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ACLU Sues LA County Sheriff’s Department For Harassing Photographers
One photographer was detained for photographing a subway turnstile and accused of being in cahoots with Al-Qaeda.Another photographer was detained for photographing a courthouse and investigated for terrorist activity.
And another photographer was detained for photographing refineries at night and placed in the back of a police car for 45 minutes.
Now all three men are suing the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for unlawfully detaining them for the legal act of taking photos.
The ACLU filed the suit today on behalf of photographers Shawn Nee, Greggory Moore and Shane Quentin, who were detained in the above incidents.
Be sure to watch that video. More.
5 Responses to “ACLU Sues LA County Sheriff’s Department For Harassing Photographers”
Wow, that video sounds like the times I’ve been stopped for taking photos. It’s about time someone challenges this.
Interesting. In one sense there are two sides to this incident, afterall, the intent of the photographers was in fact to provoke a negative police response. That said, the response was indeed clumsy, uninformed, and there was a clear attempt to intimidate.
“Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said public safety requires that deputies question people who might be engaging in suspicious activity, but that it’s important they do it respectfully.”
I have no problem with a deputy asking questions, but over-stepping authority is not acceptable, and the rights of citizens must be respected. We aren’t supposed to be living in a police state.
I encountered a cop like this once when riding. He stopped me for no justifiable reason. I was riding a sportbike with full face helmet and black leathers (which may be enough to attract police attention in some quarters) and I was riding well within the rules of traffic. He tried to say I was passing on the right, when in fact I was coasting past the cars on my left because I was in a turn lane and had a green arrow. The cop was clearly wrong, but when I wouldn’t agree with him he became increasingly belligerent and threatening. I’ve met some really good cops too, and I respect the profession, but there are also (sorry to say) some goons out there who seem more interested in throwing their weight around than in knowing what their job is and isn’t.
I’ve known 6 cops outside of their profession. Friends, spouses of friends, acquaintances, etc.
Half were major league a-holes, people with no ethical fiber. One fenced stolen goods, one beat his wife, one just had the personality of a land troll.
The other three were the nicest guys you could imagine. Sure, they were hardened by being cops, but still had decent hearts and could be wholly relied on.
Go figure.
In a book I have written (yet to be published) I comment, “As so often happens, those who have little authority try to use much more than they have while those who have a lot of authority are loathe to use it unless really necessary.”
What a jackass that cop is. I love it when people talk down to you and don’t even know what they are talking about. Especially if they have a badge.