MTA police detain activist for failure to present ID at anti-bailout rally

http://blogofbile.com/2008/10/22/mta-police-detain-activist-for-refusing-to-s...
The Manhattan Libertarian Party, Greater NYC Campaign for Liberty meetup and other liberty activists demonstrated on October 21st, 2008 at Grand Central Station, Manhattan in order to raise awareness of the corporatist bailout. A faux breadline was created and literature was handed out. One activist shown in the video was handcuffed and brought to a holding cell for approximately 15 minutes. I was nearly detained twice. Once for refusing to stop recording the scene and then again when I refused to present identification. The only reason I was not, in both cases, was due to the officer being distracted by radio communications. The incident which is caught on video, refusing to present an ID, the officer had grabbed my arm and I believe was reaching for my camera.

Not caught on video was a cop threatening me very aggressively for getting too close to him with the camera.


http://blogofbile.com
http://libertyactivism.info
http://manhattanlp.org
http://www.meetup.com/campaignforlibertynyc/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• freedom
• liberty
• MTA
• NYPD
• NYC
• Grand
• Central
• Station
• Manhattan
• demonstration
• bailout
• ID
• police
• speech

[Kiehlroy]

They may be clueless but the point is they aren't doing anything that is not within their rights. Why doesn't the MTA police "detain" the screaming "Jesus" lady at my station or any other of the disruptive crazy motherfuckers roaming within the MTA jurisdiction? Handcuffed, technically that is an arrest see:(Terry Stop, Bradley v. State, 494 So.2d 750 (Ala. Cr. App., 1985), affirmed 494 So. 2d 772 (Ala. 1986).

If there's no obvious risk of violence or flight then there's no need to cuff.

[iambile]

I appreciate the support but in what way are they clueless? Two events occurred. The primary was the anti-bailout demonstration and information handout. The other was the interactions with the police once they decided to break up the demonstration. A refusal to ask permission to exercise a supposedly constitutionally protected right, refusal to stop filming and the refusal to show identification.

[chooch1]

your are loser...you will/did not stop the bailout with your stupid form of protest...you just harassed the police from doing their jobs, and ended p looking/sounding like an ill informed jackass...

[iambile]

A 100 to 1 no calls didn't stop the bailout. This was done AFTER the passage as an informative reaction. If you read the description of the event from the source site I wouldn't have to repeat myself here.

Exactly how is it that we come off ill informed. No one on this thread has pointed out the laws broken or countered my arguments. No one is bothering to debate these people on the facts of the crisis or the bailout. You apologists resort to vague statements of law and ad hominem attacks.

[johnny5angels]

Your fight is not that of Parks or Gandhi. And if all they needed was a permit, wanna bet they would have went and gotten one. You bash the cops: until you need one. You bash this country: but yet you're free to talk about it online without a communist consequence from the Government. This video and your comments are a lame attempt to get yourself in some kind of history book as a fighter- you're not. Your just some punk wanna-be journalist with a camera and nothing better to do.

[iambile]

My fight is their fight. Freedom and liberty. Those who worship the state, as you appear to do, are the reason we've got the welfare/warfare police state building up around us. The two major presidential candidates are both advocating more corporatism, more socialist policy, more fascist policy: more war, more regulation, more intervention, continuing the drug war, etc. Just because we aren't beat as harshly as another doesn't make us free but better treated slaves.

[wait887]

a permit is permission to do something. We are being conditioned to believe that we need permission to do anything that should be a birth right. So yea we are going to call amerika as we see it. I don't expect you to agree. I was heavily indoctrinated a couple of years ago. But if you keep watching these videos and reading history and being honest with yourself you will conclude that there is something ugly going on in the USSA.

[HarmoniaLive1974]

We have spent billions at home hoping to be safer. We've created the Department of Homeland Security & passed the Patriot Act. Our government now is permitted to monitor the internet, search us without proper search warrants, develop a national ID card, and investigate what people are reading in libraries. Driven by fear we have succumbed to the age-old temptation to sacrifice liberty on the pretense of obtaining security. Love of security, unfortunately all to often vanquishes love of liberty.

[TheGrayman1234]

A "Detention" is a non-consensual temporary denial of liberty. A police officer must have "reasonable suspicion" that 1. you are about to commit a crime 2. you are in the act of committing a crime, or 3. you have committed a crime

in order to Detain you. You may still refuse to answer any questions, but you have no right to leave until they are no longer detaining you.

[UltimoLatino]

@coronet67 I know what you mean but thats what happens when you give the intellectually inferior authority.

The should say what they really want to say when when they approach someone "Hey you! Papers please! Lemme see jur papers! Are you loyal to mein furher?!"

[UltimoLatino]

IN CASE YOU DIDNT GET THE MEMO... THE US CONSTITUTION IS VOID IN THE NYC TRANSIT SYSTEM!

Im serious, there are announcements daily that go as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen be advised that backpacks and other containers are subject to random search by the police." that is a direct violation of the 4th amendment. And upon entering the metro you may be searched without warrant or probable cause. These polices have been in effect since 9/11... the MTA has trumped the US constitution.

[coronet67]

First Amendment Bill of Rights stuff here.

The right to assemble.

You have to present an ID to the police to use your rights now? I'm confused.

[30percentplusreturns]

Its one thing to stage a legit protest in an outside area, or in front of the mayors place or congressmans place, but to just disrupt a place of business and commerce and to give the police a hard time is childish. Just look at these folks. All they are trying to do is harrass the police and disrupt commuters. 99% of police officers are against this bailout. They are just as mad but a society crumbles when people start disrupting the everyday worker. Take it to capital hill morons.

[beijing110]

Where is Human Rights for this guy? I do not like US Police,,FBI Police,,,City Police,,,county Police,,,,and MTA Police......haha~

[CopsAreAntiAmerican]

With overtime these cops make more than 100K a year. This is how they are spending our tax dollars; on useless bullshit.

And the guy who now has to appear in court... again our tax dollars at work: the judges time, city attorney's time, cops double time, etc, etc, etc.

Look how much of your tax dollars are being wasted. All because some insecure cop with a low I.Q. doesn't like someone exercising their constitutional right.

[mattamitrano]

Your a moron!!!

[kenf63]

Sheeple of amerika you have no rights, just submitt to you superiors.