The clip shows activists Ashley Jessica and Jason Bermas
handing out flyers warning travelers about the dangers of x-ray body
scanners at Albany International Airport in New York.
Almost as soon as the activists begin to hand out the
flyers, they are confronted by an aggressive airport official later
named as Douglas I. Myers, the airport’s Director of Public Affairs.
Myers orders the activists to leave the top floor and
later takes the unprecedented step of closing off the entire level and
preventing families from meeting their loved ones. He subsequently
claims the activists need a permit and a $1 million dollar insurance
liability merely to film inside the airport, despite the fact that the TSA’s own website clearly states that TSA checkpoints can be filmed at any airport.
Myers’ attempts to get the activists in trouble with
police are derailed when Sheriff Stan Leneck steps in to handle the
situation, pointing out to Myers that they have a right to film under
the First Amendment.
“Obviously this is your constitutional right, as far as we’re concerned you’re not breaking any laws,” Leneck tells Bermas.
When Myers asks the Sheriff to detain the activists, Leneck responds, “I can’t do that.”
Myers then asks for Bermas’ identification, to which Sheriff Leneck responds, “He doesn’t have to show you his identification.”
“I need to get it from you,” Myers tells the Sheriff as
he winks at him, to which Sheriff Leneck responds “I can’t give you
that.”
“Just so you know, he’s not doing anything wrong,”
Deputy Leneck forcefully tells Myers, before quoting the New York penal
law code.
“If I was to ask for his identification he does not have to give it to me because he’s not doing anything wrong,” adds Leneck.
Myers’ claim that Jessica is blocking the escalator is
also dismissed by Leneck. Myers then claims the filming is illegal
because it is “commercial” and could appear on the Drudge Report – which
is a news aggregator and not a commercial website.
Leneck should obviously be commended for his fine job in
upholding constitutional rights. If there’s an award for cop of the
year, he should win it hands down. He is a shining example to other
police officers who have completely failed to apply the law in similar
situations.
Consider the actions of police at both Reagan Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport, where activists Derrick Broze and Infowars reporter David Ortiz were both threatened with arrest and forced to leave the airport merely for filming and handing out the exact same flyers.
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