Who will air that police brutality video you captured?

What happens if you are fortunate enough to have captured some police brutality on video (more likely these days since digital cameras and even phones have the ability to shoot video)?  You could call the local news station to have them air it, but they can only do so much (i.e. air it once or twice).  You do much better uploading it to YouTube, where it might trigger an FBI investigation.

The combination of pervasive video and free internet distribution of video will probably do more to curtail the police brutality than all the 'sensitivity training' seminars.  And, when it doesn't curtail brutality then it will provide useful evidence to help secure convictions.

[Update] - What happens if you are a former TV personality and you go to a comedy club and start flinging racial epithets and the audience walks out and the last vestiges of your career disappear too?

Comments

[Kevin OKeefe]

Remember when we were afraid video recorders being placed all over would be big brother watching you. Not we've flipped the tables on them, we're watching big brother.

[Roger]

The force looked justified to get the perp to cooperate.

A little tough love is what some of these hoodlums need.

[Pawel]

Great idea! I really like it! I havent captured something like that , but maybe this advice with YouTube will be useful some day.

[Francis]

You should check out this story http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061030/chester

and this website http://www.democraticmedia.org/

You might not be able to post your favorite movies or home videos to youtube for long.

Under the radar of all but the most savvy Internet users, powerful commercial forces are rapidly creating a digital media system for the United States that threatens to undermine our ability to create a civil and just society. The takeover of YouTube by Google announced October 9 and the 2005 buyout by Rupert Murdoch of MySpace are not just about mega-deals for new media. They are the leading edge of a powerful interactive system that is being designed to serve the interests of some of the wealthiest corporations on the planet. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The Nation has a content relationship with both companies: YouTube hosts our online videos and Google advertisments appear on this site.)

[Required Viewing]

Can we upload this to youtube? It is required viewing for all students in Norway and Sweden.

[Ajlouny]

Love the big brother reversal comment. I think it's a great tool. You cant misinterpret something that you can watch and rewind over and over again. Almost like you were there watching the whole thing before your eyes.