The First Amendment is a beautiful thing. It’s the reason I can write what I’m writing right now, and the reason all of you can call me gay in the comments. See? It’s great.
The beauty of the First Amendment has led some people to become what they call “First Amendment Auditors.” These people go around and test the limits of the First Amendment, occasionally being dicks in the process.
While the goal is noble, the actual situations in which they defend the First Amendment can get pretty convoluted. This is because these self-proclaimed First Amendment auditors don’t like giving out their personal information. However, they frequently deal with cops, who also don’t like giving out personal information. All of which leads to a standoff that looks something like this:
In this video from the Long Island Auditor’s YouTube channel, nothing gets accomplished. Police attempt to talk to the auditor; the auditor refuses to divulge any personal information while attempting to get the police to give him information. It’s a perfect standstill, an elegant balance. Brings a tear to my eye.
And the best part? This is just one of three videos of the incident — and SeanPaul Reyes, the man behind the Long Island Auditor YouTube channel, later ended up suing the NYPD after they arrested him for filming in a police station lobby. Notably, he also got a police officer docked five days pay after he caught him on camera making a homophobic remark. Good on ya, Reyes.
Users on Reddit offered their thoughts on the auditor’s behavior. “They’re in plain clothes yet refusing to identify themselves as police yet acting like they have the right to demand ID wtf?” questioned a user. “It’s like those 6 months of training in interpreting law isn’t enough,” joked another.
Of course, police hate guys like Reyes, but there’s no denying that he gets results — even if that “result” is just making the police parking lot a really unpleasant place to be.
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