I’ve almost become numb to horrendous videos like these...
It seems like a new shocking police abuse video sweeps the nation almost every week. These viral videos help bring a small dose of accountability to government employees. And they don’t like it one bit.
The unjustified violence isn’t what really upsets them. They’re upset because they can’t operate with near total impunity anymore. The Internet and proliferation of smartphones have made it much harder for the government and mainstream media to sweep inconvenient incidents under the rug.
This is why some states, most notoriously Florida, are abusing outdated eavesdropping laws to harass people who attempt to film the police.
It’s all part of a long trend. The government will always try to shield itself from the fallout from its behavior. Another favorite tactic is to simply declare troublesome information “classified” or to withhold it because of “national security,” a vague and misused term.
It’s an upside down situation. The government can monitor almost any aspect of the average citizen’s life whenever it wants. But it’s difficult to impossible for the average citizen to monitor the government. In a free society, the opposite would be true.
The Camera Is the New Gun
Trying to prohibit people from recording cops is a desperate move. And I don’t think it’s practical.
Nearly everyone has a phone that can record a decent quality video, and it only takes seconds to upload a video onto the Internet. Once it’s there, it’s hard for anyone to make it disappear.
Even a police incident in a small town no one has ever heard of can become a national news phenomenon. This has made it harder for the government and mainstream media to shape the narrative.
It’s also why Judge Andrew Napolitano calls the camera the new gun.
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