News Notes- testimony about Boston's proposed mask ban
Written testimony for Boston’s proposed Mask Ban
By Maya Shaffer
I provided written testimony to the hearing on the proposed mask ban in Boston. While I could have addressed a number of concerns I have about the proposed law’s infringement on the First and Fourth Amendments I chose to stick to a unique perspective I have as a journalist who has been surveilled by the Boston Police’s anti-terror fusion center because of my critical reporting on Boston police activities. I kept it short and focused on how the law would endanger me and other journalists who cover protests.
“As a journalist this law concerns me for several reasons. If I cover a protest where pepper spray is deployed it endangers me. I have asthma so not covering my face endangers me. Beyond that, the Boston Police have previously run targeted surveillance through their anti-terror fusion center on me because they didn't like my reporting.
My reporting on their warrantless and potentially unlawful checkpoint searches of bags on public streets and sidewalks at the 2015 Boston Marathon was listed as the only "Sig event". This, targeted surveillance of a journalist is only something we know about because they then bragged about monitoring me in a slideshow presentation delivered at the DHS headquarters. (Attached see PDF of the slideshow & the slide including live updates about 3 people from my previous outlet The Bay State Examiner)
It is unsafe to report on misbehavior of Boston police officers. Being able to do so with relative anonymity offers some protection. It is absolutely a first amendment concern because, as a journalist targeted by your police department, BPD could use facial recognition in crowds to further target and abuse journalists who cover protests.”
I didn’t address it in the testimony, but I filed a detailed complaint to the BRIC about the violation of my privacy which yielded no results. I made a request for records about the incident but the Boston Police Department claimed there were none (despite the slideshow proving their claims are false). Separately, I have been threatened with arrest while awaiting a meeting with BPD Internal Affairs about a complaint filed through the department’s regular channels- this complaint too yielded nothing. Additionally BPD threatened me with arrest for legally filming on a sidewalk at a media check in point outside of drills they were running. Ultimately, the BPD target and suppress journalists and activists and giving them a new tool to abuse us would be a mistake.
