The 1st Amendment Audit Phenomenon
(Hakeem Alexander) I was originally made aware of The 1st Amendment Audit Phenomena because I was contacted by independent journalist Nasty Nathanial on FaceBook.
He reached out to me probably because one of my videos posted on YouTube was found by Angry Gay Pope and used in one of his Scientology Awareness videos.
Nathanial and The Pope have a working relationship conducting video recorded audits on Scientology, saw my video, was fascinated by it and decided to connect with me through this mutual association.
Unfortunately, The Church of Scientology managed to convince YouTube to suspend Angry Gay Pope’s YouTube channel, so the original video which had over 100,000 views has recently been re-uploaded HERE.
Nasty Nathanial sent me a private message and suggested that I check out his own YouTube channel. When I did, I discovered the 1st amendment audit phenomenon.
Everyone does the 1st Amendment Audit differently. Many people of course have varying opinions about this relatively new practice by independent journalists, media and citizens.
“One of the things I feel is very important when it comes to First Amendment Audits is public education. Not only are we flexing our rights with law enforcement, we are also educating the public about their rights as free citizens.” – Nasty Nathanial
Some say it is done disrespectfully and constitutes harrassment. I’ve seen comments claiming that the videographers have nothing better to do and are bothering people who are doing their jobs.
I have my own opinion.
I feel that these types of audits are necessary because they inform the people about what is lawful or not for people to do in public. I have experienced a lot of bullying from security, police, and various employees simply because I was not aware of my rights.
Many people in the U.S.A. are mistreated and bullied everyday for the same reasons, specifically, not knowing their rights.
This fact is often taken advantage of by those who are tasked to serve us, The People, by the very unambiguous description of their jobs as civil servants.
Personally, I have been given a free pass by police on many occasions most likely because of my non-threatening mannerisms and mode of speech.
Even so, I am very disappointed about the behavior of many police officers in the United States of America from personal experience which I have correlated with what I see online.
Keep in mind I have been treated with what might appear to be favoritism by many police officers in various situations and for several reasons.
With that understanding, I still personally feel and have objectively confirmed that I have been mistreated consistently by American police officers.
And while not all 1st Amendment Audits concern police officers directly or, at first, they are almost always called in because of the organizations being audited not understanding public photography, 1st Amendement protected activities and various other subtelties of law or, The Constitution of The United States of America.
I do not completely understand the 1st amendment audit phenomenon or all of the details surrounding it yet. What I do see in all of these videos is something very interesting concerning the law and the U.S. Constitution.
I have been glued to YouTube gathering more information and being very entertained by these 1st Amendment Audits. So I will provide a list below of the channels I have been watching.
There will be some follow-up as I become more educated on the matter.
1st Amendment Audit YouTube Channels