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Crime

Man Does “First Amendment Audit” in Vicksburg

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first amendment audit

VICKSBURG, Miss – A man did two “First Amendment Audit” videos in Vicksburg public areas and posted them to his YouTube Channel.

The YouTube Channel, called Auditeverything, is part of an online trend where citizen reporters test the boundaries and limits of First Amendment rights.

In the First Amendment Audit video posted yesterday, the man videoed from Clay and Washington including the bank at that location. A man who identified himself in the video as an employee of the bank interacted with the videographer. During the exchange the videographer asked where the vault was located in the building. A few minutes later the police showed up and confronted the man across the street from the bank.

VPD officers were seen interacting with the man inquiring about his intent and demanding he identify himself. He refused to identify himself and was threatened with arrest. As the interaction continued a VPD officer ordered the man to turn around and put his hands behind his back, saying he was detained. Shortly thereafter, another officer showed up and de-escalated the situation. The arriving officer asked the man if he wished to identify himself and the man declined. The arriving officer then explained to the others that the man was within his rights.

Second video

A second video was posted today showing the man entering the Warren County Jail public area. He was met by a deputy who asked him to not film in the lobby. Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace then asks the man to not video in that area explaining there were crime victims and witnesses who he did not want to be seen on a video. The Sheriff then escorts the man from the lobby.

The videographer walked over the license branch on Grove and started filming in the branch itself. An employee asks him not to film saying he did not have their permission to film them. A Vicksburg Police Officer shows up and escorts the man from the building. That officer then drives his vehicle to the man and confronts him on the sidewalk outside of the building.

The officer orders the man to put his hands on the police car and asks him repeatedly for his name as he appears to search the man. The officer then produces handcuffs as he continues to search the man. The videographer emphatically attempts to explain to the officer that he was within his rights to video in public areas. The man agrees to write his name but not audibly say it claiming he didn’t want his name in the video.

Other units with the VPD arrive and the man was released.

The First Amendment to the constitution protects the right to a free press. Anything that can be seen in public is allowed to be videoed or reported. People should have no expectation of privacy if they are in public.

While the Supreme Court has not yet decided a case regarding the right to film in public or public officials including police officers, there have been numerous cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals. The trend has been to defend the right of videographers to film in public areas, including police activity and public employees.

The Vicksburg Daily News has been asked numerous times to step back from crime scenes and fires. The police have a right to protect a scene and ask the press to report from a safe distance. However, there have been several cases where the VPD request to move back have been to an excessive distance.

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