Private Security Attack Men for Filming Houston Federal Courthouse; Claim to be Federal Agents

The following videos were posted on the YouTube channel for “News Now Houston” and consist of a series of videos depicting an incident that occurred in March of this year. The first and second videos are duplicate videos that were taken with different cameras.

Also included is a third video with an update to the original information included in the original videos, which was posted on June 27.

these videos start with two men performing what is commonly referred to as a “First Amendment Audit.” Typically, that consists of filming in public areas in or around governmental buildings as a way of testing the response of the police or other law enforcement officers to what is an established legal right. In addition, the intention is to show any officers working there that it is in fact legal and deter them from violating that right.

The right to film in public is protected by the First Amendment as a form of Free Speech, as well as a function of  the right to freedom of the press . Hence the reason for the term “First Amendment Audit.”

In this particular instance, as has happened many other times throughout the country, the men that were filming were confronted by employees of the federal courthouse. At the time, those employees claimed to be federal agents, presumably U.S. Marshals. However, as you can see in the update video, it was later determined that they in fact were security guards working for a private company.

Throughout the resulting incident, these security guards, most of whom refused to identify themselves, were very hostile and attempted to intimidate the two men who were filming originally, as well as a third man who stopped after having walked by the confrontation. At one point, the man who took these videos was assaulted by one of the security guards.

In addition, these security guards apparently do not know the laws pertaining to public and private property. From the very beginning they claim that they will have the original two men arrested for filming the federal courthouse. They also state that the sidewalk is federal property and that they are not allowed to stand on the sidewalks around the courthouse.

they couldn’t be more wrong on pretty much every single issue brought up within this video.

Original Video
Second Camera
Video Update

Private Security Attack Men for Filming Houston Federal Courthouse; Claim to be Federal Agents is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights