The Obama Administration has filed a brief in support of a Maryland photojournalist who says he was arrested and beaten after he took photographs of the police arresting two other men. The brief by the Justice Department argues that the US Constitution protects the right to photograph the actions of police officers in public places and prohibits police officers from arresting journalists for exercising those rights.
The lawsuit arose from a June 2011 altercation in which photojournalist Mannie Garcia witnessed Montgomery County police arresting "two young Hispanic men" in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. Concerned that the police were using "excessive force," Garcia says he pulled out his camera and began photographing the scene from a distance of about 30 feet.
Garcia says that when Officer Christopher Malouf approached him, Garcia identified himself as a member of the press held up his hands to show he was only holding a camera. But Malouf "placed Mr. Garcia in a choke hold and dragged him across the street to his police cruiser," where he "subjected him to verbal and physical abuse." According to Garcia's complaint, Malouf "forcibly dragged Mr. Garcia across the street, throwing him to the ground along the way, inflicting significant injuries." Garcia says Malouf "kicked his right foot out from under him, causing Mr. Garcia to hit his head on the police cruiser while falling to the ground."
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via http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/obama-administration-supports-journalist-arrested-after-recording-cops/
