This may well be the scariest story about our creeping police state you’ll see this weekend, simply because of its almost mundane, street-level nastiness.
This is a poster that the New York City Police Department issued to officers to make them aware of a pair of “professional agitators” – who like to video record police performing their duties. It’s issued by the NYPD’s Intelligence Operations unit.
Of course, if the cops wouldn’t rush over and hassle people who are exercizing their constitutional rights – or if tyhe NYPD’s “stop and frisk” tactics weren’t so outrageously overzealous – these “professional agitators”, aka “citizens”, wouldn’t need to video their actions.
But, really, issuing a McCarthy-esque poster making them out to be fifth columnists or something? Really?
NYPD is now obligated in the interests of truth (mwahaaahahaha!) to specify who pays these people to agitate.
“Subjects purpose is to portray officers in a negative way and too [sic] deter officers from conducting there [sic] responsibilities.
Above subjects also deter officers from being safe and tactical (how does one be tactical?) by causing unnecessary distractions.”
If accurately capturing NYPD activity results in ‘portraying officers in a negative way’, it can only mean the officers are doing something wrong.
The only reason it would be a distraction would be if the officers had to alter their normal behavior because they are being recorded, and that itself is sufficient justification for recording them.
Perhaps NYPD can also say how they have been able to read the minds of the ‘agitators’ to determine their motivation.
Maybe DHS equipped them with mind-reading systems…
They should file a lawsuit for libel. I’ll contribute to a legal fund to that end.
Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.
- Denis Diderot
Back in my younger days, everything would have been just fine if not for the “outside agitators.” Now what’s standing between us and everything being just fine are the “professional agitators.” Man, I’m glad those agitators decided to get them some career training. The police on the other hand don’t seem to have learned much since then.
…an enthusiastic amateur. That did lead me to note that at least the Int guys up here can spell and use the correct version of “there/their”. Unlike, say, the FIO who wrote that little missive.
BTW, that reads to me like something posted in Precinct by the resident FIO – not something that was run up and down the reporting / analysis chain.
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” ~ Steve Jobs
What is this, pre-WWII Nazi Germany? Unless they have probable cause that these people have committed a crime, this is absolutely unConstitutional!
…that the coppers have to act like dickheads in front of you so you can videotape it?
I admit, it would explain a lot.
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” ~ Steve Jobs
eom
just wonderin’ if there’s been a Union organized for them to belong to?
I am a Professional Agitator.
(need to emphasize with the caps so They see it & Properly Take It Seriously. Scare quotes would be over-the-top however.)
“I shall continue to be an impossible person as long as those who are now possible remain possible.”
– Mikhail Bakunin