New at Reason
From our May issue, Jesse Walker looks at the growing ranks of dissidents defending human rights with video cameras and Internet connections.
Comments to "New at Reason":
Ali | April 16, 2008, 9:32pm | #
Good article. Thanks Jesse.I am not entirely sure that these officers that make and release the videos do it for the sake of freedom and liberty. May be some do, but suspect there are other insincere (related to corruption) motives.
Erÿk Boston, Pre-Esq. | April 16, 2008, 9:55pm | #
As long as the police don't arrest the posters for >insert ridiculously vague chargeErÿk Boston, Pre-Esq. | April 16, 2008, 9:56pm | #
As long as the police don't arrest the posters for (insert ridiculously vague charge). Big brother doesn't like getting watched much. Still, it is good to see when such effort work.The really disturbing thing is that I've no doubt a few sick fucks watch the site for enjoyment.
Jesse Walker | April 16, 2008, 10:14pm | #
I am not entirely sure that these officers that make and release the videos do it for the sake of freedom and liberty.They do not. But then they fall into the hands of people with nobler motives. (For a useful comparison, think of the Abu Ghraib photos.)
Ali | April 16, 2008, 10:16pm | #
They do not. But then they fall into the hands of people with nobler motives. (For a useful comparison, think of the Abu Ghraib photos.)Most certainly.
Ali | April 16, 2008, 10:21pm | #
But then they fall into the hands of people with nobler motives.Including neo-connish hands? You know, those Egyptians, as can be seen from the videos, need some freein, too. No?
What a crude awakening from me trying to get my cool on at pitchfork.tv. Thanks for the heads up.
Terrorific | April 17, 2008, 3:05am | #
Great article, but why make us run around getting the links to this stuff ourselves? this is the internet after all....Dave W. | April 17, 2008, 9:06am | #
For a useful comparison, think of the Abu Ghraib photos.And how many of those we haven't yet seen and probably never will.
Dave, it sounds like The Hub is the perfect place for you to launch your upcoming documentary about Archer Daniels Midland. Didn't you say you had brutal footage of them force-feeding children HFCS-laden Pepsi and their lawyers beating sugar producers to death?
In the near future we'll all be wearing miniature live-feed cameras, broadcasting to the world our every exhibitionist move. That's a good hedge against state abuse, and it will eventually supplant scripted "reality" television. Surveillance of everyone, at all times, by everyone.
The Guy Under the Seats | April 17, 2008, 10:09am | #
Never forget I'm here under the seats, watching you, always. I'll be back, Mr. Big Shot ed, to make your life a living hell.Josef Dzhugashvili | April 17, 2008, 11:49am | #
Pointing out the human rights abuses only works with governments that give a damn about public or world opinion. If they don't care, it's hard to make them change. Myanmar is a good current example, as is China some days. When push comes to shove, 7.62 trumps NTSC every time.Regis Carnifex | April 17, 2008, 12:31pm | #
I liked this article a lot. There are a couple of things I would have liked to read more about, although I realize they may have fallen outside the scope of this article (i.e., not about the Hub).(1) What about domestic citizen-surveillance activity? I'm thinking about incidents and organizations that have emerged since the Rodney King beating was caught on tape (CopWatch, for example, is a favorite).
(2) I've heard weird reports about people videotaping the cops in the US and being charged under anti-wiretapping laws because they recorded audio. What's up with that? I've always wanted to know how that could happen.
Dave W. | April 17, 2008, 1:36pm | #
I've heard weird reports about people videotaping the cops in the US and being charged under anti-wiretapping laws because they recorded audio. What's up with that? I've always wanted to know how that could happen.Prosecutors weren't doing well on those cases in court, especially the Pennsylvania one involving Brian somebody or other, so that tactic has been put on the back burner by the police lest they get some actually authoritative, unfavorable precedents. One problem is that the state with the strongest anti-secret-recording law is also a state that believes in keeping the police in line. That state would be California.
I think that the next hot issue will be on this front:
- photographer photographs police misconduct
- police want to seize camera as "evidence" of crime
- photographer flees to avoid turning over camera
- police charge "failure to obey lawful order" for first footstep of chase
- police charge "resisting arrest" for all subsequent footsteps of the chase
In theory, it seems like police could make these charges, but I really don't know how a court will look at it. I think this scenario will begin to come up on a monthly basis soon.
JLE | April 17, 2008, 2:31pm | #
I don't know about anyone else, but on The Hub site I got quite a bit of "page not found" (for subscribe to RSS) and "this video is no longer available" for Egypt torture videos.Regis Carnifex | April 17, 2008, 4:33pm | #
Dave W.-Ha! What you describe happened to a friend of mine a few years ago. He used his cell phone to photograph a gang of 7 white cops arresting a hapless black man, and one of the deputies snatched the phone as evidence. When my friend asked how he could retrieve it, he was arrested and charged with "trespassing" in the parking lot of a club he'd paid to get into!
(Ironically, the photo he took was completely black and unrecognizable.)
Dave W. | April 17, 2008, 4:44pm | #
and one of the deputies snatched the phone as evidence . . . (Ironically, the photo he took was completely black and unrecognizable.)Yeah, people are figuring out that they have to run if they want to keep the video. It is an insane, never to be repeated miracle that the Vancouver airport taser death footage survived.
Conversations about that footage are interesting:
Copluver: every so-called taser death is really a drug overdose.
Dave W.: *Links to the Vancouver airport vid*
Copluver: Well, he was breathing heavily before the police got there, so he was also going to die, taser or no taser.
Dave W.: Ay yi yi. *smacks 4hed*
Seth | April 18, 2008, 2:56pm | #
"Yeah, people are figuring out that they have to run if they want to keep the video."Emailing the video ASAP is another option, and probably safer than running away from excited cops.
abuJustice | April 21, 2008, 2:13am | #
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