Marathon, politicians ran to cameras to pledge more security measures and surveillance. Indeed, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel demanded more cameras in response to the Boston attack. Chicago already is one of the most surveilled cities in the United States. Emanuel’s solution: add some more. It is a perfectly Pavlovian response of politicians eager to appear as champions of public safety.
We need to resist the calls for a greater security state and put this attack into perspective. These two brothers built homemade bombs with over-the-counter pressure cookers. They placed the devices in one of the most surveilled areas of Boston with an abundance of police and cameras. There is only so much that a free nation can do to avoid such an attack. Two men walked in a crowd and put two bags down on the ground shortly before detonation.
No one is seriously questioning the value of having increased surveillance and police at major events. That was already the case with the Boston Marathon. However, privacy is dying in the United States by a thousand papercuts from countless new laws and surveillance systems. Before we plunge ahead in creating a fishbowl society of surveillance, we might want to ask whether such new measures or devices will actually make us safer or just make us appear safer.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and a member of USA TODAY’s board of contributors.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/lindsey-graham-bombing-boston-suspect_n_3118731.html He won’t be held as an enemy combatant as some wish but he won’t be Mirandized either…… typical Obama administration behavior.
What Gene said that wishbone said….
Here is my hope: For once in the evolution of mankind, those with the power will see the great(er) significance of ethics, then that they make an evaluation of ethics that puts the overall good of mankind ahead of the immediate good of those with the power. Those that control the communications, not through economic means, but by technological means, might be able to undertake a thought process in the application of their skills/power at a new level than has been applied by past leaders, merely because of the much greater world wide information almost immediately available, thereby providing greater data for the determination of all of those affected, how they are affected and what is the better good applied to the entire spectrum of those who are sharing this planet. (I know, dream on, but watch what communication will achieve, by accident or on purpose.) In the case of surveillance, maybe folks create some protective measures as to application, but first there will be important, life changing, misapplications of the data, hopefully resolved by litigation, but only after impact is felt.
“A Justice Department official says the Boston Marathon bombing suspect will not be read his Miranda rights because the government is invoking a public safety exception.” – (Huffington Post).
In the Polizeistaat, “Rights” are what the Polizei chose to allow – or not. Or the “Justice Department.”
“Rights” — how quaint …
I think history will show that the Boston attack was the tipping point that ushered in the widespread use of domestic drones by the national security state.
For those who have not seen just how detailed and powerful the tracking capabilities are of these devices, consider the NOVA show earlier this year “Rise of the Drones”. For a brief intro and demonstration of just how sophisticated the imaging is, watch from 30:30 for 5 minutes.
“We’re on lockdown…”, but:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/dunkin-donuts-stays-open-_n_3116787.html?1366392991
Excerpt:
Dunkin’ Donuts In Certain Boston Areas Stay Open To Serve Police During City Lockdown
Posted: 04/19/2013 1:36 pm EDT
On Friday afternoon, a handful of Dunkin’ Donuts stores remained open in the Boston area to serve coffee and donuts, despite the widespread lockdown of the city and surrounding areas. Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer for Dunkin’ Brands, said the orders to remain open came from the city.
“At the direction of authorities, select Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the Boston area are open to take care of needs of law enforcement and first responders,” Raskopf told The Huffington Post in an emailed statement.
BuzzFeed first reported the news on Friday morning that many outlets were still open, noting the city’s reputed affection for the national donut chain. However, in neighboring Watertown, some Dunkin’ Donuts were ordered to close by late morning, according to two stores contacted by The Huffington Post.
Surya Thapa, owner of a Dunkin’ Donuts store on Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown said he was ordered to close around 11 a.m. He said the loss of business could cost him as much as $4,000 to $5,000 for the day. Despite the loss of business on Friday, Thapa said he supported closing down his shop. “I cannot risk my employees’ safety,” he said.
When asked about safety concerns at the stores that are open, Raskopf said, “The select open restaurants in the Boston area are those in areas with a heavy law enforcement concentration in order to serve first responders. We have been in touch with the authorities regarding which restaurants to have open and closed.”
In downtown Boston, most restaurants were shuttered at Friday lunch hour.
One dining institution, however, was open for business. When contacted by The Huffington Post, Wesley Hagan, an employee at the Union Oyster House, confirmed that the restaurant was open on Friday and the oyster bar was stocked. Hagan said the restaurant had not been ordered to close.
“People still need to eat,” he said.
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Not that I would ever begrudge a guy (or gal) a “donut”…, but…
“…we have more CCTV cameras per square mile than most places on the planet,” he says. -John Biggs, London Assembly Member
London Marathon organizers pledge to keep calm and carry on
http://news.yahoo.com/london-marathon-organizers-pledge-keep-calm-carry-142140573.html
Excerpt:
John Biggs, London Assembly Member for the constituency of City and East, where a large part of the race is run, says spectators and athletes will be overseen by an increased security presence.
“There will be more police officers on duty and we have more CCTV cameras per square mile than most places on the planet,” he says.
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And let me say it again. It’s already worse than many know or believe.
What wishbone said.
The Boston event will be another excuse to ratchet up surveillance, dump more money into Homeland Security for armored personnel carriers and weaponry and we lose a little bit more of our freedom once again.
Every time some criminal or crazy person (or both) commits a horrendous act (9/11, Sandy Hook, Boston Marathon) there is someone from the right (Dick Cheney) or left (Diane Feinstein) who wants to restrict our freedoms. Since there is an unlimited supply of bad people out there it is clear that ultimately we will have to live in chains for our own protection. We need to “Keep Calm and Carry On”.
Firstly, As you should know, Cicero is it’s own little corrupt city and not part of Chicago. I have never read about Cicero Police having video cameras, they may or may not; I don’t know The ACLU and Northwestern University have papers online complaining about the placement of surveillance cameras in poor neighborhoods. There’s an article in the SF Chronicle dated 9/23/07 titled, “Cameras Survey Chicago’s Toughest blocks, But Do They Reduce Crime.” There are many more articles, a more recent one in the Wall Street Journal also talks about cameras in the inner city of Chicago. The cameras are mounted on telephone poles and stand alone poles high enough to make it difficult to spray paint. The cameras also have audio programmed to pick up gunshots and automatically ring the closest police station. Maybe you simply weren’t looking in the right places last summer? But, I tend to agree that these cameras are only good @ solving crimes. They may have some deterrence but probably not much. When some 18 year old gangbanger, who is not very bright and full of testosterone, decides to shoot someone dead, he won’t think about cameras. It might help convict him, but that doesn’t do much for the victim or family. Patrols help stop crime, but those are for white folk.
I meant to say to prevent crime in a high crime area.
Is not Chicago one of those towns where they prosecute you the citizen for taking videos of the cops? The blog here needs; to address the right of us citizens to photograph the igPays in all phases of their activities except for possibly when they go into the outhouse. The videos need to immediatley stream up into the Cloud where the opCay cant seize the camera and ruin the video or film or electronic device which holds the video stream. Rodney King. Remember that? The opCays were beating him and the film got out and riots broke out. We need more videos and more riots. Especially in ChiTown.
What…
… No Patriot Act yet?
The police have over 8000 cameras located throughout the city @ last count. Additionally, earlier this year, The CTA in conjunction w/ the Chicago Police network, have begun installing cameras on all platforms and stations along w/ cameras on trains. You can google it and read extensively, or you can just dig in your heels. And, I have worked in the southside and westside neighborhoods. There aren’t many businesses in those neighborhoods and the businesses that do operate there have zero clout. And, if you know anything about Chicago, IT’S ALL ABOUT CLOUT. The poor citizens of the south and westside get cameras for their neighborhoods, which the good people like; but they don’t get the patrols, which they desperately need. That’s for the white folk.
Nick S.,
8000 cameras located where? Until you can show me an article, census tract data, etc., showing that at least half of these cameras are located in neighborhoods of the south & west side of Chicago, then I will agree with you. And yes, I have relatives who live on the southside, off of halstead. I also have relatives who live in Cicero. I was there last summer, no cameras in both neighborhoods, but plenty of gunshots after 9pm during the summers.
John,
Why would you not try a method to prevent crime in a high area? If it doesn’t work, then remove them. Please don’t compare construction workers being killed on the job with a 14 year being shot to death while waiting for a bus.
RWL & Randy Jet…so you don’t mind camera’s as long as they aren’t used against you…LoL
Chicago got 3 vans to check speeds at construction zones, they claimed a average of 7500 construction people a year were killed, as the reason for the speed traps.
I thought it was interesting, so I checked up on their claim…which turned out to be accurate…BUT! What they didn’t tell you was that half of those 7500 construction workers were killed by their own people!!
So if their claims to lower deaths was true, did they get 3 vans for OSHA to check construction sites? (Or was it just for revenue?) Guess…LoL
Drug confiscation laws were passed to seize drug profits, but police took BILLIONS from people, 85% were never arrested or charged with any crime! Hmmmm
My point being, no matter WHAT they tell you, if there is a law…(or device they say is to catch criminals) they will USE IT AGAINST ANYONE!!
I’d like to know if you’d be ok to ‘chip’ people, cause it will only be used against criminals….and if you believe that…
After seeing the 911 building blown up I have been waiting for the next big event…I even predicted that it would be used to further our domestic police state…
But they will need more to get the kind of restrictive laws they want…so you can expect more…
The siren call of Google Glass is that we can have crowdsourced video of all this stuff for Reddit to analyse combined with advertising in the frames. It’s a win-win!
…Unless you’ve been tagged while being a teenager and everyone assumes ( or needs to) that you never matured. Or something.
Nick S,
The cameras are located are the businesses on the south & west side of the Windy City, not the neighborhoods. But I am willingly to back down if you provide me with proof stating other wise.
Randyjet,
100% in agreement! Many of the current cameras in the City of Chicago are downtown or around banks, schools, and other financial institutions. You could probably count on 1 hand how many cameras are located in neighborhoods on the South & West side of the Windy City (where most of the criminal activity occurs).