Originally Posted by wittynickname

Are you really going to claim that this is not a regular occurrence in the US?

Look at arrest statistics. Jail time statistics. Stats about recidivism rates. Look at the Stop and Frisk policy in NYC. One third of black men in the US can expect to spend time in jail.

Riddle me this: if that was a white man sitting on the bench outside of that store, do you think the police are even called? And if so, do you think they demand information outside of "I'm waiting for my kids"? Did a fully militarized police force show up and tear-gas the mostly white group who were protesting at the Bundy Ranch? Who were, by the way, all fully armed and loaded? When white rednecks show off their guns in a Target, it's 'exercising a right' but when a black guy in Ohio picks up a bb gun in a Walmart, he gets gunned down immediately?

As far as filming it: citizens have every right to film the police, they have every right to ask for names and badge numbers. And chances are, if he's filming the encounter, he and others that he knows were probably treated poorly by officers in the past. Given some of the things police in Ferguson said while being filmed--imagine what they say and do when they aren't being filmed?