America, it’s time to lock and load
By Kelvin Wade
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” Thomas Jefferson’s words have never been so right. In 2026, vigilance isn’t just a concept; it’s a 4k video file.
When Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE agents, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it was an act of domestic terrorism and told a story about ICE agents being trapped in the snow with a homicidal terrorist trying to run them down. When Alex Pretti was murdered by Border Patrol agents, Noem again lied and described an armed domestic terrorist attacking law enforcement to “inflict maximum damage.”
The administration lied. They lied because they thought no one was watching. Thank fucking God for video.
There’s a reason Border Patrol “Commander at Large” Greg Bovino had his social media account pulled and he was kicked out of Minneapolis, replaced by border czar Tom Homan, a man reportedly caught on FBI sting video accepting a $50,000 bribe. There’s a reason why Noem spent two hours in the Oval Office with the president on Tuesday. There’s a reason the administration is scaling back its assault on Minnesota. That reason is the American people saw murder while the government lied about enforcement.
Watching Donald Trump TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) for the umpteenth time feels good on one level but don’t confuse a tactical retreat for surrender. The administration that labels undocumented immigrants “garbage” and “vermin” and is desperate to distract from the fact that they’re breaking federal law protecting pedophiles by hiding the Epstein files, will continue its attempted fascist takeover of our republic.
It’s time for Americans to lock and load…with their cameras. Despite the retreat, the Insurrection Act is coming. And when this President fully embraces his inner Fuhrer and puts the military on the streets we have to be ready to swing into action to broadcast it to the world.
This ain’t for everyone. I like to say get in where you fit in. For some people, fighting back will be writing letters and making phone calls to their representatives, writing letters to the editor in their local papers, donating to political campaigns, running for office, phonebanking and knocking on doors, attending peaceful protests and vigils, registering people to vote, donating to causes like the ACLU, the National Bail Fund Network and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, pressure corporate contractors working with ICE, boycott businesses working with the regime and sharing stories, photos and video on social media among other things.
But for the rest of us it’s our Constitutional obligation to be video snipers. It’s dangerous to document what the regime is doing because they’ve lowered the hiring and training standards for ICE. They’ve removed the age limits, shortened training from 22 weeks to 47 days, dropped the Spanish training, dropped the legal theory courses that focused on the Immigration and Nationality Act and reportedly, eased their physical fitness requirements. It’s much more difficult to become a Minneapolis police officer than an ICE agent and it shows.
The point is if you’re going to document ICE agents be aware that you may not be dealing with professionals who understand the law or have been trained properly in tactics. When you see an agent with his finger on the trigger during a routine stop, or an idiot shouting, “If you raise your voice, I erase your voice,” like one agent recently said on camera, this is the dysfunction we’re dealing with. They don't know the law, and they don’t care. These are amped up, untrained masked secret police with a criminal president and weaponized Justice Department behind them so if you decide to do this you have to know it’s dangerous AF.
You might want to invest in a good gas mask with particulate filtration. Go for P100 or P3 filters that block 99.97% of particulate matter. Also, get a mask that covers your entire face so your eyes are protected. These goons gas first and forget about asking the questions.
You have a First Amendment right to observe and film federal agents performing their jobs as long as you do not impede or obstruct their activities. Courts have repeatedly upheld the public’s right to film from public sidewalks, streets or other areas where you have a legal right to be. Law enforcement cannot legally force you to stop recording or hand over your device simply because you’re recording them.
They can tell you to step back and if they do, comply with their orders. Step back but keep that shutter running. While courts uphold your right to film, they give a lot of deference to officers when they say you’re too close. Be wary because they’ll stretch that inch the courts give them into miles and miles.
Use a secure passcode on your phone rather than a fingerprint or face ID because a disreputable agent seizing your phone can’t decipher a passcode but they can hold the phone to your face to unlock it.
Film in landscape (horizontal) not portrait. Landscape allows you to see more of the scene and it’s more natural. We don’t have portrait TV or movie screens for a reason.
Film from a stable public location, preferably a sidewalk away from the agents.
Film in 4K if available. If not, then 1080p 30 frames per second is fine. Try not to go lower than that or you’ll lose precious detail.
Do not use digital zoom. If you use digital zoom, detail and stabilization is destroyed.
Start with an establishing wide shot to show where you are: street names and landmarks. You can optically zoom (not digital) to get things like license plates, police badge numbers if available and other details but then zoom back out.
Narrate what you see. Say the date, place and time and describe what you’re seeing. Audio is as much evidence as video.
When finished filming don’t edit the video clip. Save a copy to the cloud or external card. Courts want unedited video. The video can always be pared down later but it’s important that the original footage you film is complete and intact.
You have a First Amendment right to tell these federal agents what you think of them. If they can’t take some swear words or insults without maintaining professionalism, they’re in the wrong line of work.
In some jurisdictions, it’s legal to carry firearms and it’s also legal to carry them while filming law enforcement. What the administration has been saying about not taking guns to protests flies in the face of what their own supporters have been doing for years.
The point of monitoring federal agents is to hold them accountable, ensure civil liberties are protected and protect our democracy. It also protects the agents themselves.
Without the videos in the Renee Good and Alex Pretti cases, we would’ve been at the mercy of the administration’s lies. The nation would be gaslit and federal agents would get away with killing citizens who would’ve been falsely demonized as terrorists. You and your camera are what’s going to keep this administration and it’s thugs honest
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I believe the public’s right and need to see what this administration is doing is paramount. We’re not going to live our lives on our knees. Jefferson wrote, “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?” This is our 4k fucking warning. Rise up.
