Ag-gag in Action: National Geographic Photographer Arrested After Aerial Photos

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Heather Callaghan

Ag-gag laws are cropping up like Whac-a-Mole across the states in an attempt to protect large-scale farming and cattle operations from those pesky activists who find out about abuse and cruelty. Instead of addressing the systemic issue of transparency and animal/food safety, lobbying leads to more laws that inhibit the freedom to speak out about dismal conditions - clear 1st Amendment violations. Always in the name of "safety" and protecting trade secrets. It's one thing to keep people from committing theft, destruction of property, breaking and entering, intellectual property theft and privacy violations - which basic laws support. But it's wholly another to prosecute well-intentioned tourists or try peaceful protesters as terrorists.

The latest to get burned is prominent world photographer and freelancer for National Geographic, George Steinmetz. He often gets government clearance to roam the airways for his aerial photography and uses a motorized paraglider with parachute and what looks like a lawn chair.

Even though the ensuing brief arrest on June 28th, and $270 bail each stems from trespassing, the underlying cause (fear) and reason for phone call to the sheriff appear to stem from upholding the Farm Animal and Field Crop and Research Facilities Protection Act. It was one of the first state laws of its kind enacted in 1990 and criminalizes farm photography.

Police Arrest Man Filming Police and Delete Camera Footage, Hacker Gets It Back

YouTube - WeAreChange

WeAreChange recently got a chance to meet up with Alex from Federal Jack and Hack Miami, to get the full story of his arrest and destruction of evidence by the Miami Police Department. Alex was arrested for merely filming the police in Miami, the police later illegally deleted the footage from Alex’s camera and charged him with resisting arrest. The Miami Police officer who made the arrest, Richard Anastasi was later found guilty of extortion and kidnapping in a separate case.



See exactly how to recover camera footage deleted by police HERE

Learn more about Alex: http://hackmiami.org/ and http://federaljack.com/

Check out Alex’s event on May 17th 2013: http://hackmiami.org/2013/03/19/hacke…

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How Activist Photographers Keep Police Abuse In Check

Brandon Smith, Contributor

There is a reason why municipalities and states across the U.S. are attempting to ban photography of police officers, or allow random and unwarranted officer confiscation of cameras and cell phones; because the video recording of police abuse is very effective.

Through federalization of state law enforcement, the government has greatly diminished the requirements and the quality of character in many city police recruitment centers.  This is not to say that there are not honorable law enforcement officers out there.  There are many.  However, the overall health of the enforcement community has taken a nosedive in recent years, and respect for Constitutional liberties and limits has all but disappeared.  I believe this trend toward thuggery is deliberately engineered, and that it is part of an ongoing process to acclimate American citizens to totalitarian conditions.  The first step is, of course, to expose these developments to the world, and video activism is a powerful tool in the fight.  The moment we can no longer view and record the actions of authorities is the moment we lose any ability (beyond full revolution) to apply balance or justice within the system.  The system becomes utterly separate and in their minds "superior" to the public.  This is the road to tyranny....

You can contact Brandon Smith at: brandon@alt-market.com  Join Alt-Market.com today and learn what it means to step away from the system and build something better. To contribute to the growth of the Safe Haven Project, and to help us help others in relocating, or to support the creation of barter networks across the country, visit our donate page here: http://www.alt-market.com/donate

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Cop To Citizen: "If You Take My Picture Again, I'm Going To Fucking Break Your Face" (Video)

Carlos Miller
Pixiq

A police officer from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in Buffalo walked up to a citizen who was filming him and threatened to "fucking break" his face.

The cop said he was speaking "not as a police officer, but as a person."

The only problem is, the sonofabitch was in full uniform with a police dog in tow.  The incident took place Thursday in the Square in downtown Buffalo after a fight had broken out. No further details are available at this point.

But the video speaks for itself.

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IOWA: Video cameras now lethal weapons: Republicans launch another attack on your rights

Iowa!

Marti Oakley, Contributing Writer

Activist Post

Iowa is following in Florida’s footsteps and working on passing a bill making it a criminal offense to film or photograph the abuse of animals on farms or in commercial CAFO operations. Apparently it is ok to abuse your animals, to leave them in fetid conditions, or to treat them inhumanely . . . Iowa just doesn’t want you documenting that abuse.

Nine House Democrats joined all of the Republicans present to pass the bill in a 66 to 27 vote on Iowa bill H.R. 589.

Turns out your video camera or camera are now considered lethal weapons…the stuff of terrorism!

TSA photocopies a mans credit cards and other personal documents (VIDEO)

YouTube -- 4409


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