And then, you want to do something that someone is
going to know about! Because why get
arrested if there's no media around, or if you don't have your own people with
a camera? So try to make sure that
you're somewhere that there already is media, or make sure that your person-with-you
has a camera, and the camera is ready to go and charged, and that someone will
be able to capture the incident, because it's oftentimes very inspiring to
people to see that kind of standing up to power.
For example: just last week we went to an event at
the Embassy of Bahrain. It was a dinner
that we got tickets to. We went inside,
and during the program, where they were just saying how wonderful Bahrain was,
a couple of us who have been to Bahrain know what a lie all of that is and that
it's a really repressive government, started standing up and saying, "This is
not the Bahrain that we saw," and explaining to the audience what Bahrain was
really like. But unfortunately, the
person with the camera hadn't charged it, and so we didn't get it on tape; and
that was really sad, because I know our friends in Bahrain would have been
really excited to see us standing up at the Embassy. So ti's one of those things even the most
experienced folks like ourselves sometimes make very simple mistakes.
Rob Kall: All right,
well let's talk about - that's something we hadn't talked about now. Talking to the President, did you have
somebody in the room with a camera? I'm
guessing you didn't because there were already cameras there, but how often do
you have somebody else who goes with you who has that camera ready, and are
there any specifications, or plans on positioning, or the kinds of technology
there?
Medea Benjamin: Well yeah, in that case it wasn't necessary
because we knew there would be cameras, and plus we didn't have a chance to get
two people inside. But we always
otherwise try to have our own cameras and film things ourselves, to be able to
pout them up on YouTube and send them off to our friends. In that case, you've got to be positioned so
you can catch the interaction, and you'd be surprised how many people don't
know how to position themselves when they're in a room to be able to get that,
and sometimes you just have to slowly walk up to get in the right position. These days it really doesn't matter. If you have good camera and video on your
phone you can do it. What's really
important is the positioning: to be able to get the whole interaction. So yes, I think we try to always have
somebody with us with a camera.
Rob Kall: So would the
proper positioning be the person with the camera is closer to the front of the
room so that they can turn around and get you?
Or to the side of you? What's the
best positioning for the person with the camera?
Medea Benjamin: Yeah.
They should be way up in the front on the side. But they should also be gutsy and feel like
they own the room, so that when the interaction starts they can get up close
and walk where they need to walk. People
are often just very shy and feel like they'll get in trouble if they move
around. We say, "Do it until somebody
tells you not to," and then, "If you want to make sure you don't get arrested
then don't do it anymore. But until
somebody tells you something, you're free to get up and walk around." So yes, be up towards the front, but be ready
to move.
Rob Kall: OK. Do people take away the cameras? I mean, do the security people take them away
and keep them? Do they take things from
you at all?
Medea Benjamin: They sometimes try, and we insist that they
don't have the right to do that.
Sometimes they try to make you erase something. The police can make you do that, but a lot of
times the security in these places are private security. They look like police, but they're not really
police, and they don't have the right to take your possessions or make you
erase anything. So it's important to
feel confident that you can talk back to them, insist on keeping your personal
property, and insist that what you're doing is your right.
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