In response to immigration raids by masked federal officers in Los Angeles and across the nation, two California lawmakers on Monday proposed a new state law to ban members of law enforcement from concealing their faces while on the job.

The bill would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover their faces with some exceptions, and also encourage them to wear a form of identification on their uniform.

“We’re really at risk of having, effectively, secret police in this country,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-author of the bill.

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[–] 64 points 1 year ago (4 children)

You should not be under any obligation to assume or respect any proposed authority by a person unwilling to show you their face.

This sentence should not need to be spoken.

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  • [–] 29 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Conversely, I should not be required to show my face to anyone if I'm not trying to assert authority over them. Being a public servant means having a public identity, being a private citizen means you have the freedom to make choices about what you share.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    I agree, but there's a difference between oversight and law enforcement there. If I am telling someone they need to justify restrictions in a behavior plan, that's different than something for which someone else may be arrested. In the former example, I think they should be able to wear an N95 for health reasons.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    You should not be under any obligation to assume or respect any proposed authority by a person unwilling to show you their face.

    Explaining this to the guy with a badge and a mask shoving a gun in my face.

    He's screaming and cocking the weapon, while a few of his friends approach me with tasers and clubs, but I'm just going to stand here waving a copy of John Locke's Social Contract while explaining that I am a Free Man On The Land and do not make joinder.

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