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"police state" coming to a movie theatre near you

Steve

Well-known member
what really is the dept of homaland security for anyways?

It wasn't the FBI involved, as originally reported elsewhere, but turned out to be the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.popsci.com

o, not a hoax. Which doesn't necessarily mean everything about the reader letter was 100 percent accurate, but if it is, whoo-boy, here we go:

Because I don’t want Glass to distract me during the movie, I turn them off (but since my prescription lenses are on the frame, I still wear them). About an hour into the movie (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), a guy comes near my seat, shoves a badge that had some sort of a shield on it, yanks the Google Glass off my face and says “follow me outside immediately”. It was quite embarrassing and outside of the theater there were about 5-10 cops and mall cops. Since I didn’t catch his name in the dark of the theater, I asked to see his badge again and I asked what was the problem and I asked for my Glass back. The response was “you see all these cops you know we are legit, we are with the ‘federal service’ and you have been caught illegally taping the movie”.

I was surprised by this and as I was obviously just having a nice Saturday evening night out with my wife and not taping anything whether legally or illegally, I tried to explain that this is a misunderstanding. I tried to explain that he’s holding rather expensive hardware that costed me $1500 for Google Glass and over $600 for the prescription glasses. The response was that I was searched and more stuff was taken away from me (specifically my personal phone, my work phone – both of which were turned off, and my wallet). After an embarrassing 20-30 minutes outside the movie theater, me and my wife were conducted into two separate rooms in the “management” office of Easton Mall, where the guy with the badge introduced himself again and showed me a different ID. His partner introduced herself too and showed me a similar looking badge. I was by that time, too flustered to remember their names (as a matter of fact, now, over 30 hours later I am still shaking when recounting the facts).

What followed was over an hour of the “feds” telling me I am not under arrest, and that this is a “voluntary interview”, but if I choose not to cooperate bad things may happen to me (is it legal for authorities to threaten people like that?). I kept telling them that Glass has a USB port and not only did I allow them, I actually insist they connect to it and see that there was nothing but personal photos with my wife and my dog on it. I also insisted they look at my phone too and clear things out, but they wanted to talk first. They wanted to know who I am, where I live, where I work, how much I’m making, how many computers I have at home, why am I recording the movie, who am I going to give the recording to, why don’t I just give up the guy up the chain, ’cause they are not interested in me. Over and over and over again.

I kept telling them that I wasn’t recording anything – my Glass was off, they insisted they saw it on. I told them there would be a light coming out the little screen if Glass was on, and I could show them that, but they insisted that I cannot touch my Glass for the fear “I will erase the evidence against me that was on Glass”.
read more at: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/01/20/amc-movie-theater-calls-fbi-to-arrest-a-google-glass-user/

wow that sounds really far fetched..

but.. would popular science run the story if it was a total hoax?

apparently it appears that it may be true.. an email claimed to sconfirm the story.

Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed in an email yesterday that special agents with the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations “briefly interviewed a man suspected of using an electronic recording device to record a film.”

On Jan. 18, special agents with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations
and local authorities briefly interviewed a man suspected of using an
electronic recording device to record a film at an AMC theater in
Columbus. The man, who voluntarily answered questions, confirmed to
authorities that the suspected recording device was also a pair of
prescription eye glasses in which the recording function had been
inactive. No further action was taken.

Khaalid Walls, ICE spokesman

Khaalid Walls
Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
313-226-0726
313-215-7657(m)
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/01/20/amc-movie-theater-calls-fbi-to-arrest-a-google-glass-user/

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/21/google-glass-at-easton-theater.html

no wonder they can't find any illegals.. to busy going to movies on our dime..

this whole Department of homeland security is crap.. they couldn't find a terrorist if the Russians pointed him out to them..

customs and immigration can't find an illegal if he was sitting in the backseat of their car..

and now.. we have them being private security for the Hollywood movie industry..
 

Traveler

Well-known member
What recent movie is even worth taping? It actually sounds believable. Much easier to harass harmless people than doing what they were paid to do.
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
The guy should have called their bluff & got up and left.

Wanna bet these weekend badge carrying nitwits had even less training than OT?
 

Broke Cowboy

Well-known member
loomixguy said:
The guy should have called their bluff & got up and left.

Wanna bet these weekend badge carrying nitwits had even less training than OT?

Agreed

I would have called them on it and demanded immediately that they provide me with a lawyer.

Asked "Am I being detained" and blown them off.

Answered nothing.

In fact I am now a complete non-supporter if security folks in uniform including the police unless an obvious crime is underway - far too much attempt at throwing muscle around - abuse of power is rampant.

Smart phone video is now almost a necessity for self protection from uniforms on the street.

bc
 
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