I recently discovered this new fad on youtube - people with youtube channels who travel the country calling themselves independent news media exercising their constitutional rights with video cameras in public. They go inside local/state/fed gov buildings and start filming - police dept, post office, courthouses, jails, even state capitals, gov contractors. Basically, they are shit disturbers who make a mockery of exercising their rights under the guise of being news media, constitutional rights activists, and public service media. They are well versed on the laws, including varying state laws and can cite court rulings, and never break the law. They go into publicly accessible areas filming while being mysterious when questioned on what and why are the filming. It eventually leads to the cops being called and the showdown with police. I've watched a bunch of them. I find them entertaining, funny, informative, and thought provoking.
Most public employees don't know that it is legal to film in any public accessible area and the auditors will only give enough information on what they are doing to avoid trespassing, loitering, and interfering with business. People freak out when being filmed and the people filming give very little information.Sometimes employees and public bystanders will claim they don't give the filmers permission to film them - I learned we have no right to expectation of privacy in public. The auditors just say they are working on a news story and exercising their freedom of the press constitutional rights. Eventually the police are called and the confrontation is filmed.
That's when it gets interesting. These guys have won lawsuits and settlements, and have caused police officers and public employees to be sued and lose their jobs for being assaulted, illegally detained, and unlawfully arrested. These guys know the law better than some cops. For instance, the first thing cops will always do is ask for an ID. They refuse. Laws vary from state to state, but there are only 4 "ID on demand in public" states in the US (doesn't include while driving). Most states require that the cops have a reasonable suspicion that someone is in the process of committing a crime, about to commit a crime, or has committed a crime (MO law). They cite a supreme court ruling that a camera and filming in public is not a cause to be detained for suspicion of a crime. The cops will say they are responding to a call for suspicious activity and demand ID. The auditors will say they are independent news media working on a story, and under no obligation to give ID, press credentials, answer questions on what their story is about, and argue that they are not breaking any laws, and don't back down. They practically beg the cops to arrest them.
Most of these auditors bait the office employees and police into a confrontation, and have their lawyers on standby. One guy doing this is in his 50s and he does his thing being courteous and respectful until someone else amps it up. Some of them are just A holes, but they know the law. Not wanting to sound anti police, but they do expose how some cops immediately escalate to intimidation and bullying, and either don't know the law or just enforce their personal will on the public.
It's kind of funny when some of the tough guy cops find out they are wrong and get owned, and the filmers give them grief.
Again, I'm not anti cop, but I have a problem with a cop on a power trip. I've always been a Yes SIr No Sir guy with police, but I'm sure most of us have had a run in with a cop who acted like a tough guy when uncalled for. My most recent was with a game warden about 10 yrs ago who thought I was poaching and I was legal. What a dick!
Besides offices and buildings, they also film police traffic stops, wrecks, prisons, military facilities, and even random businesses, and they stay on public sidewalks and easements, or anywhere public accessible. There's cameras dang near everywhere we go now, but being filmed in public freaks most people out.
Just youtube search "First Amendment Audit" and there's thousands out there. Not sure how youtube works but I know these guys have their own channels that you can subscribe to and I think they make a little money based off their number of subscribers.
An example,,,
Most public employees don't know that it is legal to film in any public accessible area and the auditors will only give enough information on what they are doing to avoid trespassing, loitering, and interfering with business. People freak out when being filmed and the people filming give very little information.Sometimes employees and public bystanders will claim they don't give the filmers permission to film them - I learned we have no right to expectation of privacy in public. The auditors just say they are working on a news story and exercising their freedom of the press constitutional rights. Eventually the police are called and the confrontation is filmed.
That's when it gets interesting. These guys have won lawsuits and settlements, and have caused police officers and public employees to be sued and lose their jobs for being assaulted, illegally detained, and unlawfully arrested. These guys know the law better than some cops. For instance, the first thing cops will always do is ask for an ID. They refuse. Laws vary from state to state, but there are only 4 "ID on demand in public" states in the US (doesn't include while driving). Most states require that the cops have a reasonable suspicion that someone is in the process of committing a crime, about to commit a crime, or has committed a crime (MO law). They cite a supreme court ruling that a camera and filming in public is not a cause to be detained for suspicion of a crime. The cops will say they are responding to a call for suspicious activity and demand ID. The auditors will say they are independent news media working on a story, and under no obligation to give ID, press credentials, answer questions on what their story is about, and argue that they are not breaking any laws, and don't back down. They practically beg the cops to arrest them.
Most of these auditors bait the office employees and police into a confrontation, and have their lawyers on standby. One guy doing this is in his 50s and he does his thing being courteous and respectful until someone else amps it up. Some of them are just A holes, but they know the law. Not wanting to sound anti police, but they do expose how some cops immediately escalate to intimidation and bullying, and either don't know the law or just enforce their personal will on the public.
It's kind of funny when some of the tough guy cops find out they are wrong and get owned, and the filmers give them grief.
Again, I'm not anti cop, but I have a problem with a cop on a power trip. I've always been a Yes SIr No Sir guy with police, but I'm sure most of us have had a run in with a cop who acted like a tough guy when uncalled for. My most recent was with a game warden about 10 yrs ago who thought I was poaching and I was legal. What a dick!
Besides offices and buildings, they also film police traffic stops, wrecks, prisons, military facilities, and even random businesses, and they stay on public sidewalks and easements, or anywhere public accessible. There's cameras dang near everywhere we go now, but being filmed in public freaks most people out.
Just youtube search "First Amendment Audit" and there's thousands out there. Not sure how youtube works but I know these guys have their own channels that you can subscribe to and I think they make a little money based off their number of subscribers.
An example,,,
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