When you are filming police try not to talk to them.
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POINT OF INFORMATION: never talk to cops. especially as a citizen journalist.
set yourself at a safe distance and just film.
people who want to do this regularly, may want to set themselves up with a backpack on their chest to house their phone set up on a selfie stick.
if you are a cyclist, a GoPro on your helmet AND on your bike are good alternatives.
in #nyc in particular, it is best to have your hands free.
i should revive my old dos & donts list for indie journos.
@blogdiva @futurebird I guess this would be a good use for those freaky glasses with cameras built in.
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"Am I free to leave?" *will* mark you out as an "annoying do-gooder who doesn't like police"
But this could be an improvement on seeming like someone they could trick or trip up more easily.
Prepare to be ignored. Police will try to provoke you so they can arrest you or stop you from filming. Police will hit you unprovoked or try to knock your phone away.
Don't waste time "reasoning" with them. Just get the video so more people can see what they are doing.
@futurebird
From ACLU/Women's March Video last week:Try to film from out of reach. At least be sure someone else out of reach is also filming.
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"You are stressing the police out no wonder they overreact."
I've heard arguments along these lines far too often. It is true that having half a dozen people whip out there phone and start filming is stressful. But when that doesn't happen people are hurt and we never learn their names or what happened.
If you see someone filming police it's supportive and helpful to join them.
So a really sweet escalation I haven't see anyone try (doesn't mean they aren't) is to swarm the sky with camera drones, too - in addition to the on the ground legal observers.
They can travel faster than ICE, and you could attach them to vehicles as the vehicles leave the ICE facilities.
Also, having 10-20 buzzing quad-copters with their beady little eyes on you sounds terrifying.
Who's watching? What can I do about it?
Nothing, bitch. Nothing.
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So a really sweet escalation I haven't see anyone try (doesn't mean they aren't) is to swarm the sky with camera drones, too - in addition to the on the ground legal observers.
They can travel faster than ICE, and you could attach them to vehicles as the vehicles leave the ICE facilities.
Also, having 10-20 buzzing quad-copters with their beady little eyes on you sounds terrifying.
Who's watching? What can I do about it?
Nothing, bitch. Nothing.
@futurebird @johnzajac In some countries drones are not allowed in populated area. i can understand why.
Except for cops, *they* are allowed to use drones even over a crowd. In spite of sole accidents that has occured already. Go figure.
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When you are filming police try not to talk to them. Avoid:
"Is it OK if I film?" (That isn't up to them.)
"Sorry officer." (You have done nothing wrong don't apologize.)Try things like.
"I am filming from a safe distance."If they start yelling at you focus on:
"Am I free to leave?"
Every time I've said this the officer has responded with "shut up" (ok??)
I'm happy to comply with *that* one and keep filming from a safe distance.@futurebird Is there an app which can film and at the same time stream the video to a server in realtime ?
If you phone is taken from you , or even broken ( often donne by the cops , just to piss people off and demotivate others), at least the video as proof is safe
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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"You are stressing the police out no wonder they overreact."
I've heard arguments along these lines far too often. It is true that having half a dozen people whip out there phone and start filming is stressful. But when that doesn't happen people are hurt and we never learn their names or what happened.
If you see someone filming police it's supportive and helpful to join them.
I think it is also important to realize that these officers are carrying out a public duty, ultimately paid for by the public, and that being filmed comes with the job. If you work at a support center, your phone conversations with clients can be recorded. It comes with the job. If you can't stand this, that job is not for you. And why should officers fear being filmed? If they act according to the law, and are proud of what they are doing, or even think they are performing a heroic job, they should welcome being filmed from all angles. -
POINT OF INFORMATION: never talk to cops. especially as a citizen journalist.
set yourself at a safe distance and just film.
people who want to do this regularly, may want to set themselves up with a backpack on their chest to house their phone set up on a selfie stick.
if you are a cyclist, a GoPro on your helmet AND on your bike are good alternatives.
in #nyc in particular, it is best to have your hands free.
i should revive my old dos & donts list for indie journos.
-
"You are stressing the police out no wonder they overreact."
I've heard arguments along these lines far too often. It is true that having half a dozen people whip out there phone and start filming is stressful. But when that doesn't happen people are hurt and we never learn their names or what happened.
If you see someone filming police it's supportive and helpful to join them.
@futurebird The law enforcement community has playbooks for policing communities without triggering an immune response, but ICE strategists seem to have the opposite goal. It's almost as if they're counting on the fact that if they create enough of these high pressure situations, under-trained stressed out people will eventually make mistakes
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@futurebird @johnzajac In some countries drones are not allowed in populated area. i can understand why.
Except for cops, *they* are allowed to use drones even over a crowd. In spite of sole accidents that has occured already. Go figure.
@obinou @futurebird @johnzajac Civil disobedience is civil disobedience. Operators should be careful about who or what can see them.
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@futurebird if the police are stressed out by a bystander, they should find a new career
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Practice how you will film and what you will say. It will be a very stressful situation and it's tempting to just try to "be reasonable and talk" you aren't dealing with someone who is reasonable. They want you to stop filming. They may be very angry and emotional and lash out without warning.
This can be shocking if you watch too many TV cop dramas.
You are our eyes and ears. The things you film could vanish forever so don't get drawn in to a back and forth.
@futurebird I've seen advice to start pointing the phone down at your feet and pan up to the situation.
The point of this is to create a record of one's distance from the scene.
I do not know if this is good advice. It seems, at worst, harmless.
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POINT OF INFORMATION: never talk to cops. especially as a citizen journalist.
set yourself at a safe distance and just film.
people who want to do this regularly, may want to set themselves up with a backpack on their chest to house their phone set up on a selfie stick.
if you are a cyclist, a GoPro on your helmet AND on your bike are good alternatives.
in #nyc in particular, it is best to have your hands free.
i should revive my old dos & donts list for indie journos.
