[VID] Eavesdropping = Rape/Murder?

Sileria · Sep 2, 2011

[video=youtube;mNlJYSIzjoU]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNlJYSIzjoU[/video]
Illinois Man Faces 75 Years in Prison For Recording Police | Death and Taxes

Michael Allison recorded video of Illinois police visiting his mother’s home to investigate his unregistered vehicles. Allison recorded the police without their consent while they fined him and impounded his vehicles. Now he faces 75 years in prison for these videos as well as those recorded at a court proceeding related to the case.And Allison is being prosecuted under archaic laws governing eavesdropping on police. Each of the five counts of eavesdropping would bring him 15 years, as it is a class-one felony in Illinois, which puts Allison’s actions in league with rape.
Of course, police are free to videotape citizens at will.
This has all happened amidst a trend of citizens armed with smart phones recording video and audio of police arrests and encounters. Rochester, New York citizen Emily Good was arrested for videotaping a police arrest outside her home, even though she was on her property (because the officer Mario Masic felt threatened). And, of course, OpenWatch released CopRecorder and OpenWatch Recorder to monitor police encounters.
And on August 26th, in the case Glik v. Cunniffe, U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals issued aresounding and unanimous opinion in support of the First Amendment right to record police actions in public.
Simon Glick had been arrested on October 1, 2007 for videotaping police officers arresting a suspect on Boston Common. He was videotaping the police action because of perceived police brutality, and, like Allison, suffered under the boot heel of an old wiretap law—a law that was never written to govern such citizen action at all.
At least these people are not armed with guns; but as they say, information is power.
To that end, Illinois, like many other states, has sought to apply old eavesdropping and wiretapping laws to new electronic devices like the smart phone.
As Allison told NBC News 2 affiliate’s Patrick Fazio in Illinois, “To call what I did a crime is ridiculous.” Fazio, to his credit, seems to have taken up Allison’s cause and heaped some scorn on the Illinois Attorney General, saying, “The State of Illinois considers it so serious, that the Assistant State Attorney General appeared at today’s court hearing.”
Fazio notes that journalists are exempt from laws prohibiting videotaping of on-duty law enforcement officials while at public hearings, but can still be arrested if they don’t obtain permission from police officers before filming.
Illinois House Republican Chapen Rose actually attempted to introduce legislation that would have overturned the application of eavesdropping and wiretapping laws to smart phones, claiming it can be of benefit to prosecutors as well as defendants.
In a follow-up interview with Fazio, Allison stated, “If their statute says that it was illegal, then their statute is unconstitutional,” and violates seven amendments of the U.S. Constitution: First Amendment — Free Speech; Fourth — Unreasonable Search; Fifth — Due Process; Sixth — Speedy Trial; Eighth — Unusual Punishment; Ninth — Guaranteed Rights; and Fourteenth — Equal Protection.”
Allison has refused a plea deal, hoping that his case will help overturn the application of the law in Illinois and in other states.
Michael Allison is being represented by the ACLU.
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I can understand why it would be illegal without permission, but when we walk into a retail store, from my understanding, there has to be a VISIBLE sign stating you're being recorded.

Thing is, what if someone was video taping cops, and the cops' video camera/audio couldn't see/hear what was really happening, and a cop gets hurt seriously or killed, and the person "Eavesdropping" catches it on video Would the state accept this video and not charge the eavesdropper because its convenient for them?

It seems like the punishment oft does not fit the crime in the country. Examples:

Two adults kill a mother and two kids out of sheer arrogant stupidity - probation. Men Receive Probation for Fatal Street Racing Accident

HOUSTON - Two men have received probation and jail time for their involvement in a fatal street racing accident that killed a mom and her 2 children.
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Having oral consensual sex with your teen GF (when you're a teen also) - 10 years
Outrage After Teen Gets 10 Years for Oral Sex With Girl - ABC News

A wild New Year's Eve two years ago has landed a Georgia teen in prison for 10 years on charges of child molestation in a case that has state legislators reworking the strict law that put him behind bars.
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These are public officials... our tax dollars provide their salaries. How can it be a felony to record them? There needs to be some serious reforms in our justice system. This is absurd.

What do y'all think?

Aegis · Sep 2, 2011

Rofl that is just plain power abuse... as the article says... unconstitutional.

I'm not going to say he is purely innocent though, I mean damn... he had the police knocking on his door (and here, police don't usually sweat the small-stuff)... but 75 years ? ROFL.

It's sad that the police felt so threatened by this man and his recordings that they felt the need to punish him more harshly than thieves, premeditated murder cases, successful murder cases, pull-out of a gun, etc.

The Ablazed · Sep 11, 2011

At street racing - They need to l2drive and poor family.
At oral teen sex - He had it all and lost it in a night, oh the irony.

At the 75 years - Glad I don't live in Illinois, "What you in for?" "Recording a cop eating a donut."

Rome · Sep 12, 2011

Chicago is starting to be like most of the Gamez situation, Controlling society.

Dranzell · Sep 12, 2011

The man was called Allison? Ok, he didn't deserve to get jelly. I KNOW, MY FRIEND, HOW IT IS TO GET JAILED FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON T_T.

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[VID] Eavesdropping = Rape/Murder?

Sileria Expert Forum Legend

Aegis Guest

The Ablazed Banned

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Dranzell Banned

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