Skip to main content

Federal agents cited footage from a YouTube livestream as evidence for arresting a Portland protester (GOOG, GOOGL)

* Federal officers cited livestreamed YouTube footage as evidence when they arrested a protester in Portland earlier this month, which was first reported by Recode Wednesday. * Officers said in a legal document that they saw someone place a wooden board that was on fire against the wall of a federal courthouse, which led to their arrest of Kevin Benjamin Weier. * Trump ordered federal agents into the city amid ongoing protests, where they have used aggressive tactics against demonstrators include tear gas and throwing people into unmarked vans. * City and state officials have opposed the federal intervention, calling it a "blatant abuse of power" and demanded that the officers leave the city. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Federal law enforcement officers from the US Department of Homeland Security arrested a protester in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month after saying they saw him commit a federal crime while watching a YouTube livestream, first reported by Recode on Wednesday. A court document submitted by Micah Coring, an agent with the Federal Protective Services, a division of DHS, said officers watching the video saw a protester place a wooden board — that was initially on fire — against the outside wall of a federal courthouse before a second person adjusted it and a third extinguished it. The document also said that while first person's face was obscured, the second person's face was visible, and officers sent screenshots to other agents who used them to surveil an individual for several hours before arresting Kevin Benjamin Weier, who they allege is the person they saw on the livestream. Weier has been charged with attempted arson of a federal building and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The arrest shows how publicly available evidence published on protesters' social media feeds or captured by journalists is both exposing abuses of power and being used by law enforcement to dig up evidence on activists. Portland, in particular, has become a major flashpoint between law enforcement officers and protesters in recent weeks following President Donald Trump's executive order that allowed federal agents to deploy to the city. Demonstrations there — which have been largely peaceful but have also resulted in some vandalism — have been going on for more than 50 days. Since the order, militarized federal agents have been patrolling the streets in a dramatic show of force while using tear gas, smoke bombs, and physical violence to break up crowds. They've also been seen throwing protesters into unmarked vans without explanation. The aggressive tactics by federal officers have prompted strong opposition from city and state officials, who have requested that they withdraw from Portland.  Business Insider previously reported that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has called the deployment a "blatant abuse of power," and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared the use of force an "attack on our democracy." The state's attorney general has since sued the Trump administration, alleging officers are "unlawfully detaining" protesters, according to the Associated Press. SEE ALSO: A former Amazon exec who has called for the company to be broken up said the tech industry is the 'leading candidate' for anti-monopoly regulators to target Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why thoroughbred horse semen is the world's most expensive liquid
https://bit.ly/3ePGzVb

Popular posts from this blog

Apple has backed down in its latest developer fight, apologizing to WordPress after it pressured the website-builder to add in-app payments

* Apple has apologized after it tried to force WordPress to add in-app payment options to a free app. * WordPress' founder said on Friday that Apple was refusing to allow any updates to the WordPress iOS app until the website builder added in-app purchases, from which Apple takes a 15-30% commission. * Apple is in a fierce fight with developers including "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and Spotify over its rules on in-app purchases. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple has backed down in its latest skirmish with a developer over its App Store rules. The tech giant on Sunday issued a rare apology to WordPress after it pressured the website builder to add payment options to its free iOS app, or else be blocked from updating. "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved," an Apple spokesman told The Verge. "Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free st...
Read more

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX.  Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...
Read more

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors.  * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors.  * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...
Read more