Democrat's Cameras seized by police at Chabot Town Hall Meeting

[brooklynite]

Source: Cincinnati.com

Monday night, at a “town hall” meeting in North Avondale featuring U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, video cameras owned by two Democratic activists were seized by a Cincinnati police officer at the direction of Chabot’s staff.

A Chabot spokesman said the had the cameras seized “to protect the privacy of constituents” at the event, although there were at least two media outlets at the North Avondale Recreation Center filming the meeting.

Tim Burke, the chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, has written a letter to Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp asking for an explanation of “the legal basis for the seizure and the enforcement by Cincinnati police of rules created by the Congressman.”

...snip...

Burke also filed a public records reuest for all records relating to Chabot’s use of the city facility, any instructions given to law enforcement officials regarding videotaping, and any record relating to the seizure of the cameras.

Read more: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/08/24/democrats-cameras-seized-by-police-at-chabot-town-hall-meeting/

---

Here's a hint...if you don't want to look like an idiot, don't let the press film you violating people's First Amendment Rights.

[No Elephants]

1. Facists

[SoapBox]

6. Ditto...Facists...read these.

"The 14 Characteristics of Fascism"

http://www.ratical.com/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html

and

"THE CROSS, THE FLAG, AND AMERICAN IDOLATRY...How Symbolism Is Today’s National Idolatry"

http://tpjmagazine.us/adams29

[fascisthunter]

35. simply put

dummies are mesmerized by symbols... snap out of it working class republicans. Time is running out!

[SoapBox]

7. p.s....this thread goes along with THIS at the event.

"Town Hall Crowd Jeers Rep. Chabot For Voting To Strip Planned Parenthood Funding"

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/08/24/302619/steve-chabot-planned-parenthood-funding/

[Marnie]

18. Good for them.

That almost makes up for the Nazi suppression of free press.

[krabigirl]

15. Absolutely.

[Hubert Flottz]

44. First thought that popped into my head too.

Strong Arm Nazi playbook.

[DontTreadOnMe]

2. This guy need to be photographed at EVERY public event

Where is OUR media these days? I live in NJ... if a politician started violating 1st Amendment issues on photographers,
that would BE AN INVITATION for all photographers to show up, it's like a guaranteed story.

DEMOCRATS needs to start showing up at public REPUBLICAN EVENTS!

[cyberpj]

3. Good hint. This is happening more and more all the time now.

Politicians finally understand that the Inter-tubes can and will show everything they say and they will be accountable for it.

Good for Burke!

[LiberalFighter]

4. The city and police need to be sued for rights violations.

The question should also be why the hell is anyone that is not a supervisor of the law enforcement officer directing what the police officer should do?

[indypaul]

11. And sue them not only in their official capacity

but also personally. Once these persons realize they are
personally in jeopardy when they act beyond any official
and legal capacity.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

13. Yup ... you want to make sure people follow the LAW, make it financially troubling to break it ...

... take to them in civil court as well.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

14. self delete for duplication

[bertman]

52. LiberalFighter nailed it. REC. nt

[placton]

5. well sure - the cops work for the GOP dont they?

from out front of the White House, to Seattle, to this - we used to call the cops pigs, and we still should

[David Sky]

8. UNREAL!!! These Republicans operate with impunity and scoff at

all parts of the U S Constitution they feel gets in their way.

This should be the end of this politician's career, and the beginning of a long jail term for him!

My opinion!

[99th_Monkey]

9. Shine the bright light of day on these rat bastards, and watch them squirm. nt

[CrispyQ]

10. So at a public event they want to protect our privacy,

but in our homes, not so much.

:wtf:

[AllyCat]

29. That was my thought too.

[blkmusclmachine]

12. So much for GOP "freedom:"

or, in the GOP's case, is that "free dumb"??

[Supersedeas]

16. Freedom WHEN THEY WANT TO GIVE YOU freedom

[Plucketeer]

21. We're living the GOP "freedoms" right now

Free to lose your homes - free to sleep in your cars. And who doesn't love freedoms???

[No Elephants]

42. "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose."

[Marnie]

17. Why are cops taking orders from civilians?

Strikes me that is good grounds for a Civil Rights suit against the police dept for not ensuring that their police force knows what the law is and just who has the authority to order them to break a law, if that is necessary to maintain peace.
Even if they are off duty, they are cops, especially if the are identifiable as cops.

If they break the law they should be charged.

[fascisthunter]

30. looks like the police are politically controlled

those cops deserve to have their badges removed and thrown into a prison cell.

[tcaudilllg]

48. It's not like cops can't disagree with each other.

The decent cops amongst Hamilton Co.'s finest need to step up.

[Eric J in MN]

19. People at town halls may talk about personal stuff.

People on the sidewalk may talk about personal stuff, too.

The cops don't have the right to take our cameras when we're using them at a townhall or on a sidewalk.

[LaurenG]

20. He's my congressman

and a a really poor congress person at that unless of course you're a teabagger.

I really hope they can do something about his bush like tactics.

[Plucketeer]

22. Protect the privacy of constituents???

At a public meeting????????? This ass-hat probably didn't want to be seen collecting the meeting attendance fees that some of these rubes have been charging! I sure hope the idiots that elect these mental midgets can SEE what sorta crap their ill-advised votes have wrought.

And these cops.... they need to learn there's a difference between "keeping the peace" and "acting like Brown Shirts".

[Plucketeer]

23. One other thing...........

to THINK that this moron will have medical care and a retirment pkg, even if he only spends ONE term in DC. What a friggin' travesty of justice THAT is! :grr:

[matt819]

24. You know what's truly shameful?

Sure, this is a local incident, but it has far broader implications. And where are we reading about this? On DU. Not in the NYT, not in the LA Times, not in the WSJ or . . . you get it. This is insane.

[SpiralHawk]

25. Republicon occultism

as usual. The Republicons always hide their dirty diapers from public view.

[trud]

26. Objection from the Society for the Proper Use of the Apostrophe n/t

[formercia]

27. The Gift that keeps on taking.

Gott mit Uns.

[AllyCat]

28. So at a business you have no rights (or at work), but at a PUBLIC function with a

PUBLIC official, you have privacy? This is seriously bass ackwards.

[Bozita]

31. Readers of this thread would appreciate this Thom Hartmann video from the PV Forum

Thom Hartmann: Why 60% of Congress is not holding Town Halls

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x611642

[AbortiononDemand]

32. Homer Simpson says "DOH!"

"Here's a hint...if you don't want to look like an idiot, don't let the press film you violating people's First Amendment Rights."

This elementary truth is particularly not understood in Wisconsin where Scott Walker was famously set up in a 20 minute conversation all on tape that he thought was with David Koch.

Then more recently the Wisconsin GOP was caught in tape again at some nefarious meeting where someone even asked at the start "Now this is not on tape is it?"

[Enthusiast]

33. Fascists

[unapatriciated]

34. They know they stepped in a big pile with their actions and "new rules""

For this town hall meeting.

Chabot's spokesman made this statement:

"By the time Chabot holds his next town hall meeting at Westwood Town Hall Monday, Schwartz said, the rules will have changed.
People will be allowed to ask questions of the congressman directly and cameras will not be seized."

on edit: I hope they don't let them weasel out of what they did and file suit for violation of rights.

[rayofreason]

36. tar and feathers.... n/t

[sarcasmo]

37. More and more daily reports of Fascism. The corporations are in charge.

[chollybocker]

38. Lemme get this straight...

People attending Rethuglican town halls get their camaras confiscated, while people attending Democratic town halls are encouraged to bring loaded guns, as a symbol of their freedom.

I'm *this close* to giving up completely.

[No Elephants]

43. If Photographers' Association lobbied, donated and organized as much as does the NRA.....

[orbitalman]

39. K & R

[ZombieHorde]

40. Police officers should protect people's rights, not attack people's rights. nt

[HCE SuiGeneris]

41. The rabbit hole continues to widen.

It's a bit disconcerting...

[Hubert Flottz]

45. Just work, pay your taxes and payroll deductions, send us your

children you've spent a lifetime and what was left of your pay checks to raise, for cannon fodder in our elective wars, let us throw your votes in the trash and just sit down and shut the fuck up.

Sounds nothing like "of the people, by the people and for the people" anymore does it?

Does the phrase "Taxation Without Representation" ring any "freedom" bells?

[obxhead]

46. Wouldn't that be an illegal seizure, punishable by criminal law, and

grounds for an additional civil suit?

[dotymed]

47. Please "Rise Up" n/t

[myrna minx]

49. K&R n/t

[CanonRay]

50. I thought the Constitution forbade seizure of property without due process?

Aren't these Teabaggers supposed supporters of the Constitution?

[DaveJ]

51. Yes they violated the 4th Amendment on video

Does anyone with legal experience know how such cases are handled?

[KansDem]

53. So, is this the new "Selected Camera Seizing?"

...because there were other cameras there that didn't get seized.

[DaveJ]

54. Chabot's next town hall will allow cameras

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/178579-rep-chabot-to-hold-second-town-hall-will-allow-cameras

However, Republicans have solved this dilemma with the simple technique of holding meetings in private.