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YouTuber Audit Them premiered a video on Monday afternoon in which he performed a “private arrest” of workers after being refused service at the Arlington Heights corporate headquarters.
PACE Suburban Bus provides suburban fixed route bus and regional ADA paratransit services. Audit Them entered PACE’s corporate headquarters and demanded to do a FOIA request at the start of the video. When he was asked by the receptionist to stop recording as she was uncomfortable with being on video, he refused to do so and she left the front desk area.
Christopher Lyons, PACE’s Freedom of Information Officer, approached Audit Them and asked him to stop recording. Audit Them again refused to stop recording, explaining that he has a right to record public employees. He was then asked to leave. When he would not comply, Lyons called the police and left the reception area.
Two police officers responded to the call. Audit Them greeted both and explained that he wished to have the receptionist and Lyons arrested for disorderly conduct. He explained if the police would not comply with his wishes, he would personally put both employees under “private arrest” for disorderly conduct and send his findings to the Attorney General of the State of Illinois.
After meeting with Lyons, one of the officers explained that he would not be arresting anyone for disorderly conduct. Audit Them then approached the empty reception desk and screamed through the glass window that he was placing Lyons and the secretary under “private arrest” and would be following up with the attorney general.
Audit Them remained in the building as he wrote a FOIA request for information about Lyons role, which an officer delivered to Lyons in a private area before leaving the building.
As the live stream progressed, Audit Them gave out Lyons’ office number to his viewers, pinning it to the top of his side chat and telling his viewers “NOT” to call the number. He later gave out Lyons’ e-mail address with similar instructions.
About an hour after the event, Audit Them went live as he attempted to contact the executive director of PACE, Melinda J. Metzger. After encountering several employees who refused to consent to being recorded by Audit Them, he explained that he had the right to record government officials performing in their official capacities and that he had every right to record. Each call was then terminated.
The YouTuber then placed calls to an Illinois Inspector General of the Secretary of State’s Office and a member of PACE’s board of directors before giving up for the day, promising more PACE footage would be released later in the evening.
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