When the news first broke on this story, I thought it was a fake. One of those satire websites jokingly misleading the people for a few page views. However, upon deeper research, turns out this nightmare is true.

The State of Illinois General Assembly has successfully passed a bill that will effectively make it a felony to film the police officers terrorize our communities. An old law has been revived and has passed the Illinois House of Representatives and the Senate.

The bill is currently awaiting the decision to sign or veto on the desk of Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn.

Hopefully, the Governor will act in the best interest of the people.

In March of 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the controversial “eavesdropping law”, which seems to be the root of the new law just passed. This law required someone recording a conversation to get permission from everyone involved in the recording, which seems reasonable.

It was enacted to protect ordinary citizens, but ended up being the defacto law to protect police officers and Government officials from being recorded. Eventually, the Illinois State Supreme Court intervened and eliminated the law.

However, the new bill is back with some tweaks and seem to be born out of the riots, struggle and outrage in the black community over the handling of police brutality and murder of unarmed, black men across the country. Just another ploy to take recourse away from the people being violated and protect rouge police officers, despite the legal system, prosecutors and Grand Juries doing a bang up job of just that.

Opponents of the new law in Illinois feel this is a violation of the people’s First Amendment Rights and hope Governor Pat Quinn does the right thing by vetoing this law.