Los Angeles, CA—Daniel Saulmon, 42 better known as Tom Zebra is being held in a jail cell here since his 4:00 PM arrest on September 23rd.
His crime? Saulmon is accused of flying his remote control Phantom 2 camera drone on a Los Angeles park or beach property. This is his second offence in as many months and the judicial officer setting bail was incredibly punitive.
Saulmon is a firebrand in the eyes of cops. He’s challenged police authority to stop him from shooting video of them on public streets. Saulmon has posted countless videos on YouTube of hostile confrontations with cops in every South Bay police jurisdiction.
Salmon patrols the streets on his bicycle and whips out one of several video cameras he carries and begins to record the action. Often the cops take exception to Saulmon’s activities and try to force him into presenting identification and to explain why he’s shooting video. Saulmon usually refuses to cooperate with the police and it nearly always makes for interesting video.Saulmon also makes a modest living in part by selling newsworthy video to local news organizations.
Our nation’s cops are just beginning to learn that for the most part Saulmon’s activities are Constitutionally protected by the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken on this issue and cops have no reasonable expectation of privacy when engaged in their duties.
Over the last several years cops have conspired against, harassed and falsely arrested thousands of people taking their pictures. This won’t end until the lawsuits begin to seriously drain public coffers.
Saulmon recently added a Phantom 2 camera drone to his arsenal and that has ignited even more resentment from his police detractors. The cops have consulted/conspired with city and county prosecutors looking for any way to sideline Saulmon’s activities.
The little known L.A. ordinance Saulmon was arrested on is not new. It banned flying of remote controlled aircraft. However this put on the books long before the little multi rotor Phantom gizmos with cameras ever existed.
At the time they enacted this remote controlled aircraft law the city council had no way to know the much gentler camera drones would be invented later. Without specific intent to ban the multi-rotor Phantoms the law should be considered void for vagueness.
The simple but unanswered question on these popular camera drones is, aren’t they protected by the First Amendment?
Logic would dictate that they are just another form of media capturing devices like pencils, pens, paintbrushes, typewriters or any other camera!
The ordinance itself was enacted to prevent people from being injured by the much faster and less stable fixed wing remote aircraft. There are absolutely no reports of any remarkable injuries from the little drones like Saulmon used.
Is this a conspiracy to violate Saulmon’s civil rights? Given the history I think that may be abundantly clear.
Let me say I don’t personally approve of much of Saulmon’s tactics but the Bill of Rights says otherwise. The cops prosecutors and courts have to respect our basic freedoms. The right of people to record and scrutinize the conduct of the police must be protected at all cost.
Saulmon deserves to be fully supported by the camera drone manufacturers, media, civil libertarians and certainly the ACLU.
I hope someone reading this will arrange for his bail. He’s not in ant way a flight risk and can be counted on to do what he always does, challenge these things in courtrooms.
Saulmon is being held under booking #4104189 at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown L.A. at441 Bauchet St, Los Angeles, CA.
Saulmon is currently expected to be brought into the Long Beach Superior Court on September 30th, 2014 at 8:30 AM. The court is located at 275 Magnolia Ave, Long Beach, CA.
Any Bail Bond company in Los Angeles will be able to answer questions and will assist some kind and generous person in arranging for Saulmon’s freedom. Yes, they all take credit cards!
I hope that Saulmon gets serious legal help to fight this tyranny and is quickly exonerated. The cops have now seized two of his somewhat expensive Phantom Drones.
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Source:
http://www.crimefilenews.com/2014/09/drone-photographer-jailed-held-on-30k.html
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