Berkeley police have arrested more than a dozen anti-fascist activists and posted their names and photos on Twitter, raising concerns that the department was encouraging harassment and abuse.
Law enforcement’s unusual decision to immediately publicize the personal information and faces of arrested leftwing demonstrators on social media has sparked intense backlash. Critics have accused police of aiding the far right and endangering counter-protesters with “public shaming” and targeted arrests for alleged minor offenses.
Some said Berkeley’s decision to post mugshots was akin to the increasingly common rightwing tactic of “doxxing” anti-fascists, meaning publishing people’s private information online as part of an intimidation effort. By Monday morning, Fox News and other major publications had posted the photos and names. (The Guardian, August 6, 2018)
--
Were the arrests of more than a dozen activists by the Berkeley police justified? Yes, they probably were, but maybe they weren't... this is something for the courts to decide. But until the courts have decided, until a person have been found guilty of having committed a crime, our system of justice says that that person is presumed to be innocent.
Being titled with an offense (being arrested) is not the same as being charged with an offense, and being charged with an offense isn't the same as being found guilty of having committed an offense.
Should the Berkeley police (or any government agency for that matter) publish non-conviction data (mug shots, identity) from police records on a public social media site?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.