USMCBess, I watched the video, and I have to ask you what your ultimate goal was. You made a number of mistakes. Folks here have already criticized you for those, so now let's look at the mistakes I see and let's see if we can find a way to keep that from happening again.
0:00 - 0:29: an OC walk? Either you walk or you don't. OC walk is nothing more than a charade. This makes it look like a set up.
1:27 & 1:32: Why are you telling him you are legally armed? Ok, in initial contact it may be a good idea. But look at the distance. You're having a hard time understanding him and I bet he can't hear you any better.
5:00: The cop asks you a simple question. I don't see the harm in telling him, but I suppose if you don't want to, you don't have to.
5:15: You asked the cop a legitimate question. But at this point I see that you are TOO eager to talk to them. "Too eager"? Yeah, too eager because you kept talking. Every time they said something you chimed in. Bad idea. The image that may present of you is likely to not be a good one.
5:39: The officer is wrong here. Just because people "all over the place" are calling about a man with a gun, does not justify drawing down on someone. If this goes to court, get copies of the 911 call log. If it is true the calls will be right there. If it is not true, then you have the cop for harassment.
5:46: The police should be expected to uphold the Constitution, that's what is expected of them. The right to keep and bear arms is such a right.
5:53: Ok, mistake here. You asked the guy if he went to the academy. If he has a badge, it's a given. But that doesn't mean that you need to tell him word for word what the Constitution says. As I said earlier, you're too eager to talk. Next time, keep it simple- "Because I can. It's my right and it's not illegal".
6:13: You're going to Plead the Fifth? Geeeez, dude! That is so lame!
6:36: Excuse me, but how old are you? Does your dad have to go everywhere with you? earlier in the video even he was saying that if you wanted to go for a walk you could have went out back (I presume behind his place in the woods....?).
7:02: Bess, you are not cooperating fully. Don't lie about it. You're just gonna decide how much info they extract from you. The best way to solve this? Just keep your mouth shut. Tell them you wish to remain silent until you can consult with your attorney and then keep your mouth shut. If they arrest you for doing that, they are setting themselves up for a lawsuit.
7:07: Again, you don't have to recite the Constitution to him. He knows it.
8:05: Dude, DO NOT INSULT THE TROOPER. And here it sounds an awful lot like you did.
8:28: Do you realize that all this talking you are doing, it isn't showing them anything impressive about you. It's not showing your knowledge or skill. It's showing them not only how uncooperative you are, but that you're arrogant and that can lead to more problems later on.
9:18: Don’t tell them how disappointed you are in them. That’s degrading their performance. I don’t care if they’re bumbling idiots. Show them at least SOME respect.
10:38: The officers are in error here. If you robbed a bank, in the time between when they were called and now they would have been notified of any armed robberies by dispatch. The likelihood of such an event is minuscule. Pre-emptive arrests are not legal. Oh, BTW, at this point you are under arrest. If you are not free to leave and they are investigating you of an alleged crime, it does not appear to be an arrest and not a detention (IANAL, so I could be wrong).
10:58: If the police officers are not violating your rights, why should they care why you are recording the event?
11:20: Bess, come on. Trying to pull up an allegory does you no good. Examples aren’t going to work.
13:00: Perhaps the officer questioning you should reevaluate his questioning. No law saying that you can’t walk.
Now in consideration of what Zekester said.
Bess, you have allegedly been asked NOT to do anything disruptive. Yet this is what you did. Think about that for a few minutes, ok. Sometimes restricting yourself for a few moments or even a few days is wise IF there is a chance that in doing so you can prevent a worse event from happening. Such as interrupting the SB680 talks. Maybe you were on the media and maybe you weren’t. I dunno. But I do know that the other side knows all about this, and your action just made you a pawn in their little game. Did you ever consider that? And what if the ban on OC had gone through? Your action would likely be seen as the straw that broke the camel’s back. What would your reaction be if it was proven that your action WAS just that? An important factor in deciding the deprivation of the Constitutional rights of others?
As for baiting the cops. Bad idea. Bess, you don’t have to bait nobody. Just keep your nose clean and observe. They’ll provide you with footage eventually.
Next time, consider your goal, who you are representing at the time, and how you can better present yourself as a representative and to do so leaving your image with the media in a favorable light. It can be done, it just takes a bit of practice.
The next time the cops pull you aside for OC, KISS. Keep It Short & Simple. They want your name, tell them your name. They want to know what you’re doing OC’ing? KISS- “I dunno. Just out walking and felt like packing.” If they ask why (in the smart-mouthed manner that one officer seems to display), KISS- “‘Cause I can. It’s not illegal and I ain’t done nothing wrong. Can I go now?” At this point unless they have PC or RS, walk. Instead of being a 16 minute event, it’s down to less than a minute. If they say no, it’s now arrest. Even if they say it’s a detention, technically it’s arrest because they suspect YOU, specifically, of a crime. At that point, ****. Don’t say anything. If they cuff you, go limp and lay on the ground. Totally relax. This way your weight is now dead weight and instead of one guy escorting you to the car, it’s gonna be at least two maybe three. THEN they have to get you out. Ohhhh THAT’S fun! You have any idea how cramped the back seat is? Really cramped. Let’s see how they can manage THAT trick! And it’s not resisting, you simply have no obligation to assist them in their criminal activities. And right now you suspect them of kidnapping. Is it, really? Actually, yes. You are the victim and the courts and police have no authority to tell you that you are interpreting the criminal act wrong.
And in closing, learn to ****. You talk to much to the cops. KISS & ****.
I am not a lawyer in real life, nor in play life or even in my sickest nightmares. Nor will I ever be. I speak only from experience, so your mileage may vary.
ETA: I see they have a text filter for some acronyms. Hmmm.
