2025 NYC Pride Guide - Flipbook - Page 25
Rights
When you can, write down everything you remember,
ncluding the officers’ badge and patrol car numbers
nd the agency they work for.
Get contact information for witnesses.
Take photographs of any injuries.
Once you have all of this information, you can file a
written complaint with the agency’s internal affairs
division or civilian complaint board.
What happens if the police issues an
order to disperse the protest?
Shutting down a protest through a dispersal order
must be law enforcement’s last resort. Police may not
break up a gathering unless there is a clear and presnt danger of riot, disorder, interference with traffic,
or other immediate threat to public safety.
f officers issue a dispersal order, they must provide a
easonable opportunity to comply, including sufficient
ime and a clear, unobstructed exit path.
ndividuals must receive clear and detailed notice of a
dispersal order, including how much time they have to
disperse, the consequences of failing to disperse, and
what clear exit route they can follow, before they may
be arrested or charged with any crime.
I want to take pictures or
shoot video at a protest
Your rights
When you are lawfully present in any public space,
ou have the right to photograph anything in plain
iew, including federal buildings and the police. (On
private property, the owner may set rules about
photography or video.)
Police officers may not confiscate or demand to view
our photographs or video without a warrant, nor
may they delete data under any circumstances. Howver, they may order citizens to cease activities that
re truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement
operations.
f you are videotaping, be aware that there is an important legal distinction between a visual photographc record (fully protected) and the audio portion of a
ideotape, which some states have tried to regulate
under state wiretapping laws.
What to do if you are stopped or
detained for taking photographs
Always remain calm and never physically resist a
police officer.
Police cannot detain you without reasonable suspicion
hat you have or are about to commit a crime or are in
he process of doing so.
For more information visit the ACLU’s guide here:
www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
and follow them here @aclu_nationwide.
• If you are stopped, ask the officer if you are free to leave.
If the answer is yes, calmly walk away.
• If you are detained, ask the officer what crime you are
suspected of committing, and remind the officer that taking photographs is your right under the First Amendment
and does not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal
activity.
What to do if you believe your rights
have been violated
• When you can, write down everything you remember,
including the officers' badge and patrol car numbers and
the agency they work for.
• Get contact information for witnesses.
• Take photographs of any injuries.
• Once you have all of this information, you can file a written complaint with the agency's internal affairs division or
civilian complaint board.
I was stopped by the police
while protesting
Your rights
• Stay calm. Make sure to keep your hands visible. Don't argue, resist, or obstruct the police, even if you believe they are violating
your rights. Point out that you are not disrupting anyone else's
activity and that the First Amendment protects your actions.
•^Ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says yes, calmly walk
away.
• If you are under arrest, you have a right to ask why. Otherwise,
say you wish to remain silent and ask for a lawyer immediately.
Don't say anything or sign anything without a lawyer.
• You have the right to make a local phone call, and if you're calling your lawyer, police are not allowed to listen.
• You never have to consent to a search of yourself or your belongings. If you do explicitly consent, it can affect you later in
court.
• Police may "pat down" your clothing if they suspect you have a
weapon and may search you after an arrest.
• Police officers may not confiscate or demand to view your
photographs or video without a warrant, nor may they delete
data under any circumstances. However, they may order citizens
to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law
enforcement operations.
What to do if you believe your rights have
been violated
• When you can, write down everything you remember, including
the officers' badge and patrol car numbers and the agency they
work for.
• Get contact information for witnesses.
• Take photographs of any injuries.
• Once you have all of this information, you can file a written
complaint with the agency's internal affairs division or civilian
complaint board.
/ //
What to do if you believe your rights
have been violated
Courtesy of NYC Pride's friends at the
ACLU, know your rights when attending
a protest.
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