Activists Beating Trump-Era Crackdown On Right To Record Police | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

In an original special report, MSNBC's Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber explores how cell phone videos are advancing police accountability and traces the evolution across policy, politics and technology. The report documents two features of viral police videos that often go "unseen" – the people who record them, and the system's response to the videos, including a backlash that recently went to the highest levels of the FBI. Melber reports on the current climate in the Trump era and the far longer history in the U.S. struggle for civil rights. (This interview is from MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber, a news show covering politics, law and culture airing nightly at 6pm ET on MSNBC. ). Aired on 09/04/2020.
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Activists Beating Trump-Era Crackdown On Right To Record Police | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

89 comments

  1. If they are doing their job in a dignified manner they should have no problem being recorded. It keeps both parties safe

    1. That’s the issue “they are not doing their job in a dignified manner.” Now they are rebelling because their actions are being recorded and they threaten civilians rights with trumped up charges and harassment.

    2. @Gwendolyn Williams There was an extensive study that showed as the proportion of White officers in a fatal officer-involved shooting increases, a person fatally shot is NOT more likely to be of a racial minority. In other words it’s got nothing to do with cops being racist. The frequency in which you see it has more to do with the demographic makeup of the police departments.

  2. I was harassed by a cop and he put me in a choke hold for questioning his motives. We need to get more control on these power thugs

    1. If there is any police officer who is uncomfortable
      by recording of a simple camera he should not do his job because if he feels troublesome, embarrassed or awkward for worst annoyed or unpleasant he should not be in that situation because anything can happened not just stupid camera and he could behave in completly different way … maeby shot someone 7 times without any real danger to him! That is prove that he is not fit for his job because person who should decide about your life or death should not be afraid of a simple camera and he should behave in proffesional manner at all cost!!! At least for outside view. Second point is: Why the heck have to always be present 4 or more police officers for little street arrest’s like these. It is terrifying for anyone inside of that car. Even for normal citizens which should not feel afraid to be stoped by police officers. That is just wrong. They should protect people in the first place.

    1. Cedric Sportes, may I agree with you whole-heartedly. This is a powerful presentation over the arc of time, people’s lives and the truth in the videos. Grateful for this work from Melber and his crew.

    1. Richard McKinney
      Again, Richard, I am not talking about the lady attorney. Read the start of the thread…he isn’t either.

    1. It should be controlled by GPS at the station, and treated as part of the uniform. You can’t patrol out of uniform, and it’s an OFFENCE to meddle with the uniform. It would be cheaper too. Remove the temptation to tamper with evidence. And make no arrest legal without body cams. The solutions are simple. The police unions are too powerful. They need to be removed from the process. We’re not Communists? Why should the unions be running us?

    2. @Sean O haha, yeah 😂 sometimes they break just before they plant drugs on someone, what’cha gonna do, right? 🤷‍♂️

    3. All officers present should be charged with whatever crimes occur while not being recorded – no matter who commits the crime, if you are a cop in an arrest situation and you do not document the scene, you will be charged with all crimes that occur.
      Simple solution

  3. Ari Melber is a trusted source and voice of truth in my house. I often have my kids(11yrs) watch his reports and his interviews.

    1. @Toward Treatise Teaching straight white males to have empathy towards people who aren’t straight white males doesn’t make them the victim. Sharing economic responsibility with your fellow citizens isn’t called socialism, it’s called society. For the record, I’m an older, straight white male who believes in equality for all.

    2. @Mark Alexander-Warne is it annoying google tripples my comments and deletes my perfectly appropriate comments natural right to free speech defended in the Constitution. It doesn’t seem right.

  4. The police don’t want us recording their officers committing crimes but they sure would accept video evidence of a citizen committing crime SMH

    1. Mail your ballot if you want change. And TRACK IT! Trump’s telling his cult to vote twice! Encouraging his, “Militias,” to intimidate voters at the polls. And he’s shut down Intel Briefings, so we can’t see the Russian’s plan to stir up the cult with conspiracies and outright calls to violence! This is NOT just desperation to avoid jail for him, his family and his Cabinet! It’s an attempt at insurrection! Vote, and prepare to defend the Republic!

  5. Funny how when police have cameras on the street they say if you don’t want to be filmed doing it you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Then when citizens have cameras it is some how different.

    1. That is what happens when u have a limited education, a badge, a gun, power and a agenda separate of serving and protecting the people who pay you to do so.

    1. Fine. Want to lend a hand with the dishes while you hang around? There’s a lot of work to do, running a home or running a country.

    1. @Dmitri Fukov twist it any way you like Mr. Fukov the cop knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 6 minutes after he quit moving, murder

    2. @Todd Daniel the cause of death was from fentenyl overdose not the cop putting his knee on Floyd’s neck.Floyd’s own family’s hired doctor determined this. Like I said,chauvin will be acquitted

    3. There is nothing statistically, video or otherwise to support that argument. In fact, the statistics we do have AND ALL OF THE VIDEOS OF OFFICERS ON CAMERA COMBINED suggest exactly the opposite.

    1. You’d be just like the leader of chap, crying like a little girl. Wherever you go is the police’s yard and you’re playing in it, dummy.

    2. it’s all a set up, even the media is falling for it calling militants and extremists “pro-police”. Over 500 documented incidences of those goons interfering with protestors, very few documented cases of them being charged. Also, when a crackhead supporter of antifa assassinated a patriot prayer goon, it’s all over all the news but when right wing extremists shot protestors in the seattle free zone not once, not twice but three times it was mentioned and forgotten.

  6. Thanks Ari you’re always covering angles in ways that others don’t. This is such a powerful segment on a very important topic and it’s always eye opening how you tie it to the past with pop culture connections.

    1. @Toward Treatise I’m not sitting through the whole video, as it is more than a little bit hokey, but I agree that the powers of the presidency need more precise limitations, and have believed this since Johnson. None of this has anything to do with Ari Melber, however.

  7. All police in uniform should have to wear body cameras, ALWAYS, The fact they don’t and can turn them off should be criminal.

  8. “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something”!
    Rep. John Lewis

    I have been that way since I was in kindergarten.
    I’ve always stood up for those who are bullied, mistreated & abused.
    I’ll be 67 in 2 weeks & I’m still that way today & will be that way until the day I die.
    To me, that is what being an American means & represents.
    The America I’m watching today on my phone, is not what ‘my America’ is supposed to be.
    It is not what it has been in our past history, nor is it what the present is depicting.
    I can only hope & pray that our future, that is being changed today for the better, will be a lasting change for our future & for our future generations.
    And I hope & pray that all of our people, will one day come together & see the same vision I have, of what our country will be.
    Please, do not stop working on it, until you finish the job this time, once & for all!

    1. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING-WE ARE IN THIS MESS CAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO ROCK THE BOAT-JOKES ON YOU-WE ARE ALL SINKING

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