Saturday, August 28, 2010

Watch And Videotape A Police Stop On Your Porch, Get Arrested

Salisbury, NC is having a major scandal in which a woman was arrested and convicted of videotaping a police arrest from her own porch.
From Salisburypost.com: A Salisbury woman who was arrested in November 2009 after she refused a police officer’s order to go into her house while he was making a traffic stop nearby was found guilty Friday of resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer.
She had been videotaping the traffic stop.
Rowan County District Court Judge Beth Dixon found Felicia Laverne Gibson, 29, guilty and sentenced her to six months of probation and community service work. Gibson, through her attorney Jacob Sussman, of Charlotte, gave notice of appeal.
Dixon found Gibson had interfered with the officer’s ability to do his job as he dealt with a traffic stop....She sat on her front porch and recorded the arrest on video. That video, which Gibson shot with a digital camera, was shown in court Friday

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/082110-Felicia-Gibson-guilty-resist-arrest-Mark-Hunter-qcd
From another story on the issue: Felicia Laverne Gibson, 29, was arrested by Salisbury Police Officer Mark Hunter after he pulled over a driver involved in a chase. Gibson sat on her front porch and recorded the arrest on video.
Gibson and others were asked to clear the street. The officer testified Wednesday and today that he repeatedly told the woman to go inside her home. She did not, and he arrested her.

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/082010-WEB-Felicia-Gibson-trial-Mark-Hunter-qcd
It was noted that testimony in the court is that several people were on the porch at the time and Gibson was the only one arrested. Maybe because she was the only one being videotaped?
I'm sorry, but unless a person is actually interfering with an arrest, the cops should not care if they are being videotaped or not, especially if they are just doing their job. Clearly, this was not the case here. The lady was on her porch, minding her own business, just videotaping the arrest. There was no violence going on in the area.
If the officer is so afraid of what might have happen, he should not be a police officer. This woman's rights were clearly violated and they have a stupid judge who apparently does not know the constitution.
Gibson and her attorney are going to appeal to the district court and bring the case before a jury. Then Officer Hunter will have something to be truly afraid of.

h/t Dad 29 http://dad29.blogspot.com/

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