Is it legal for a city government to force a private business owner to install surveillance cameras?
[L=]http://www.pacificresearch.org/pub/fpp/2002/fpp_02-01.html[/L]
Death by Regulation
by Lawrence J. McQuillan
On May 9, Sam Hussein, 60, owner of a San Francisco liquor store for 15 years, was gunned down at point-blank range as he tended the counter. Hussein, a generous shopkeeper who immigrated to the United States from Palestine 30 years ago, died at San Francisco General Hospital shortly after the shooting. He leaves behind a wife and eight devoted children.
At first glance this homicide appears to be just another example of random violence. But Hussein?s family members believe government regulation killed their husband and father.
Two weeks before his death, the city of San Francisco forced Hussein to install surveillance cameras outside his store as part of the city?s ?war on drugs.? According to his son, Hussein did not want to comply, but did so after being told that if he didn?t cooperate, his store would be closed as a public nuisance.
The city thereby acquired another informant in its war on drugs. Predictably, those on the streets turned against this unwilling participant.
Two days before Hussein?s murder a man was shot and wounded in front of Hussein?s store. The gunman fled on foot. Hussein gave police the store?s surveillance camera footage that was thought to contain evidence of the shooting. Hussein chose to cooperate with police rather than wait for a warrant. Two days later, Hussein lay dead. Nothing was taken from his store.
The family and its attorney believe that Hussein was killed in retaliation for providing the videotape to police. Hussein?s children contend that their father would still be alive if the city had not forced him to install cameras to gather evidence for city prosecutors. ?This shooting had everything to do with the Police Department and the city attorney,? said Hussein's son, Hasan.
If the family is correct, this is a tragic example of death by regulation. But it would not be the first. There are many government programs that increase the death rate among certain groups of people, but it often takes careful statistical analysis to reveal it. Researchers have looked at this phenomena and it turns out that political correctness is killing Americans. Take automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco as just three examples.
[L=]http://www.pacificresearch.org/pub/fpp/2002/fpp_02-01.html[/L]
Death by Regulation
by Lawrence J. McQuillan
On May 9, Sam Hussein, 60, owner of a San Francisco liquor store for 15 years, was gunned down at point-blank range as he tended the counter. Hussein, a generous shopkeeper who immigrated to the United States from Palestine 30 years ago, died at San Francisco General Hospital shortly after the shooting. He leaves behind a wife and eight devoted children.
At first glance this homicide appears to be just another example of random violence. But Hussein?s family members believe government regulation killed their husband and father.
Two weeks before his death, the city of San Francisco forced Hussein to install surveillance cameras outside his store as part of the city?s ?war on drugs.? According to his son, Hussein did not want to comply, but did so after being told that if he didn?t cooperate, his store would be closed as a public nuisance.
The city thereby acquired another informant in its war on drugs. Predictably, those on the streets turned against this unwilling participant.
Two days before Hussein?s murder a man was shot and wounded in front of Hussein?s store. The gunman fled on foot. Hussein gave police the store?s surveillance camera footage that was thought to contain evidence of the shooting. Hussein chose to cooperate with police rather than wait for a warrant. Two days later, Hussein lay dead. Nothing was taken from his store.
The family and its attorney believe that Hussein was killed in retaliation for providing the videotape to police. Hussein?s children contend that their father would still be alive if the city had not forced him to install cameras to gather evidence for city prosecutors. ?This shooting had everything to do with the Police Department and the city attorney,? said Hussein's son, Hasan.
If the family is correct, this is a tragic example of death by regulation. But it would not be the first. There are many government programs that increase the death rate among certain groups of people, but it often takes careful statistical analysis to reveal it. Researchers have looked at this phenomena and it turns out that political correctness is killing Americans. Take automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco as just three examples.
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