Society's Child
Burton was trying to call out the Board of Police Commissioners for holding illegal committee meetings that neither he nor the public were allowed to attend. During one of those closed-door sessions, commissioners quietly hashed out a policy for the city's pervasive and controversial facial recognition system.
But board chairwoman Lisa Carter didn't want to hear it.
As three police officers dragged Burton to the ground, officers held back protesters, some of whom were wearing masks to show their opposition to facial-recognition technology.
At least one protester was arrested.
"Don't touch me. Get your hands off me," Burton told officers who surrounded him. "You do not have permission to touch me."
While in the back of a police car, Burton said he wanted to "let my constituents known I am fighting for them."
As Burton was hauled away and protesters were silenced, the board continued its meeting.
The board is expected to approve the city's face-scanning system during next week's meeting, despite mounting criticism from the public and plans by Congress to impose a moratorium on the technology.
A day before the meeting, state Rep. Isaac Robinson, D-Detroit, introduced a bill that would ban facial recognition technology for five years. The idea is to give lawmakers and experts time to research the technology's flaws and whether it is unconstitutional.
Numerous studies have shown the system is racially biased. Researchers have found that the technology is more likely to produce false matches on people with darker pigment. Legal experts also say the technology is invasive and may violate people's Fourth Amendment rights.
Despite those concerns, neither Mayor Mike Duggan nor police Chief James Craig has shown a willingness to study the issue further. In fact, police have used the system for two years without the police commission's approval.
Last week, Craig told reporters he's aware the system is not perfect.
"Is there a chance you may arrest the wrong person? Yes," the chief said.
Burton, who wrote an op-ed for the Metro Times to explain his opposition to the technology, tells us that his arrest was an affront to democracy.
"This is dangerous," Burton says. "The city of Detroit is a dangerous place to be right now whenever community activists and elected officials get arrested during a public meeting."
Reader Comments
R.C.
P.s., Re Masked protesters: In Florida, it's illegal to wear a mask. Here we are:
"CRIMINAL ANARCHY, TREASON, AND OTHER CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER
876.12 No person or persons over 16 years of age shall, while wearing any mask, hood, or device whereby any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter upon, or be or appear upon any lane, walk, alley, street, road, highway, or other public way in this state.
876.13 Wearing mask, hood, or other device on public property.—No person or persons shall in this state, while wearing any mask, hood, or device whereby any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter upon, or be, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality or county of the state.History.—s. 3, ch. 26542, 1951.
RC
Of course, given the totalitarian tendencies of politicians, it is highly likely that an exception will be made for the gov't goons, showing once again that gov't employees always have more rights than the people.
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With the globalist lead "smart" cities plot creeping it's way into cities across America, and the media either covering up or remaining silent about the freedom destroying implications of facial recognition Tech among the other illegal methods such as full scale surveillance of everyone and everything. Not to mention the big brother like intrusion into people's personal lives. It's a battle of information, an InfoWar.
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I am solidly against any technology that can be used to spy and monitor people. The media might have sold us out, but I will never give up fighting against this unconstitutional, illegal, demonic assault on the 99%.
"I am solidly against any technology that can be used to spy and monitor people. The media might have sold us out, but I will never give up fighting against this unconstitutional, illegal, demonic assault on the 99%"Amen! I dare say that we SOTT folk are as one on that point, and critically, are far more aware of how bad it has already become than one's typical AmeriKant Idiot.
R.C.






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