Archive for August 30th, 2009

4th Amendment Speech Against Lancaster Camera Surveillance

August 30th, 2009 8:43 pm  |  by  |  Published in Activism, Commentary, Constitution, Liberty, privacy  |  3 Responses

A speech informing citizens of the Fourth Amendment rights and my thoughts on my visit to Lancaster and meeting with Sam Ettaro of Republic Media and Renee Baumgartner yesterday.

by Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution

Originally published August 30, 2009 at http://towneforcongress.com/economy/4th-amendment-speech-against-lancaster-camera-surveillance

Sam Ettaro of Republic Media invited me to visit Lancaster, PA, in the middle of rural Amish country and speak at an event he organized there to stop the camera surveillance program there. I was glad to have a chance to give a speech on the 4th Amendment. Although many privacy advocates today believe this issue to be a muddied one, courtesy of the Supreme Court, if you read the Constitution it is crystal clear. However, since I had never been to Lancaster recently, I had no idea how widespread the camera system was. This story has national implications as the city is a prototype site for possible roll-out to other towns and cities across the USA.

Lancaster is a small town of about 50,000 people. They have the country’s oldest farmer’s market, and many of the buildings are pretty, historic colonial buildings. As I drove through town, sure enough the cameras were looming above each intersection. The march began at a baseball field with four cameras overlooking it, and proceeded through a residential area to Lancaster’s downtown with more homes, public buildings and many businesses. Personally, I felt pretty creeped out and found myself scanning the skies for the next camera. Can you imagine strangers with the ability to track your every move throughout a city?

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