Police Must Be Filmed

Last week at the Walmart's opening the Sheriff's department personnel made a grand display of clearing the public roadway of several activists filming the event and interviewing a protester. It was a silly police action, yet intimidating with threats of tickets.

This was all captured in the great clip from an Encinitas citizen filming the opening and the protesters who proudly were showing off their "Dump Stocks" bumper stickers.  Obviously, the police presence was to serve Walmart, not the public.

No, there was no violence in this broad daylight gathering of white people.  The following video is a chilling account of how out of control police all across this country are with people who are guilty of being black.  Be warned. It is dedicated to the thousands who marched in NYC this weekend to protest the stop and frisk statistics of the NYC police and in memory of Rodney King who died yesterday, whose filmed beating by police in the spring of 1992 in no way found justice.

The principles of the right to assemble, innocent until proven guilty and countless other laws protecting the citizenry apply in a democracy no matter what community and what the population.  It is not against the law to film the police.  The police are supposed to identify themselves and diffuse situations, not antagonize or escalate situations. It is contemptible when they do harm and hide behind their badges.

Dissent is not illegal.  Keep your cameras handy. Know your rights. 

Recently Leucadian David Smith stepped up to the podium to speak at a city council meeting. He faced the audience instead of the dais.  Within moments Mayor Stocks called a deputy who came over and put his hands on Smith.  Smith protested loudly that it was his right to stand as he wished.  Stocks would have none of it.  Stocks was in fact in charge of bolting the podium into its present position in a petty move to force an activist away from facing the audience.  It is the behavior of a bully, directing bullies.

Rodney King's famous quote, which he was mocked and belittled for were these, "Can't we all just get along?"

Hat tip Common Dreams and Banksy's internationally famous guerilla art (Walmart indeed)