The Davy V. Blog: Rochester, NY City School Board Member's Husband Caught on Video Condoning Assault on Photographer, Threatening Videographer

Ricardo Adams, husband of Rochester, NY City School District Board Member Mary Adams

By Davy V.

As a veteran police accountability activist, who has marched in the streets of Rochester, NY since the 1980's with my Dad, the late Mario Vara, I'm a big advocate of the first amendment protected right to record.

Not just to record police officers.

Or public officials.

But EVERYONE.

Which is why I was disgusted when I watched a video filmed by Kevin Ell, of several individuals who call themselves anarchists, and who intentionally went to an otherwise peaceful protest against Donald Trump at Washington Square Park in downtown Rochester, NY Saturday, to disrupt the rally and incite violence.

Even more disturbing was when one of the individuals, identified as 31-year old Cory Smith of Fairport, NY, dressed in black, with his face covered, punched Michael Hogan, a photographer in the back of the head, simply because he, and the others in his group, didn't want to be photographed.

Hogan's teen-age son witnessed the assault on his father.

According to Hogan, he had taken his son the People's Solidarity Rally to show him how people can peacefully assemble and let their voices be heard.

It turns out, Michael Hogan is a former Monroe County, NY Sheriff's Deputy.

That doesn't change how I feel.

Wrong is still wrong.

PHOTOS BELOW:

Photographer Michael Hogan Gets Punched from Behind by Cory Smith

PHOTOS BELOW:

An Unmasked Cory Smith

Cory Smith Unmasked

Samantha Sverski, One of 7 Arrested

In the video, which I've posted a link to below, several individuals can be heard telling photographers that they don't have permission to photograph or video record them.

Apparently these amateurs have never heard of four words:

REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY.

Which basically means that if you're out in public, you have none.

And therefore are fair game to being photographed and video recorded.

Cowards.

It's individuals like these who ruin it for those who genuinely and passionately denounce injustices such as police misconduct and corruption.

Individuals such as these aren't interested in any real change.

The overwhelming majority are only interested in their own agendas.

I compare them to looters who take advantage of rioting, to hit the streets and steal merchandise from stores while destroying inner city neighborhoods.

In many cases, neighborhoods they don't even live in.

I don't like Trump either.

And I sure as hell don't like mainstream news media.

But that doesn't give me the right to incite violence and assault innocent people exercising their constitutional rights.

Whether that's their right to protest, or to record.

There's something else in the video which really disappointed me.

Something you'll see first right here on The Davy V. Blog.

At the end of the video, an African-American man who appears to be together with the anarchist group, is seen taunting and threatening the man video recording, while at the same time condoning the assault on the photographer.

"Who the fuck is you?", the man asks the videographer.

"Oh he wanna get punched is his fucking face."

That man is Ricardo Adams.

The husband of Rochester City School District board member Mary Adams.

I have known Ricardo Adams for a while.

In that time I've always known him to be someone who has stood against injustices such as police abuse.

Which is why I was very disappointed not only in seeing Ricardo Adams condone the assault on a photographer, but also intimidate and in essence threaten the man video recording.