Irizarry v. Yehia

southern baptist gospel, church choir, pipe organ gospel

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V5.5

Irizarry v. Yehia

[Processional — pipe organ alone, warm and steady, congregation rising]
[organ chord slow x6]
[bass choir hum enters bar 4]
[four part choir breath together]
[piano enters soft bar 6]
[hand clap pulse begins bar 8]

[Deacon Reading 1 — single bass voice, measured and clear]
May twenty six
Two thousand nineteen
Corner of Reed Street
and West Colfax Avenue
Lakewood Colorado
Abade Irizarry
YouTube journalist
Standing on a public sidewalk
Filming a traffic stop
Like he had every right to do
Officer Ahmed Yehia
stepped out of his cruiser
walked directly in front of the camera
shined a flashlight into the lens
then got back in his car
drove it straight at Irizarry
pulled a U-turn
gunned it at him again
and laid on the horn
The district court gave Yehia
qualified immunity
Said a reasonable officer
might not have known
that driving a car at a journalist
on a public sidewalk
was unconstitutional
And the congregation said

[Choir Response 1 — full choir four part harmony, warm and certain]
LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW
HE STOOD HIS GROUND
LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW
HE DID NOT PUT THE CAMERA DOWN
HE FILED THE SUIT HIMSELF
PRO SE WITH HIS OWN HAND
LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW
ABADE IRIZARRY STOOD HIS STAND

[Deacon Reading 2 — bass voice, the appeal, the victory, the weight of it]
Irizarry filed the appeal
himself
No law degree
No firm behind him
Just a man
and the Constitution
he believed in
Arnold and Porter joined on appeal
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Cato Institute
The National Police Accountability Project
First Amendment professors
And then
the United States Department of Justice
filed a brief
in support of his right
to stand on that sidewalk
with that camera
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
reversed the lower court
Stripped Yehia of qualified immunity
Made the Tenth Circuit
the seventh federal jurisdiction
in this country
to recognize
the First Amendment right
to film the police
Six states covered
by that one ruling
His name is in the case law now
Irizarry v. Yehia
Thirty Eight F Fourth Twelve Eighty Two
Tenth Circuit
Two thousand twenty two
And the congregation said

[Choir Response 2 — fuller than first, soprano rises over the choir warm and lifted]
[soprano lead]
He said I want my name
in the case law forever
[full choir answers]
AND THERE IT IS
[soprano]
For the cause of freedom
he said
and there it is
[full choir]
IRIZARRY v YEHIA
THE TENTH CIRCUIT
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY TWO
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW NOW
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW

[Congregational Verse — piano and organ, choir hums warm beneath]
He has no fixed address
He represented himself
in federal court
He stood on sidewalks
in Colorado
with a camera
and a conviction
that what he was doing
mattered
Not for money
Not for fame
For the principle
that the people
have the right
to watch the watchers
He said
you have to make them pay
publicly
or they do not learn
Do not be in this
if you are not going
to the end
And he went
to the end
All the way
to the Tenth Circuit
All the way
into the case law
of the United States
of America
Liberty Freak
on the corner of Reed Street
changed what the law says
for six states
with a camera
and a willingness
to go to the end

[Full Choir Testimony — biggest choir moment, organ full, bass drum pulse]
LIBERTY FREAK STOOD ON THE SIDEWALK
AND THE LAW MOVED
LIBERTY FREAK FILED THE SUIT HIMSELF
AND THE LAW MOVED
THE TENTH CIRCUIT HEARD HIS NAME
AND THE LAW MOVED
SIX STATES COVERED
BY ONE MAN
WITH ONE CAMERA
ON ONE SIDEWALK
IN LAKEWOOD COLORADO
IRIZARRY v YEHIA
THE LAW MOVED
THE LAW MOVED

[Bridge — soprano alone over organ, warm and personal]
[soprano solo]
He never said
it would be easy
He said
do not be in this
if you are not going to the end
He went to the end
with no law degree
no firm
no address
just a camera
and the belief
that the Constitution
means what it says
His name is in the federal record now
It will be there
long after the flashlight fades
long after the cruiser is gone
Abade Irizarry
Liberty Freak
stood on a public sidewalk
and changed the law
for every person
who picks up a camera
and points it
at power
That is the whole testimony
That is the whole gospel
Go to the end

[Final Chorus — every voice, full organ, bass drum, warm and certain celebration]
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW
IRIZARRY v YEHIA
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW
TENTH CIRCUIT TWENTY TWENTY TWO
HE STOOD ON THE SIDEWALK
HE WENT TO THE END
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW
FOR EVERY CAMERA
IN EVERY HAND
ON EVERY PUBLIC SIDEWALK
IN SIX STATES OF THIS LAND
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW
LIBERTY FREAK
HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW

[Recessional — organ returns alone, choir hums warm fading, one soprano note holds last]
[organ slow chord x4]
[choir hum fades bar 3]
[soprano single warm note holds]
[bass choir last low tone]
[organ final chord]
[silence]
[the record stands]

4784/7500

Irizarry v. Yehia [Processional — pipe organ alone, warm and steady, congregation rising] [organ chord slow x6] [bass choir hum enters bar 4] [four part choir breath together] [piano enters soft bar 6] [hand clap pulse begins bar 8] [Deacon Reading 1 — single bass voice, measured and clear] May twenty six Two thousand nineteen Corner of Reed Street and West Colfax Avenue Lakewood Colorado Abade Irizarry YouTube journalist Standing on a public sidewalk Filming a traffic stop Like he had every right to do Officer Ahmed Yehia stepped out of his cruiser walked directly in front of the camera shined a flashlight into the lens then got back in his car drove it straight at Irizarry pulled a U-turn gunned it at him again and laid on the horn The district court gave Yehia qualified immunity Said a reasonable officer might not have known that driving a car at a journalist on a public sidewalk was unconstitutional And the congregation said [Choir Response 1 — full choir four part harmony, warm and certain] LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW HE STOOD HIS GROUND LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW HE DID NOT PUT THE CAMERA DOWN HE FILED THE SUIT HIMSELF PRO SE WITH HIS OWN HAND LORD LET THE RECORD SHOW ABADE IRIZARRY STOOD HIS STAND [Deacon Reading 2 — bass voice, the appeal, the victory, the weight of it] Irizarry filed the appeal himself No law degree No firm behind him Just a man and the Constitution he believed in Arnold and Porter joined on appeal The Electronic Frontier Foundation The Cato Institute The National Police Accountability Project First Amendment professors And then the United States Department of Justice filed a brief in support of his right to stand on that sidewalk with that camera The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court Stripped Yehia of qualified immunity Made the Tenth Circuit the seventh federal jurisdiction in this country to recognize the First Amendment right to film the police Six states covered by that one ruling His name is in the case law now Irizarry v. Yehia Thirty Eight F Fourth Twelve Eighty Two Tenth Circuit Two thousand twenty two And the congregation said [Choir Response 2 — fuller than first, soprano rises over the choir warm and lifted] [soprano lead] He said I want my name in the case law forever [full choir answers] AND THERE IT IS [soprano] For the cause of freedom he said and there it is [full choir] IRIZARRY v YEHIA THE TENTH CIRCUIT TWO THOUSAND TWENTY TWO HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW NOW HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW [Congregational Verse — piano and organ, choir hums warm beneath] He has no fixed address He represented himself in federal court He stood on sidewalks in Colorado with a camera and a conviction that what he was doing mattered Not for money Not for fame For the principle that the people have the right to watch the watchers He said you have to make them pay publicly or they do not learn Do not be in this if you are not going to the end And he went to the end All the way to the Tenth Circuit All the way into the case law of the United States of America Liberty Freak on the corner of Reed Street changed what the law says for six states with a camera and a willingness to go to the end [Full Choir Testimony — biggest choir moment, organ full, bass drum pulse] LIBERTY FREAK STOOD ON THE SIDEWALK AND THE LAW MOVED LIBERTY FREAK FILED THE SUIT HIMSELF AND THE LAW MOVED THE TENTH CIRCUIT HEARD HIS NAME AND THE LAW MOVED SIX STATES COVERED BY ONE MAN WITH ONE CAMERA ON ONE SIDEWALK IN LAKEWOOD COLORADO IRIZARRY v YEHIA THE LAW MOVED THE LAW MOVED [Bridge — soprano alone over organ, warm and personal] [soprano solo] He never said it would be easy He said do not be in this if you are not going to the end He went to the end with no law degree no firm no address just a camera and the belief that the Constitution means what it says His name is in the federal record now It will be there long after the flashlight fades long after the cruiser is gone Abade Irizarry Liberty Freak stood on a public sidewalk and changed the law for every person who picks up a camera and points it at power That is the whole testimony That is the whole gospel Go to the end [Final Chorus — every voice, full organ, bass drum, warm and certain celebration] HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW IRIZARRY v YEHIA HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW TENTH CIRCUIT TWENTY TWENTY TWO HE STOOD ON THE SIDEWALK HE WENT TO THE END HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW FOR EVERY CAMERA IN EVERY HAND ON EVERY PUBLIC SIDEWALK IN SIX STATES OF THIS LAND HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW LIBERTY FREAK HIS NAME IS IN THE LAW [Recessional — organ returns alone, choir hums warm fading, one soprano note holds last] [organ slow chord x4] [choir hum fades bar 3] [soprano single warm note holds] [bass choir last low tone] [organ final chord] [silence] [the record stands]

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