Michael Hupy Contributes to Education of University Students
Attorney Michael F. Hupy learned that University Police at Northwestern University (NU) were using heavy handed tactics to enforce laws on campus. In one incident, a student received a $75 ticket for sighing in exasperation, after he and some friends were told to quiet down while walking down the street.
After hearing that police also used coercion in convincing students to allow them access to dorm rooms and other privacy intrusions, Hupy sent several copies of the video, Busted, to students at NU, as well as to a columnist for The Daily Northwestern, the campus newspaper. The video is produced by Flex Your Rights, a Washington, D.C. based organization founded by Steven Silverman. The video instructs viewers on how to properly handle encounters with police. Silverman said many people do not know what their rights are when police come to their home or approach them on the street. Although University Police Deputy Chief Dan McAleer said students at NU retain all of their constitutional rights concerning stops and seizures, it appears young people are stopped and detained by police in inordinate numbers.
Hupy and Abraham has been giving the Busted videos to anyone who requests one and has handed out hundreds of the videos at motorcycle events.