Robyn Gaye O'Connor

🚨BREAKING: (Chicago suburb, St. Charles) ICE agents smashed a handcuffed man’s face into a stone wall, then assaulted a U.S. citizen, multiple times, once they realized they were filming. In the video, multiple ICE agents have a man in handcuffs. While he is completely under their control, and not resisting, they smash his face into a stone wall. A U.S. citizen begins asking for the man’s name, while filming... note that he is not interfering, blocking the agents, or preventing the arrest in any way…. But that doesn’t stop the ICE agent from chases after him, while another agent threatens him with a taser. As the citizen is actively backing away, the agent continues walking toward him, and aggressively shoves him backwards. Even after the detained man is being escorted to the vehicle… and the legal observer is nowhere near the agents, or their cars… that same ICE agent continues shoving the U.S. citizen for no apparent reason. And while he is standing on the public sidewalk, another agent walks over and points a taser inches from him, and then turns around and points his taser at other innocent people, who are just standing and watching. Americans have a First Amendment right to record government officials performing their duties in public. Threatening, intimidating, or assaulting someone because they are documenting law enforcement, violates that right. And slamming a person face, who is handcuffed and not resisting, into a stone wall is excessive force. This is exactly why it’s important to always record anytime you see ICE agents. Because when there isn’t video evidence, we’re told to trust the government’s version of events. And more often than not, their version is filled with lies. But when there is video, the people filming often become the next target… just for documenting what is happening. And that’s what makes this so alarming. This is happening across the country, almost every single day. Americans are watching videos of people being thrown to the ground, beaten, threatened, shoved, tased, and intimidated by federal agents… while never seeing anyone held accountable. When a government refuses to investigate or discipline agents who violate people’s constitutional rights, it sends a message that they can keep doing it. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing. The Constitution means nothing if the people sworn to uphold it can violate it without consequence. And as long as this administration refuses to hold ICE agents accountable, Americans should expect to keep seeing videos like this… because impunity breeds abuse.