Seriously - how safe and/or effective would it be for white people to stop and record

[hedgehog]

incidents in which people of color are stopped by the police? When I ask "How safe?", my concern is to avoid escalating a situation and getting people hurt.

On edit: the notion that simply having a white witness could help stop harassment of others is disgusting to me, but if it gets the point across to officers who think people of color are fair game.....

[notadmblnd]

1. I think it would promote safety

[NYC_SKP]

2. Everybody, not just whites, should record any police action they observe.

We should all recall that Reginald Denney was videotaped when we weren't all carrying camera phones.

Now even kids have a camera and evidence can be easily sent to the cloud before cops can smash and grab it.

Why just white people filming blacks?

Everybody record everything.

I'm out.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. I recall, a few months back ...

a white woman (a lawyer) was video taped intervening in a beating of, er, sorry, the "aggressive policing and detention" of a Black man. The situation did not escalate.

[hedgehog]

5. Thank you. Again, as a white woman, I find it totally disgusting that my skin color may give

me more power with authorities than any of my fellow citizens. The only way to eliminate that advantage is to use it to the benefit of us all.

It's not just a color situation - it applies if anyone from the GLBT community is being harassed, any homeless person, anyone.

[1StrongBlackMan]

9. In every discussion of white privilege ...

the shut down point comes at "Yeah, yeah; but, what can we do about it ... I want concrete steps!" And that ends the discussion, even though PoC provide the requested steps, including making it work for everyone.

Now that you, a white, female has offered it ... maybe, someone will listen.

[hedgehog]

13. I haven't followed those discussions too closely - I've seen too much

of white privilege in real life to have any doubts it exists.

I think I have kind of an inside/outside point of view - too many people have made too many remarks in front of me not realizing I have two nieces of mixed race; and I had the misfortune of being a woman in a very misogynistic workplace. Still, it was a real eye opener for me when a black man I worked with remarked that he'd never be caught after sundown in the rural areas of the county where I live.

[XemaSab]

11. I posted a few days ago

that I had really come to that realization too, especially the realization that the cops are generally going to be your "friends," even when you're in the wrong.

Being a middle class white woman really greases a lot of wheels.

For example, two weeks ago my battery died in the middle of a grocery store parking lot in a strange town. Approaching strangers while looking middle class, white, and female made me very aware of my presentation, and everyone I approached was friendly and open to chatting with me about it.

I look nonthreatening to people through sheer accident.

[XemaSab]

12. The flip side being, of course,

that three weeks ago I was approached by a tweeker in a DIFFERENT grocery store parking lot and he sent off some of the worst vibes I've ever felt.

First time in my life I've ever made a plan to grab the pepper spray at first glance.

[Kalidurga]

4. Escalation when the police know a camera is present is unlikely

however I would try to not be seen recording just because during Occupy Minneaplis I heard several people had their phones confisticated by the police, I heard this was true in a lot of the Occupy cities.

On the other hand if you think letting the police know will deesculate a situation then let them know they are on film and it's going to cloud.

[VScott]

7. Are their any apps that will upload in real time?

Just in case the camera is "accidentally" damaged or seized as "evidence"?

however I would try to not be seen recording...

Illegal (at least in some states).

Video recording is fine. Surreptitiously audio recording (even public employees), can result in criminal
charges.

[Kalidurga]

8. So much for freedom

That's a bit crazy if you are recording in public. A public place isn't where you actually have a right to privacy.

[seveneyes]

6. A privileged exercise for all

A polar context if you will.

[JEFF9K]

10. The tape stands as evidence no matter who takes it.

[Stellar]

14. Sounds like whites can only believe/agree with what whites would say about it.

Lawrence O' Donnell had something to say on that subject...