So my college son was making an Art Film and the Cops

[Mari333]

My son is 20 and moved to a college town...today he bought a video cam and some really cool film equipment and decided to learn about his camera, take some flicks of the town he lives in at night...He is driving around town making his film, and sees flashing lights in the distance....Its about 2 am in the morning, so he drives up and gets off his scooter and starts filming what is the tail end of a fire in progress...
while he is filming, not in anyones way, a firewoman comes up to him and asks his name and why he is there..he tells her his name and says "Im making an art film of the town at night"...she then questions him as to whether he started the fire..
He says what??? NO...Im just filming ..Im a freelance artist...the firewoman THEN goes over and tells the cops there about him, the cops confiscate the art film and tell him they are taking it to the crime lab and they take his name and address..

My son calls me at 3 am, freaking out..
I told him he has a constitutional right to drive at 2 am, to film at 2 am, to make art, and the cops had No right to confiscate his film...
I also told my son to just come home, which is a 1 hour drive, because he was so paranoid after this encounter..
For petes sake, this is a college town he lives in with tons of art students and filmographers..a large college town full of art students.
WTF is going on these days in this country where the law enforcement can be so damned rude, and assume things about kids who arent doing anything wrong, in fact, he was doing something positive and creative?
I told him about his 4th amendment rights, and he said "Yeah..I shouldnt have let them take my film...it was really good..."

Im so mad I could spit....Its 5 am in the morning and Im not going to get a lick of sleep....Goddamit.

[meegbear]

1. Holy shit!!

That firewoman definitely overreacted. Sue the bitch.

[Mari333]

2. I told my son call your lawyer in the morning

He is so paranoid now...I told him Go to Bed...he did..he has these visions of cops and detectives pulling into his apt building questioning him...I said NO...they had no right to confiscate your film, and you shouldnt have given it to them...
anyway, everytime this kind of shit happens I get visions of a police state.

[Spentastic]

3. They are checking

That he is not an arsonist. Simple as that. If he'd refused to have provide the film they may have arrested him. At least he's home. Ring the PD (after lawyer) and ask when they plan to return your sons property.

[Mari333]

4. well he was terrified

and they said they will send the film back. He still has a constitutional right to film , and I am still furious. I have a feeling, had it been me, an old woman, they wouldnt have hassled me.

[bowens43]

5. IMO , that's no excuse.

The 'their doing it for our own good' excuse for violating our civil rights is getting old. This is ashcrofts world , where a person is guilty until proven innocent.

[Spentastic]

6. Without more info it's difficult

But if the fire had been started deliberately and there was an "unknown" filming the scene emergency personnel may be suspicious.

I'm not sure the police had the right to confiscate the film. However to avoid further hassle (and having nothing to fear) I'd have volunteered it.

If the film is returned undamaged and the Police apologise for taking it where's the big issue?

[Mari333]

8. He did volunteer it when they asked

which is what he thought was the right thing to do...It just makes me angry that he was hassled. the fire was almost out, and he was filming the tail end of it.
I guess he has learned a lesson..dont film anything where there are cops around, they will assume you are a bad guy. Dont leave the house after midnight, and dont be too young.

[Spentastic]

13. Nah , hopefully

He has learnt that there's not "always" something to be frightened of when the police are involved. Being aware that there are times where the cops will react differently is also important. Try filming protests where the police get uppity! Being young is always a problem. Again it's not always the police that are the problem but the "concerned citizens" that your other son had trouble with. Fear is making people stupid.

Volunteering the film was smart. I'd be interested in the demeanour of the officer involved. "Hassling" indicates a level of intimidation that was probably uncalled for.

[Mari333]

15. He said the cops were well behaved but the Fireperson

Firewoman was the one who asked him questions..
My son has this terror in his mind that he will be hassled for the filming ...like its against the law..it isnt..
thank god for lawyers...Im sure his lawyer will make him feel better tommorrow.

[Spentastic]

16. I understand

I really do. I've been stopped by the police loads of times. Mainly due to my habit of wandering around in the middle of the night due to insomnia. That's not illegal either. A civilised society requires policing. As long as those doing the policing can properly explain their actions and treat me with respect, I don't have a problem with them asking me what I'm doing. If they harass me, I'll press charges.

[Mari333]

17. well, I told him stop filming scenes where cops are at

or become a news reporter ...which is what he wants to do..He is pretty naieve and thinks it was cool to film it...I told him, move to Canada, or Europe, where perhaps you wont be stopped as much. He came home to my house tonight, shaking in terror.
I guess he wanted to feel safe.
OY VEY. and he had just gone off to live on his own...dammit. I was so hoping he would feel safe in his own place near a college, but now hes afraid to go back there, because he thinks the cops will break down his door and arrest him for filming an art film.
Hopefully, his lawyer tommorrow will put his fears to rest.

[Mari333]

7. I agree

My oldest son, who is in the National Guard, had a cop break into his home and put a gun to his head..Im not kidding...my son was asleep..the neighbours had called and complained that there was someone suspicious in the house my son lived in (He had just started renting his brothers house)..
Luckily, my son kept his cool and explained to the rookie cop that he LIVED there...and later on, the state police apologized to my son..not until after he freaked out from the terror of it all..
Its getting to be we cant even go out into our streets at night without the assumption that we are all criminals..
what makes me mad is, I am proud of my younger son wanting to make films, wanting to do something positive with himself, wanting to make art, and then being treated like a criminal and hassled for it..
Its Asscracks world allright.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Thanks to the Scalia Court

the bar for "probable cause" has been lowered. Police discretionary powers have expanded with this conservative leaning group.

[E_Zapata]

9. that is a drag but:

arsonists get off on the excitement of the scurrying and the fire and all AFTER they set the fire. So they can usually be found within view of fires. And it would not be extraordinary for an arsonist to want to "record" his work.

In my neck of the woods - volunteer firemen seem to have set a lot of fires in the last year. A weird phenomena.

They had to check it out.

If you had an arsonist in hitting your neighborhood, you would want the cops to check out anyone who was at the scene of the crime and who was very interested in the fire itself. You would. You have to admit.

They did not arrest him. That is where they policed themselves and did not overreact.

[Mari333]

12. well I hope they dont hassle him anymore

His film just shows him driving thru town and driving up to the fire at the end of it..he was going to set music to it, when he got back to his apartment...making art..
Now he is paranoid that the cops will come after him for filming it..well, hes young..Id be paranoid too..
I told him not to worry..and Im sure his lawyer will also tell him that.

PS...thank god for lawyers.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. I'm just itching to ask.

Is your son white? This is the kind of thing that happens all the time to those of us who aren't. Just the other day I was walking my dog and some woman made a public scene with a cop in tow because my dog looked like hers. She actually thought I had taken her dog! I thought to myself, "what idiot doesn't know what their dog looks like?" My dog is a mutt, not a common looking pedigree. So obviously, I took her accusation rather personally because I couldn't see any other motive but that she was making some crude assumptions about me and not paying attention to the dog's markings at all. She gave up when my dog paid her no attention and followed my voice commands.

[Mari333]

14. yes he is white and I thought of that too

in fact, I mentioned to him, now you probably know what it feels like to be hassled as a black young man late at night on the street..
Figured Id give him a fast lesson on that anyway..
I am appalled at what happened to you..what the hell is wrong with people. Geezus.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. Don't worry it's prolly just drug related like everything else!

Asscroft and the department of Fatherland Insecurity have the entire country in the Barney Fife Mode! If they outlaw guns only the outlaws will have them, ain't too far from the truth lately! The outlaws will have squad cars too! Asscross and the SCOTUS are seeing to it that the Terra-ists really do win!

Remember, "If you don't go shopping and spend money on new cars, houses, duct tape and washing machines the Terra-ists will win!" "If you don't fly on airplanes and let strange people fondle you in lines at the airports, the Terra-ists will win!" IF YOU LIVE IN A POLICE STATE THE TERRA-ISTS HAVE WON!

I can tell you this much about the sniper case in West Virginia, the Barney Fife Mode is alive and kicking, kicking in doors that is! The cops are following ANY tip or lead from any nutcase that calls in! It's getting like the KGB daze here! If you're a little old lady driving a Ford F-150 Black, Blue, Green, Purple or Dark Red with a Silver or Gold stripe on the bottom, you may end up in Gitmo!

I'm hearing some wild tales about the leads the cops are checking out! I'll do a thread about it later as this story develops!

[Mari333]

19. heh I have sooo many anti war anti Bush bumper stickers

on my car...no one hassles me, because Im old. I swear to god, it pays off to be old. I get the finger on occassion, but I give it right back.
well its 7 am EST and Im still awake...looks like Ill be napping all day. My son asked me to stay awake and watch out for cops..I told him Bullshit..no cops will come to Moms House and hassle you for filming in a college town which is perfectly legal..
the war on Terra is even making him paranoid. I wish I would have raised my kids in some other country.