In a bit of police-state jujitsu, the tables are turned on the police.

The New York Times’ blog Screens calls police brutality videos a “microgenre”:

[The video] shows two LAPD officers beating up a suspect as he chokes out the words, “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” His face is smeared with blood.

On the strength of the video, the FBI is investigating.

A surprisingly pervasive counter-surveillance initiative seems to be underway: citizens surveilling cops, teachers, pollworkers, government officials, customer service reps, authorities of every stripe. YouTube is now jammed with police brutality videos….

Screens wonders if this will be admissable in court. Whether it is or not, it’s damning.

You knew (right?) that you’re basically on camera all the time? Toll booths, ATMs, cash registers, many stop lights, most stores, airports, bus stations, train stations, subway stations, and in many cases just walking down the street because closed-circuit surveillance cameras are now on the outside of most buildings.

The “expectation of privacy” in our country has turned into an “expectation of surveillance.”

But it turns out that cameras are cheap and ubiquitous, and sometimes those who act under cover of authority get find that they may not be able to do their dirty work in private either.

Thanks You Tube. Along with the drunken frat boy videos, you actually render a public service.

Posted by Antony in: General