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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
Current rating: 0 |
by Kimberlie Kranich
Email: kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
05 Sep 2004
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Two founding members of VEYA, Visionaries Educating Youth and Adults, Martell Miller and Patrick Thompson of Champaign, have been charged with eavesdropping by the state's attorneys office for videotaping Champaign Police traffic stops of African-American men and their white counterparts. A video that features these stops by police was to air on Urbana Public Television on August 25, 2004 but UPTV staff turned the tape over to police without Mr. Miller's knowledge and now the tape is being used as "evidence" against Mr. Miller and Mr. Thompson. |
The eavesdropping charges against Mr. Miller and Mr. Thompson are felony charges since they involve police and could land them in jail between 4 and 15 years or they could get probation. A grand jury indicted Mr. Miller on Friday, September 3 of three counts of eavesdropping.
Martell Miller and Patrick Thompson are African-American men from Champaign. They spoke up against taser electroshock stun guns when the police department wanted to purchase them earlier this spring. Part of their argument against tasers was the disparate treatment of African Americans by the cops. They did not want the police to have another weapon to use against black residents. Segments of the black and white communities organized and together defeated tasers.
Meanwhile, VEYA informed the Champaign Mayor and City manager that their organization was going to start video taping Champaign police stops of black folks. Citizen Watch, the name for VEYA's program to monitor traffic stops, was meant for accountability on both sides of a traffic stop. VEYA was filming these traffic stops to help build their case that a program for mentoring youth was needed in Champaign-Urbana. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Miller were filming a variety of stops to help illustrate the disparity in treatment. The city manager and the mayor did not respond to VEYA's letter.
VEYA started to make a documentary for UPTV about Citizen Watch. In one of the scenes in the documentary, state's attorney Elizabeth Dobson is seen videotaping Mr. Thompson.
On August 7, 2004, around midnight Mr. Miller was on North Bradley Street with his video camera when he saw four police officers talking to a black man on a bicycle for not having a light on the front of his bike. From across the street, Mr. Miller filmed this "traffic stop." After the stop, the officers left. The suspect then came over to Mr. Miller's side of the street and Mr. Miller asked him if he could interview him. The man said "yes" and the interview began.
The cop who had pulled the suspect over then returned along with other officers. As Mr. Miller was interviewing the suspect, the cop intervened and asked Mr. Miller if he was currently taping the officer. Mr. Miller had not intended to tape the officer, but the cop's question was now on Mr. Miller's tape. The two argued about Mr. Miller's rights and Mr. Miller told the officer to call his supervisor. The supervisor arrived on the scene and told Mr. Miller that he has recorded the cop without his permission. The police seized Mr. Miller's camera and tape.
Mr. Miller was charged with eavesdropping. Judge Heidi Ladd refused to allow the state's attorney to arrest Mr. Miller over the charge. Mr. Miller was released on his own recognizance. Meanwhile, the News-Gazette reported on the story and wrote an editorial against State's attorney John Piland for bringing charges against Mr. Miller for a "crime" that is violated by many people every day.
VEYA finished its documentary and turned it into UPTV. The tape was confiscated without notification. It took another week for the city to inform Mr. Miller that they had taken it. Most importantly, Mr. Miller was issued an additional count of eavesdropping, bringing the number to three, based on the footage on the UPTV tape. Mr. Thompson has also been charged with one count of eavesdropping based on the confiscated documentary.
Mr. Miller's hearing is on Wednesday, September 8 at 3:15pm in Courtroom F [please note the earlier time than previously stated](no shorts or sandals allowed in the courtroom) and the UPTV Commissioners meeting is on Monday, 9/13 at noon in the Urbana City Building, 400 S. Vine St.
The documentary about Champaign Police Stops that was confiscated as "evidence" will air at 4pm, Saturday September 11th in the auditorium of the Champaign Public Library and again at 1pm on Sunday, September 12th at Boardman's Art Theatre in downtown Champaign.
If you would like to join the Citizens for Peace and Justice and help defend Mr. Miller and Mr. Thompson, please e-mail kakranich (at) yahoo.com or cu (at) veya.org. |
See also:
http://www.veya.org
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This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Interview with Martell Miller |
by Paul Riismandel
paul (nospam) mediageek.org (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
05 Sep 2004
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Martell Miller was a guest on the Aug. 27 edition of WEFT's mediageek radio show. He discusses the goals of VEYA and explains why he was videotaping police stops.
You can listen to this program on-line:
http://www.mediageek.org/radioshow/002350.html#002350 |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by John Hilty
jhilty (nospam) shout.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
05 Sep 2004
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I suggest filing a complaint with the Illinois chapter of the ACLU as the anti-eavesdropping law infringes on free speech and the rights of a free press. |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by outrageous
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
05 Sep 2004
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This is so clearly a case of abuse of police power. No police officer can claim an expectation of privacy (which is what a charge of illegal eavesdropping is all about) when conducting (legitimate) police business in a public place with a camera or recorder rolling. If this were the case, the state would be free to prosecute those who captured on tape the Rodney King beating and all the other famous instances of abuse by police.
Citizens, whether they be professional documentarians or simply civic-minded people, are serving the public interest by witnessing and taping police encounters, thereby helping to discourage abuse of authority and the use of excessive force by police - both of which are unlawful and universally against the (written) policies of police departments nationwide. The ONLY reason for police objecting to such activity is because they fear they will be caught in some kind of wrongdoing.
From a legal perspective, in many jurisdictions the police themselves monitor and record traffic stops using dash-mounted video cameras - evidence of the doctrine that police acting on the public's behalf must conform to the strictest standards of impartiality and professionalism. A few have even been disciplined by their own departments when the video they themselves shot caught them in the act of unprovoked assault and worse.
Martell Miller and his VEYA group ought to be given good citizenship awards rather than being raked over the coals by a biased prosecutor supporting police bullies. Maybe public attention will force these thugs back under their flat rocks. If there were any justice at all these guys wouldn't even have jobs in law enforcement. |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by larry keller
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
05 Sep 2004
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Bolstering an argument with documented facts is what we citizens want to see. This could affect my donation to Lodge 17 . |
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What This Is |
by Citizen Pain
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
05 Sep 2004
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This is all about ensuring that there are no Rodney King pictures in our community.
NOT no Rodney Kings, but no Rodney King _PICTURES_.
Police on the street are just like anyone else. If you're in a public place, there is NO expectation of privacy.
This is just one more in the LONG list of reasons why State's Attorney John Piland needs to be voted out of office on November 2. The bum is full of himself and, I gotta tell you, that's a LOT of shit. |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by Wife of Patrick Thompson
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
06 Sep 2004
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I just want to thank all that are in support of helping Patrick and Martell in this situation. This is so unjust and it is going to take the people in this community to stand up and say we will not accept this form of treatment. Their next court appearance is at 3:15pm on Wednesday September 8th at the Champaign County Court house. Your presence is very much needed. "One person plants the seed, but the power comes from the people that can make the seed grow"
Thank you for your support it is helping me to stay strong. |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by Sascha Meinrath
sascha (nospam) ucimc.org (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
06 Sep 2004
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As a local resident, I've also been talking with participants at the FreiFunk.net Wireless Summit here in Denmark and the consensus (amonst folks who're attending from over 30 countries worldwide) is that this in an incredibly undemocratic and fascistic move by the police.
Videotaping of people in public spaces is completely legal; more importantly; citizen oversight of the police is vital if the police are to fulfill their mission of public service. This sort of behavior antagonizes community relations, alienates local residents, is seen incredibly negatively by the international community, and undermines the police department's credibility (not just locally, but internationally).
I am deeply disturbed that when asked by Summit participants what's happening back home, that the police are actively engaged in a campaign to further abrogate citizen rights and police accountability. A more intelligent solution would be for the Chief of Police to actively support citizen-initiatives like what Martell Miller and Patrick Thompson are doing otherwise, the question in everyone's mind becomes, "What are the police hiding?" |
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A Blatant Attack on Freedom of the Press |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
06 Sep 2004
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The recent experience of five UC IMC reporters in New York City, who were arrested on trumped-up charges while covering the protests against the Republican National Convention, is an eerie echo of the suppression of journalism in our own community with the arrests of Mr. Miller and Mr. Thompson by the Champaign Police Department.
Even more disturbing than the resistance by local police to any civilian oversight, something which reminds us again of the necessity for civilian police review boards, is the fact that John Piland is willing to engage in a conspiracy with the police to suppress freedom of the press by bringing these bogus and unjusitifed charges. The fact that he apparently authorized the seizure of the media produced by VEYA, the tape they produced and that was to be shown on UPTV, is yet another direct attack on the press, and is even more regretable. It amounts to an act of prior restraint of the press, something even the federal government does not have the power to do, as has been proven in such cases as the Pentagon Papers.
The fact that the News-Gazette is on the right side of this, opposing the arrests of the VEYA journalists, is to be commended. I hope that the N-G continues its support and even expands it by making a financial contribution to their defense. Who knows when the police will turn around and start arresting News-Gazette reporters? I would hope that other media in our community will similarly join in supporting their defense, since this is a direct attack on freedom of the press.
And I suggest that both the Champaign Police and John Piland pick up a copy of the Constitution and read the First Amendment. |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by Tom Mackaman
tmackaman (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
06 Sep 2004
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This is an outrageous abuse of police power. Miller and Thompson are guilty of nothing and are the victims of a frame-up. Their arrenst and arraignment repersents not only an attack on Miller and Thompson, but on the entire working class, and especially black workers. Clearly, the Champaign PD hopes to conduct its work without any public scrutiny.
As a candidate for office here in Champaign and Urbana, I condemn the actions of the Champaign Police Department and State's Attorney Piland, and call upon all supporters to rally to the defense of Miller and Thompson.
Tom Mackaman
Socialist Equality Party Candidate
District 103 |
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Re: Local Activists Charged with Eavesdropping After Videotaping Local Police - Community Rallies Behind Them |
by Anna Epelbaum
aepelbaum (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
07 Sep 2004
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It is nice to see the unity of this communiyu in the case of injustice and civil rights violations. However, my family-I and my husband were also victims of abuse of power, obvious racism of police., etc. I, personally, was a victim of disparate treatment of Cham[paign School District, but my and his complains were only the reason to pour on us all kinds of negative emotions, and didn't get us any help. I am not envious to the treatment , which other obvious victims are getting now. They , sure, should be supported. I am, howeverm, trying to understand why we (I and my husband) didn't get any compassion, reasonable help., etc.., but instead of all that we got anger, injustice, and the complete refusal to help us. Why is your community approach to justice is so uneven, and not fair? |
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