Charges Dropped Against Man Who Faced Life In Jail For Recording Cops

September 21st, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Ruling follows national trend underscoring fact it is not illegal to film the police

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Michael Allison, the 41-year old Illinois mechanic who faced life in jail for recording police officers, has had all charges against him dropped after a state judge ruled that his First Amendment rights had been violated, following a trend of similar rulings across the country that underscore the fact that it is not illegal to film cops.

Allison appeared as a guest on Infowars Nightly News yesterday.

Allison was the victim of a vendetta that was being pursued by the state despite the fact that every other case brought against citizens for filming cops had collapsed. A judge slapped Allison with five separate 15-year sentences for “eavesdropping,” four of which involved Allison filming police officers during a dispute over cars he was working on at his home in Bridgeport, and another related to Allison bringing a tape recorder to trial after he was told there would be no official transcript of proceedings.

“A statute intended to prevent unwarranted intrusions into a citizen’s privacy cannot be used as a shield for public officials who cannot assert a comparable right of privacy in their public duties,” wrote Circuit Court Judge David Frankland. “Such action impedes the free flow of information concerning public officials and violates the First Amendment right to gather such information.”

The “eavesdropping” charge was also dismissed by Frankland as completely inappropriate.

“Judge Frankland ruled that Allison had a First Amendment right to record the police officers and court employees. And while a ban on recording devices in the courtroom might be justified, he said, the eavesdropping charge was inappropriate,” reports Reason. “As applied in this case, Frankland said, the eavesdropping law “includes conduct that is unrelated to the statute’s purpose and is not rationally related to the evil the legislation sought to prohibit. For example, a defendant recording his case in a courtroom has nothing to do with an intrusion into a citizen’s privacy but with distraction.”

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

Frankland’s decision followed a First Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which found that, “The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment activity].”

Indeed, every similar case nationwide has concluded in all charges being dropped against the defendent. It is not illegal to film police officers in public. And yet cops up and down the country are still using intimidation tactics against citizens by threatening them with arrest for using a video camera.

Despite the clear legal precedent of such cases being thrown out, the state was determined to incarcerate Allison and throw away the key, even sending an assistant from the Attorney General’s Office to speak against him during a hearing.

Perhaps there needs to be a national activist day solely devoted to filming police officers in public to get the message across that documenting the performance of public servants is a completely natural and lawful expression of the First Amendment.

Let’s call it “Film a Cop Day” – a reminder that the First Amendment is more powerful than the threats and intimidation that victims of a law being enforced that isn’t even on the books have had to endure repeatedly for years on end.

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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show.

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27 Responses to “Charges Dropped Against Man Who Faced Life In Jail For Recording Cops”

Frankland’s career is finished…

BiGpharmakillZ Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 12:33 pm

Could be. This isn’t the first judge to decide this though is it? If it isn’t then he’s got a chance the career is still ok.

Kwai Chang Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 1:18 pm

politics today = cracking ice
honor dies where interest lies…
the demonstration is about to begin…
give it a couple of days…

THE CHINAMAN Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 2:25 pm

The natives are restless. The apples are ripe.

the sage Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 3:18 pm

Rather than film a cop day…a little play on words…call it “Shoot” a Cop Day.
Video of course.

At least until they walk up and try to steal your camera or falsely arrest you, then…it’s on for real with that special backup video camera made by SIG SAUER. Smile…say cheese.
Charges Dropped Against Man Who Faced Life In Jail For Recording Cops
—————————————————————————

There should have never been any charges to begin with.

However, this is great news.

Bravo2………out
Yes great news indeed,,,,,,,,,,police,judges,and such are waking up also,,,,,,the light is shinning on the criminals now,,,,,,,it might be to late to save our way of life but it is not to late to save our soul,,,,,,,,,,,sometimes even when you lose you win,,,,,,,,,,
Fantastic news!

I am in the process of having my car wired up just like cops do simply to save my ass in this ever increasing world of cops gone wild.

Kwai Chang Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 1:18 pm

I hope you never need to upload…
peace

THE CHINAMAN Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 2:33 pm

Again, fear the great motivator.
Look what happened with those police officers who killed a homeless man????
One of them will face muder charges another other charges but what about the rest of them?

They did nothing to stop there collegues from comitting the crime.

Pressure needs to be put on those who serve evil.

Alex Jones been telling you all, stand up law suit the abusers . They are criminally responsable for the present chaos being deployed on this planet. And all the good police who do nothing about collegues who act criminally are as guilty as those good people in the military who do nothing about the murderers within there ranks.

If the people start standing up and act with courage and in the light of Goodness we will stop this madness of abuses by the handfull of corrupt people ruling this planet.
Great news,

No charges for criminal.
Today two of the six cops that beat a homeless man to death in Fullerton, CA were charged by the DA. A good day for justice.

What did it cost this guy to defend the bogus video charges? The authorities need to be held accountable and charged back when bogus, nuisance charges are thrown at someone who has to fork out to defend themselves.

Don’t taze me bro! Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 4:15 pm

I hope those cops who killed that homeless man go to prison. Unfortunately, they are usually “punished” with paid leave. aka vacation.
This happens everywhere. my son witnessed recorded phone vid audio of police officers who were laying into someone using unnecessary excessive force. this was 3 years ago outside a social club. he was forced to hand over his phone delete this footage in front of an officer. He was threatened with arrest if he didn’t comply. MY son who was 19 naive at the time complied with this through fear of arrest. I WAS FUMING WHEN HE TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED ONLY WISH I WERE THERE TO WITNESS THIS. No way would i have compiled with the request have advised my son to never be intimidated by that kind of request again should it come up. police state everywhere, even in the UK. pleased that this guy defeated the trumped up excessive charges.
Now he ought to sue their asses for unlawful arrest!
HA HA HA

STUPID FKEN COMMIES.
Sue each officer individually.

Super Duper Man 1776 Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 2:24 pm

AND THE PROSICUTORS, CITY,COUNTY ETC.

GET THEM ALL.

MAKE THEM BEING FIRED A CONDITION TO SETTLE FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS RATHER THEN MILLIONS.

Super Duper Man 1776 Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 2:28 pm

MALICIOUS PROSICUTION.
FALSE ARREST
UNLAWFUL SEIZURE
UNLAWFUL DETAINMENT
VIOLATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

GET THEM ALL.

AND DONT SPEND 1 PENNY OF YOUR MONEY, SUE FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF LEGAL FEE’S WITH EACH AND EVERY SUITE .

Don’t taze me bro! Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 4:09 pm

You forgot defamation, harassment, time loss, emotional suffering, and conspiracy against the 1st, 4th, 8th, and 10th amendments.

Don’t taze me bro! Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 4:13 pm

Hang the officers for Constitutional treason, sue their families till their broke and indentured for life. lol
That’s what the government does! A totally outrageous reaction to an action.

Like when they beat the shit out of people, and then charge them with “assault” for trying to protect themselves from the repeating blows…
Good news. Now go on the offensive and sue…sue…SUE!!!!

Don’t taze me bro! Reply:
September 21st, 2011 at 4:06 pm

Precisely. Keep in mind, publicity (you tube etc) is even more powerful than a lawsuit. That is why they don’t want people filming police. As the laws become more tyrannical, law enforcers become more criminal.
HA HA all you crooked cops can SUCK IT !
The tactic here, is that you should feel “thankful” the charges were dropped. When what should be done is the State should be sued and prosecuted for treason.

It’s the same tactic in court- “impose”, “reduce” pending compliance.

As the status quo creeps ever onward into tyranny, people are incrementally conditioned to feel “thankful” for increasing abuses, and criminal governance.
So where is the Prison Planet money bomb for this guy’s defense fund…or is that only used for the in-studio flatscreens?