Tag Archives: Law

Filming of public officials

Two weeks ago today a U.S. appeals court ruled that

citizens can video police.


The actual decision is broader than that.
It’s not just about police, it’s about
“The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a
public place”.

Quoting from

United States Court of Appeals For the First Circuit, No. 10-1764,
August 26, 2011.

Page 8:

The First Amendment issue here is, as the parties frame

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

it, fairly narrow: is there a constitutionally protected right to
videotape police carrying out their duties in public? Basic First
Amendment principles, along with case law from this and other
circuits, answer that question unambiguously in the affirmative.

It is firmly established that the First Amendment’s
aegis extends further than the text’s proscription on laws

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Boston catches up with Atlanta: you can video police

Poilce are public employees, and the public has a right to video them doing their duty; so says a federal appeals court.

Pace Lattin wrote for Technorati,

Federal Courts Rule it is Not Illegal to Film Police
John S. Quarterman



The First Court of Appeals has reached a decision that would allow the
general public to video-tape police officers while they are working. This
decision comes right after several well-known public cases have come to
light involving citizens being arrested for video-taping police.

This specific case in question was Simon Glik vs.The City of Boston
(and several police officers), in which a teenage Simon Gilk was arrested
after videotaping Boston Police abusing a homeless man. While Mr. Gilk was
not interfering with the police, he was arrested on wiretapping charges.

The ACLU had sued on his behalf, even when the charges were dropped,
noting that there was a growing epidemic of citizens in the United States
being arrested by police for videotaping, even when documenting police
brutality and abuse.

The First Court Agreed with the ACLU that this should be legal, and wrote
that: “The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a
public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities,
fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment
activity].



The Atlanta Police Department already avoided this problem

by settling a previous case and making a policy that citizens can video police.
This appeals court ruling
now says anybody can, nationwide, because of the First Amendment.

Why has this become an issue lately?

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30 jail deaths since 1994 to 2009 —George Boston Rhynes

Received today on Alabama
bishops criticize ALEC’s immigration law -jsq

Churches and pastors need to view this video and see about these
animals. That is since we read so much

information about the Animal
Shelter in our area about abused animals. What about these animals
and the thirty deaths that no elected official, church, human being or
orgnzations seem to care about.



Did you know that Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail is leading the State
of Georgia in Jail Deaths for whatever reason. Yet, no one is talking
about these people many of whom are military veterans that served their
nation. So where is the humanity to man?

Yes, we have had

30 jail deaths since 1994 to 2009
and not the
Lowndes County Attorney has put it in a letter in so many words

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Animal issues on facebook



For those who miss their regular daily diet of animal shelter issues,
Susan Leavens has started a facebook group called

Georgia’s Regulatory Animal Protection Division the truth behind them.

And who knows? Maybe soon we’ll hear results of

that investigation down at the sheriff’s office.
Or maybe Gary Black
will live up to his campaign promises.
Or maybe Lowndes County will let the Humane Society train animal control officers.
The more people ask for these things to happen, the more likely they will happen.

-jsq

Private prison operations have been rife with abuse —WV Council of Churches

Another Sunday, another church group against private prisons;
this time, a group of churches.

Dan Heyman wrote 12 January 2010 for Public News Service – WV,

Churches: No Private Prison For Immigrants In WV,

CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia’s largest church group has asked
U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd and the rest of the state’s congressional delegation
to oppose funding a private prison for undocumented immigrants in
Pendleton County near the Virginia border.


The Council of Churches is
one of several groups discussing immigration reform ahead of expected
congressional action on the issue. The Council has asked federal
lawmakers’ help in the effort, arguing private prison operations have
been rife with abuse. GSI Professional Corrections is seeking county
commission approval to build the detention center near Sugar Grove to
house 1,000 nonviolent immigrant detainees awaiting possible deportation.

Rev. Dennis Sparks, the Council’s executive director, complains private
prisons operate outside the mainstream legal

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Many of the veterinarians do not want anything to do with the shelter —Susan Leavens

Received yesterday as the most recent of many comments on

Let the Humane Society train animal control officers. -jsq

I know many of the veterinarians do not want anything to do with the
shelter; for whatever reason. Whoever with the number of feral cats that
come to the shelter each day… the vet would have to come several times
a day just for them; they have no way to house feral cats. And no place
to hold them for long periods (not even hours at that rate), during
puppy an kitten season, sometimes 30 or more cats a day are euthanized.

I know the Humane Society offered both sheriffs

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Legal definition of animal cruelty in Georgia —Susan Leavens

Received 27 July on

Shouldn’t the people running the facilities … be held accountable? -jsq

I guess this answered my question,


What is the legal definition of animal cruelty in Georgia?

-Susan Leavens

She quoted the whole thing, which is quite long.
I found this passage particularly interesting. -jsq

Local law enforcement (municipal or county police department or county sheriff’s department) enforces the criminal provisions of Cruelty to Animals, O.C.G.A. §16-12-4.

The next comment contained the clarification below. -jsq

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In accordance with the law —Susan Leavens

Received today on
When officials act like they are hiding something, they usually are.
-jsq


“You won’t receive an open-records request if you answer questions
honestly and in accordance with the law.” What an honest statement;
perhaps some of this too.

GEORGIA CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE IX. COUNTIES AND MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS


SECTION II. HOME RULE FOR COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES

(c) The power granted to counties in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above
shall not be construed to extend to the following matters or any other
matters which the General Assembly by general law has preempted or may
hereafter preempt, but such matters shall be the subject of general law
or the subject of local acts of the General Assembly to the extent that
the enactment of such local acts is otherwise permitted under this
Constitution:

(1) Action affecting any elective county office, the salaries
thereof, or the personnel thereof, except the personnel subject to
the jurisdiction of the county governing authority.

(2) Action affecting the composition, form, procedure for election or
appointment, compensation, and expenses and allowances in the nature
of compensation of the county governing authority.

(3) Action defining any criminal offense or providing for criminal punishment.

Subjects such as CUEE don’t seem to elicit the same due diligence —Barbara Stratton

Received today on
When officials act like they are hiding something, they usually are. -jsq

I commend the VDT for its persistence in pursuing requests for information
on many subjects. However, as John mentioned some subjects such as CUEE
don’t seem to elicit the same due diligence in pursuing true facts. The
VDT continues to support CUEE agendas even though it has been well
established that the CUEE committee did not follow true priority of law
when it ignored the

1983 GA constitutional law requiring all involved
systems in a consolidation action be allowed to vote. CUEE still persists
in following a 1926 statute that says only city voters are allowed to vote
& the VDT continues to support their efforts. It seems to me a failure to
acurately report all facts exists for both the CUEE committee members &
the VDT staff.



Since a costly voter referendum action has been activated
& supported by both entities in spite of & in the face of priority of
law objections it is my opinion a crime or crimes have been perpetuated
upon the citizens of Lowndes Co. & a Grand Jury investigation should be
convened to address these criminal actions.

-Barbara Stratton

There is no question how the Law reads —Susan Leavens

Received Monday as a response to

Euthanization Violations at the Lowndes County Animal Shelter. -jsq

There is no question how the Law reads; the only question is who indicated
there no wrong doing? And they were questioning my character? I
question those people who indicated I had a bios opinion to read the
laws of Georgia. I am aware you can mirror laws and even add to them
in county ordinances but you cannot take away from the law in anyway.

From the
United States Department of Agriculture Web Site on Euthanasia

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=AZ_INDEX

Under
Guidelines for Euthanasia

When
performing euthanasia
in a shelter

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