Do You Know Your Rights?

As I begin my section on the social construction of crime, I show a video so that my students are clear about what their rights are. Far too often people living in the US are unaware of their rights and easily waive them when interacting with law enforcement. Below is the video I show them. It's called BUSTED! A Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters and was created by the Flex Your Rights organization. You can purchase the film for a donation of $20, which is a great price for a film of this length! And yes, if you were wondering I have posted this video before!

Busted!

I've been teaching for over 10 years and it was not until about three years ago that I found the film Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters created by the organization Flex Your Rights. I've used the film in my classes and students have ALWAYS thanked me afterwards for sharing with them the video and the important information. Well, Flex Your Rights has posted the video in full on youtube and I bring it to you here.

I'd also like to point out another feature on the Flex Your Rights site, and that is how to refuse searches on DC Metro, when do I have to show ID, and other frequently asked questions about police encounters.

Two important highlights:

1. Calmly and clearly say: "Officer, I do NOT consent to a search."

2. DO NOT RUN! (seriously, don't do it!)

Please spread the word and the video!