Watching The Cops
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Title: Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police
Source:
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News
URL Source: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28758502/detail.html
Published: Aug 4, 2011
Author: Chris Halsne
Post Date: 2011-08-04 15:06:12 by Liberator
Keywords: Fascist, JBT, Statism
Views: 13674
Comments: 24
ENTON, Wash. -- The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos. The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power." Only KIRO Team 7 Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne holds a key document that really lays bare the city’s intent. The document was quietly filed in King County Superior Court last week. It’s a search warrant accusing an anonymous cartoon creator, going by the name of Mr. Fiddlesticks, of cyberstalking (RCW 9.61.260). The Renton Police Department and the local prosecutor got a judge to sign off as a way to uncover the name of whoever is behind the parodies. Halsne talked with three nationally respected legal experts who believe the use of the cyberstalking statute is likely stomping on the constitution. The series of web-based short cartoons feature a mustachioed street cop and a short-haired female bureaucrat. The dry, at times, witty banter between the two touches on some embarrassing insider secrets, some of which seem to match up with internal affairs investigations on file within Renton PD.
Poster Comment: Who knew we were already Sharia law compliant. Maybe Wash. State will recommend a fatwa on the cartoonist.
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#1. To: All (#0)
“The cyberstalking angle doesn't pass the laugh test," Balasubramani told KIRO-TV. "It's a serious stretch and I'd be surprised if somebody looked at it and realistically thought these acts actually fit the statute and we could make somebody criminally liable." When we asked about the more likely scenario, Balasubramani said, "I think they were trying to get at the speaker and they looked around for a statute that shoehorned their conduct into and sent that to Google and said ‘turn over the information.” Historically, Google and You-Tube are far more likely to cough up an anonymous animator's real name when there's a criminal case, as opposed to just an internal affairs investigation into some personnel issues. KIRO Team 7 Investigators went to the City Attorney's office to ask the chief prosecutor, Shawn Arthur, his motivations to criminalize cartoon creators. Halsne was told to leave a handwritten note. We did not hear back from Arthur. A similar thing happened at the Renton police department. A spokesperson told Halsne that Chief Kevin Milosevich was unavailable. Team 7 Investigators, however, did track down Penny Bartley. She’s a former Renton Police Public Information Officer and current jail administrator, which court records say is the female bureaucrat in some of the cartoons. The mystery animator makes fun of her ankles and questions her resume, yet Bartley wouldn’t talk about the parodies, except to say the city prosecutor never contacted her regarding the filing of a criminal warrant. Halsne: "The video is insulting to you. Can't you at least step out and talk about how that makes you feel?" Bartley: "I'm not going to talk about that." Halsne: "So you're not offended?" Bartley: "I'm not going to comment on this Chris, I've said that." KIRO-TV found two of the full parodies still hanging around the web (which are now posted on our site), but police say there are 6 or 7 additional cartoons created with animation software at www.xtranorma.com and posted under pseudonyms. "Cyberstalking"?? Wow. Ya THINK that's a stretch of a charge? I CAN see Meter Maid Island might be disturbed over this besmirchment of his and his co-JBT's "honor." Let's see if Google and/or You Tube cough up the ID of the cartoonist.
Check out this video, and pay close attention to what the guy says 33 seconds into the video. If they had not been caught, you know damned well any money, drugs, watches, jewelery, etc; they seized was not headed for the evidence locker. The war on drugs is not about getting rid of drugs, the only object is to keep the price high. The present system is the worst, you'll never see the bootlicker brigade advocating a Singapore style solution, that would be the worst outcome for it. Poor Guido would actually have to start living on his NYPD paycheck, rather than the "unlimited income" it boasted of having. It screams about drugs, but it really means the drugs sold by the rivals of the drug dealers that pay it off. Do away with the "War on Drugs," or go Singapore on drugs, either way you take away its meal ticket. It needs the status quo, high priced drugs and the financial windfall Guido reaps from selling the monopoly on drug sales on its beat.
I hope every one of the cops in that video ended up going to prison.
This link has their pictures.
#11. To: nativist nationalist (#6)
(Edited)
Guido Island? Heh-heh... It doesn't look like too much of the dope he confiscates ends up in the evidence locker. Nope, no way. No telling how many people this punk has shaken down. He ought to get an IRS call and his assets investigated, but first he needs his azz kicked.
According to Wiki (for what it's worth): Five officers, Gerald David Webber, Samuel R. Franklin, Joshua Monday, Shayne Green, and William Carroll were convicted in federal court of the beatings and attempted cover-up. They received prison sentences ranging from 51 to 72 months. The events went largely unreported in American news media.
Nah,he's a campus cop In NY.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestWe asked attorney Venkat Balasubramani to review several parody videos and the court documents. He's an expert in cyber-law and constitutional issues.
#2. To: Liberator (#1)
I CAN see Meter Maid Island might be disturbed over this besmirchment of his and his co-JBT's "honor."
#5. To: nativist nationalist (#2)
#6. To: sneakypete (#5)
I hope every one of the cops in that video ended up going to prison.
For all we know this one could be the resident puppy shooting Guido over at LP. It doesn't look like too much of the dope he confiscates ends up in the evidence locker.
Replies to Comment # 6. For all we know this one could be the resident puppy shooting Guido over at LP.
#13. To: nativist nationalist, all (#6)
#21. To: nativist nationalist (#6)
For all we know this one could be the resident puppy shooting Guido over at LP.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 6.
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