Can I ask is there a specific reason for your >> Well, there's always a reason, but I'm not going to share it. >> Okay. >> Yeah. I'm going to be on my way. Have a good day. >> You're going to stay here for a second. >> Are you detaining me? >> Yes. >> In Hibbing, Minnesota, that is police sergeant Brent Everett. The sergeant has stopped Ryan Swanson, who runs the YouTube site, Good Citizen of the North. Laments earlier, Swanson was filming government buildings on public property. >> You may have a very legitimate reason. Can you explain that to me or you don't care to explain that? Can I see your identification, please? >> Have I broken a law? >> I don't know. But we people take things very seriously when it comes to uh public safety and military safety. And if you've been walking around the property photographing things, I don't think it's unreasonable for me to ask. >> It's not unreasonable for a police officer to ask for ID, but it is against the Constitution and settled case law to demand an ID without reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime. Now, you asked me a few questions when I got here for my name and badge number, and I was more than willing to provide that with you, >> which I believe you're required to do. >> Yep. >> I'm not. >> Well, if uh we have reason to believe you may be involved in criminal activity, you are >> you need a reasonable articulable suspicion that I have, am or I'm about to commit a crime to be able to detain me. >> So, what are you up to? >> So, what am I being detained for? >> For identification purposes, >> in order to ID me, I had to have broken a law. this activity. I'm on 23rd Street, Brooklyn Drive, all with one mail. Okay. So, here's the thing. You can tell me who you are and I can have you on your way very easily and you can >> Here's the thing. At this point in time, it's an illegal detainment because I have broken no law. I'm in the process of breaking no law and I intend to break no law. You have no suspicious of any suspicions of any of those three. So therefore, you have no right to detain me or try to ID me. >> That might be what you think. >> That's what I know. >> But you can tell me and I can get you on your way. >> Am I being detained or am I free to go? >> No, you are not free to go. >> Okay. I I exercise my right to remain silent. >> With Swanson exercising his right, Sergeant Everett calls for backup. And when that backup arrives, Sergeant Everett escalates and becomes hostile. >> Told you I'm exercising my right to remain silent. >> Set your cameras on. >> No, I have every right to record. Okay, I'll tell you what I'm going to do right now and you are going to follow my commands or you're going to go to jail. I'm going to detain you in hack. >> Are you his supervisor? >> I'm the supervisor. Can >> I get your supervisor? >> Put your hands behind your back. >> This is an illegal detainment. >> Go to the ground. Put it down. >> Why? >> I'm not resisting. >> Resisting. Yes, you are. >> I am not at all. Nothing is tense. I'm completely loose. >> You got his arm behind your back? >> Yep. >> I'm coming back. Sure hope you didn't damage your camera. That was Sergeant Everett mocking Swanson's now broken camera. It's an illegal search. I do not consent to any searches or seizures of my person. So arrest for what? >> Based on the US Constitution, we have the right to search you under search incident to arrest. >> What are you arresting me for? >> Obstructing. >> Obstructing what? >> Legal process. >> What legal process? >> Information. >> And that's a key point because this process is unlawful without an underlying crime. You cannot charge somebody with obstructing a police officer's commands unless the suspect is obstructing a lawful investigation. This investigation was not lawful. And yet Hibbing police kept escalating. >> So what? >> Obstructing. >> Obstructing what? >> I broke no laws. You were investigating no nothing. >> It's suspicious activity when you're a misdemeanor or a felony. >> Suspicious activity. A misdemeanor or a felony, Sergeant? >> Which one is it? >> You are now illegally searching my backpack. >> After illegally detaining Swanson and damaging his property, the officers continued to search his things. Then they took Swanson to jail and booked him on obstruction. When Swanson was released, he sued the Hibbing Police Department for false arrest. His criminal charge got dropped. And then when Swanson's lawsuit against the police finally went to court, Swanson was victorious. This one illegal arrest cost the city of Hibbing, Minnesota $36,000 and tens of thousands more in legal fees and courtroom resources. Still, there's no indication that Sergeant Brent Everett received any reprimand or was punished in any fashion. But the internet has done its thing. Soon after Ryan Swanson won this case, people from across the United States posted so many online comments and messages trashing the Hibbing police, the department had to take down its social media comment pages. In any case, respect to Ryan Swanson, known as Good Citizen of the North, he knew his rights, held the tyrant cops accountable, and got a court to agree that police ignorance is wrong. By the way, a California police department has now agreed to pay out one of the largest settlements in state law enforcement history. The $20 million comes in the wake of cops arresting a peaceful man and breaking his neck. >> It's called paying compliance. When you stop resisting. >> I'm not resisting. Why are you doing this? Cuz you're just not going with the program. I am. >> Check out that video at the link below. I'm David Schuster. Thanks for joining us.