The First Amendment has come under assault with countless incidents of federal, state and local law enforcement officers threatening, intimidating, assaulting and arresting citizens for the mere act of recording in public.
While these incidents were highlighted during the Occupy protests, they started in earnest after the 9/11 terrorist attacks under the guise of keeping our country safe from terrorists.
But cameras are not weapons.
In many cases, they are the only things that hold officers accountable for their actions, which is why there have been countless incidents of officers unlawfully confiscating cameras and/or deleting footage.
We are not asking to change the law. We are asking for the existing laws to be respected.
We are asking for the First Amendment to be respected.