If union protesters turn violent — as they increasingly have — can you trust pro-union police to intervene?
As he says, always bring a camera. Actually, you should follow many of the Marine rules for a gun fight at events like this when it comes to cameras:
1. Bring a camera. Preferably, bring at least two cameras. Bring all of your friends who have cameras.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Memory is cheap. Your reputation is expensive.
3. If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
4. Move away from your subject. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
5. If you can choose what to bring to a demonstration, bring a long lens and a friend with a long lens.
6. In ten years nobody will remember the details of megapixels, stance, or tactics. They will only remember whose picture was taken.
7. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
8. Accuracy is relative: most demonstration shooting standards will be more dependent on “pucker factor” than the inherent accuracy of the camera.
9. Use a camera that works EVERY TIME.
10. Have a plan.
11. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won’t work.
12. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
13. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
14. Don’t drop your guard.
15. Watch their hands. Hands hit cameras. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
16. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to take a picture of everyone you meet.
Be careful out there.
Thanks but we’ve already got more than enough reasons… lol
This shakedown racket needs to be destroyed once and for all
I liked this, a lot…click!
Talk is fantasy. Fists are reality. Welcome to the real world. Real American marines will be needed next. It will hit the fan.
Excellent post.
“Incivility!”
The Navy rules for a gunfight are much simpler….
Send the Marines.
If you take pictures of police in Maryland, you may find yourself facing a very long prison term for violating wiretapping laws.
If you take pictures of police in Maryland, you may find yourself facing a very long prison term for violating wiretapping laws.
All the more reason for massive civil disobedience. Someone should challenge those laws for constitutionality.
I am not sure cameras matter. Even with acts of violence caught on tape they don’t make the news.
I am not sure cameras matter. Even with acts of violence caught on tape they don’t make the news.
The news isn’t the only place to settle grievances and disputes. It’s not even a good place to do so. Wisconsin apparently has laws against assault and battery (according to the lawyers I found by googling, LOL). Threats (“assaulting” in legal terms) or physical assaults (“battery” in legal terms) captured on video will seal most court cases.
The bad guys only have one rule…
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
That’s what has to be conquered. Marquis of Queensbury isn’t going to cut it. Benefit of the doubt isn’t going to cut it.
We win, they lose… is the only option and must be constantly and unrelentingly fought. The moment you take your focus off the game they’re moving forward in places we didn’t even consider part of the field.
Evil must be denied.
People might also want to consider not being so obvious about their videotaping. I’m sure it goes against the grain of “we’re honest and upstanding” but maybe proudly showing off your Citizen Journalist status in a crowd of people who are known to be somewhat unstable (leftists) isn’t the smartest thing to do these days. We’re basically talking about people who feel entitled to free money because They Are Right. A Flip cam in their faces is like a red flag to a bull in the ring.
I’m not saying quit recording. But be discreet. And it’s not like you can’t get tiny, easy-to-conceal video devices these days. Kodak has a tiny one the size of a credit card. And for real stealth, there’s things like this. (I’m not to blame for the goofy hipster guy they used on that site, sorry.)
Plainly put: These union thugs (and they ARE thugs, every one of them) own your government. They own it, not you. If you want to get control of your government back, you’ll have to battle these thugs every inch of the way.
The reward for this is that ending union control of government would lead to massive policy changes. Favoring the common good, I mean. As wild-eyed and exotic as that sounds, that would be the result.
Re-criminalize the labor mafias.
http://www.mambaoutdoors.com/videoblades.html
Similar to the ones Andrea linked to above.
These are a video recorder we sell at the range. Very good quality video and sound, intended for recording a hunt, but they do have other uses…
And considerably smaller than my Sony Handi-Cam, and not nearly as fragile. (Although you do lose the opportunity to immediately review your video. And I would suggest covering the little blue light on the inside of left temple that glows when you are recording, in protest situations…
Still photography = handgun.
Video = long gun.
Apropos
Same item, better price, preferred source –
http://www.keltecpistols.com/category/3203-Video_Eyewear.aspx?w=4uNxu7%2bwnCM%3d
Andrea-
Something similar was mentioned in the “camera” link on the Instapundit page (emphasis added):
“ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Kevin Rahm writes: “Two cameras should be used when possible and three would be ideal. One to chat with the psycho thug, one about 10 feet away to record the thug punching a 5′1″ super girl and the third from a higher angle to put it all into perspective.” Yes, I’ve recommended the multi-camera approach myself in the past. The main camera should be conspicuous, the others less so.“
I’ve shot a lot of photos and video at anti-war demonstrations in DC and have some lessons learned. Here they are.
Most protestors go to demonstrations for fun. It’s a party for them. They LOVE having their pictures taken. However, there is a radical core of lefties there who hate cameras. The organizers, who are generally communists/socialists, hate cameras. They hate still cameras but they REALLY hate video cameras. I’ve been threatened while carrying still cameras but I’ve been attacked while carrying video cameras. Beware.
First lesson, blend in. Dress casually like the crowd. I find that when I wear a red baseball cap, I get hassled less. Walk and move slowly and smoothly. Smile a lot. Act like you are one of the protestors taking images as souvenirs.
Second lesson, don’t argue with the idiots. Your chance of persuading them that socialism won’t work is nil. Instead of wasting your time with idle fighting, keep your mind on the Big Game. Your real battle is not the small one on the street, but the big one on the Internet. Your task is to document their nonsense and post it to the web, where hundreds or thousands will see it. If you ask a lefty politely, they are likely to spout their insane manifesto at length. Lefties LOVE attention. Thank them and post their nonsense on YouTube. That’s how you win with their cooperation.
If you must confront them, don’t do it alone. You MUST have a wingman when confronting radicals because they WILL physically assault you. Have your wingman hover a couple body lengths away so it appears like you’re not together. When the radical goes for you, your wingman should approach him from the side rear and ward him off with a verbal warning. Radical lefties are cowards. They’ll attack solo conservatives, but back off in a heartbeat when even one other man shows up.
The ideal formation is three people. One is the point man with the near camera. One is the wingman bodyguard to control the situation. Another is the second cameraman with the far camera who stands in the middle distance to capture the action.
If you’re attacked, you won’t get good video of it because your attacker will probably cover your lens or force it down to the ground. You need a second cameraman about twenty feet away to capture the attack. The far camera should not be obvious about their intention. Quietly capture the attack. All the attention will be on the fight, not the far camera.
Don’t carry big cameras that are easy to grab or break. Keep them as small as possible. Have them on a strap around your neck so that you can drop them to use your hands to defend yourself.
You should also carry a whistle. When attacked, blow it to summon the police. The police probably won’t do anything but it will stop the fight. The radicals will probably run.
Lefty radicals will bullshit you, saying that you can’t take their photo without their permission, that you must delete any photos you’ve taken, that they will have you arrested, etc. None of it is true. They have no rights to privacy in a public demonstration in a public space. Ignore them as much as possible. If they threaten to have you arrested, tell them to go ahead. Never bargain with radicals. Radicals never argue in good faith, only to manipulate you. Get your photos.
Stay reasonable but firm in dealing with radicals. Reject any orders they give in a normal voice. If they threaten you, call their bluff. Put your hands in your pockets and tell them to carry out their threat. Usually, that will confuse them and they’ll break off the encounter, not knowing what to do.
The police won’t help you. They see the demonstration as something like a fight between children. If you are assaulted, they’re not going to do anything. You can only count on yourself.
The best way to beat these radical bastards is by documenting their evil sentiments and bad deeds. Fortunately, that’s pretty easy, like setting up a box, stick, string. And really, you’re not doing your job as a conservative if a lefty had threatened you.
Andrea Harris is on the right track. Leftists like to physically assault people, they do it a lot, and from what I’ve seen the record would seem to indicate that they have nothing to fear from their opponents fighting back.
Anyone planning on standing around photographing a mob of protestors had better be ready for a physical confrontation. Expect to be rat-packed. In the case of a public employee demonstration, expect any police or sheriff’s deputies on duty to be sympathetic to the strikers, not you. Have an attorney already retained in case you are taken into custody. Expect to be taken into custody. Life ain’t fair, and the Left considers itself to be at war with anyone opposing them.
What Tantor and Mike James said.
In any case, have means for securing copies of your videos as quickly as possible — for one, you never know when some commie hooligan will succeed in destroying your camera, secondly you never know when a nasty incident results in your camera disappearing into the evidence locker. I suggest that for top notch preparedness you have a guy in the rear with a laptop or netbook ready to trade memory cards and dump your data somewhere safe as soon as you have any break in the action.