Kiryas Joel arrest (short)

One Sunday afternoon, a group of five friends visited Kiryas Joel, New York. Within an hour, two of us were in handcuffs, and according to a New York State Police officer, under arrest for "obstructing government administration" after declining to provide identification when stopped for the "suspicious activity" of taking photographs (mind you, never of people, only a few snaps of the land and buildings).

The unabridged video clips start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3nJ_6xy0-U

Hudson Valley News 12 did a segment on the incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqBWIExvlk

Pictures I took before being accused of suspicious activity:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jzwinck/sets/72157627245371425/

A complaint filed recently in federal court against Kiryas Joel and specifically the public safety officer in this video is here: http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/files/kja-v-village-of-kiryas-joel-fedral-la...

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Kiryas Joel
• satmar
• hasidim
• orthodox
• arrest
• police

[Monkeycee31]

Try pulling that "we're just looking for lunch" shit in the South Bronx.

[Monkeycee31]

So, you guys are Eurotrash, huh? How's that working out for you?

[themrbigmanK]

correction he is not a new york state police OFFICER! he is a new york state police TROOPER! that is the name of his rank! TROOPER not officer!

[beefyoso]

a jewish "public safety" officer harassing european sounding tourists in a super orthodox village. ironic.

[DominoStorm1]

And what's it going to take for you to realize that when a peace officer grabs you to detain you in an effort to do his job it's NOT ASSULT! The trooper said it how many times? But yet you still wouldn't drop it. Christ what a pain in the ass you were!

[DominoStorm1]

Cameraman was a dick the entire time. "because I'm afraid you're going to violate my rights". guy get over yourself. Police work is hard enough as is. Why make matters more difficult.

[edmundog]

@PwnManDude You have to tell a police officer who you are, but unless they have actual cause to believe you are committing a crime, you don't have to present proof of identification.

[PwnManDude]

@edmundog "You have to identify yourself to a cop, but you don't have to give your identification to a cop"

Pardon?

[demonbleh]

@Dpearrow: Incorrect. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure, which includes a requirement to show ID. If you are not operating a vehicle (and they weren't, they were *on foot*), then they can *ask* your name, but you are not required to produce identification on demand "just because".

[edmundog]

@PwnManDude No, you don't have to allow someone to commit a crime and violate your rights just because you can press charges later. If someone was keying your car, you wouldn't tell them to finish up so you can press charges, you'd tell them to stop. You have to identify yourself to a cop, but you don't have to give ID.

[edmundog]

@raymontmasse While his analogy was far over the top, he was right that you don't have to do something just because a cop says so. If they have no reasonable cause to ask for ID, you don't have to show it.

[kogk1943]

These two troopers should be on a walking post in the forest on the Canadian border. These two morons are the rule NOT the exception.