Being arrested for taking a picture
Channel: geekeasy
Date: 2012-01-08

The sound and small shaky video is from my flipcam, the full sized video is from a journalist on scene.

I heard on twitter that there was a police raid against the peaceful Occupy Oakland vigil.  I head down to document the event.  I arrive, stop about 25 feet from the police, take exactly 1 photo and then this happens...

The first cop keeps yelling at me to get behind a non-existent line, but he doesn't actually arrest me.

At 35 seconds the one cop, possibly the senior officer, says "Alright.... he's good".  Apparently, I had backed up enough to be behind this imaginary line.  At this point, the two cops who had been telling me to back up stopped.  

But then two rogue officers continue forward and arrest for me absolutely no cause, other than I'm usually the guy around with a camera.

And this wasn't a cite and release arrest.  They sent me to Santa Rita prison with a special "hold", they're applying to all occupiers, to keep us in there as long as possible.  

My arrest report apparently says "refused to back up".  

I am currently out on $5000 bail for this "crime".