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| Rochester, NY Police officer Eliud Rodriguez |
In May of 2011, Emily Good stepped outside of her home on Rochester's west side, and began video recording RPD officer Mario Masic, conducting a racially profiled traffic stop of an African-American motorist.
Less than 5 minutes later she was in handcuffs, in the back of an RPD cruiser.
Emily Good's video of officer Masic violating her constitutional rights, by arresting her for video recording him went viral, and put the city of Rochester, NY, and the Rochester Police department under an international spotlight.
Not long after Good's video had been viewed throughout the world, Rochester, NY Police department west side division Commander Sam Farina put together a plan.
Farina ordered several RPD officers to show up at a support meeting for Emily Good at the Flying Squirrel community space at 285 Clarissa St., in Rochester's historic Corn Hill neighborhood, to retaliate against Good and her supporters.
I was at that meeting.
As RPD officers pulled out pink rulers and measured the distances that our vehicles were parked from the curb, and issued us tickets, I video recorded it all.
After that video went viral, and once again put the city of Rochester and the RPD back in the spotlight, RPD Chief Sheppard announced that the officer's actions were a 'selective targeting'
ordered by RPD Commander Farina.
The Rochester, NY Police department hates Emily Good.
They hate me.
The Rochester, NY Police department hates cameras, both video and photo.
Except when the cameras are in their hands.
Except when they're doing the recording.
Take, for example, Rochester, NY Police officer Eliud Rodriguez.
Apart from being an RPD officer, Rodriguez is also a professional photographer.
RPD officer Eliud Rodriguez is very comfortable with cameras, and on Thursday morning, in downtown Rochester, it was clear just how comfortable Rodriguez is with cameras.
As long as he's behind them.
In the photo on the right, Rodriguez is seen standing next to the Hyatt hotel, at the corner of East Main and St. Paul streets, video recording citizens.
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| Rochester, NY Police officer Eliud Rodriguez video recording downtown pedestrians. |
Now, this shouldn't really surprise or alarm people, after all, just last year, Rochester was voted the 5th most watched city in the U.S., when it comes to video surveillance.
The Rochester, NY Police department, and the city of Rochester, have video surveillance cameras strategically located throughout the city.
Let me be clear here, as an activist, filmmaker, writer and blogger exposing police misconduct and corruption, I am always informing and educating people on their first amendment right to record, and in NO WAY am I saying that law enforcement doesn't have that same right.
They do.
I'm simply pointing out the irony that exists among Rochester, NY Police officers, and law enforcement throughout the country, where they can't stand citizens video recording them, and as Mario Masic did to Emily Good, will go as far as violating citizens constitutional rights by arresting them, however they're perfectly fine with cameras, so long as they are the ones behind them.
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Note:
If Rochester, NY Police officer Eliud Rodriguez' name sounds familiar, it should.
Rodriguez was one of seven RPD officers who executed Israel 'Izzy' Andino, a mentally-ill young man in June of 2012.
Click Play to watch my video of Rochester, NY Police officers retaliation after Emily Good incident
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