Photography Becoming Illegal — Know Your Rights — Welcome to the USSA, the United Soviet Socialist America. This sounds exactly like the USSR in the 1950’s, doesn’t it? You can’t take snapshots, but it’s OK to have surveillance cams in every nook and cranny. Bush’s America. Fabulous. I admire how all this is supported by the public. Apparently we’re not freedom-loving aftrer all. First they were stealing your fingernail clippers at the airport to show you who is boss, next they’ll be stealing your camera while you walk down the street.
The right to take photographs is under assault now more than ever. People are being stopped, harassed, and even intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were taking photographs of subjects that made other people uncomfortable. Recent examples have included photographing industrial plants, bridges, and bus stations. For the most part, attempts to restrict photography are based on misguided fears about the supposed dangers that unrestricted photography presents to society.
Ironically, unrestricted photography by private citizens has played an integral role in protecting the freedom, security, and well-being of all Americans. Photography in the United States has contributed to improvements in civil rights, curbed abusive child labor practices, and provided important information in investigating crimes. These images have not always been pretty and often have offended the sensibilities of governmental and commercial interests who had vested interests in a status quo that was adverse to most other people.
related link:
NPR Interview of Hassled Photographers
Should Photography be Illegal?
In Seattle, police ban a photography student from a public park. He was taking photographs of a bridge for a homework assignment. The officers who ban him from the park do so without the knowledge of park officials and have no authority to do so.
In Texas a man is first threatened by neighbors and then reportedly accosted and sprayed with pepper spray by police. He was walking around his neighborhood, filming with his new video camera.
In New York, National Press Photographers Association members stage a protest in the New York subway system to bring attention to a proposed law to ban photography in the subway system.
In Philadelphia a magazine photographer (me) is detained and questioned after a parade for taking architectural shots while waiting for a subway train.
“No photos!” sign for use in “public” buildings. Get yours today!
Freedom-loving Americans rejoice.
btma: I. Fish who adds:
Mmmm… we have to have papers to travel. We’re only allowed to
protest in press-free “zones.” Now it’ll illegal to take photographs.Yep, the good old US, land of the formerly free.
Yes, and it happened so fast. What’s odd is that people not only didn’t care, they supported the notions with fervor. By the way, this is going to get worse, not better.
Someone taking a photo saved my life, once.
In the civil rights movement, in the 60’s, I was in a demonstration in the foyer of a courthouse. We were protesting the lack of public access to the trial in progress, The local sheriff would pick who was allowed to enter the courtroom for the day’s proceedings. Only good ol’ boys he knew.
At the end of the day a scuffle broke out. The reasons were irrelevant; but, I ended up on the floor, being beaten by about seven armed defenders of justice. Got myself an overnight stay in the hospital.
The next morning, a photo accompanying a reasonably “safe” version of what occurred was printed on the front page of the local newspaper. One of the cops had his gun out, hammer back and ready to fire, aimed at my head, while I was on my hands and knees on the floor a few feet away.
He was looking at the camera with a look that said exactly what was going through his mind. “Aw, shit. I can’t kill this guy because you’re taking my picture doing it.”
I didn’t even know about it until I saw that picture.
The public support of it all make it look more like a Nazi state than a Soviet one…
Isn’t it wonderful what a bit of fear can do?
That’s the reason behind the theories that Bush was behind 9/11, or at least knew about it before it happened…
I pray for you, guys… If you become a dictatorship, what’s the hope for the rest of the world?
By the way, this is going to get worse, not better.
You’re right of course, but saying so tends to reinforce public contrariness, no?
The ignorant masses need challenging, not justification! Ridicule them?
John, you mentioned it’ll get worse. He’s my prediction. If this becomes an issue (which is highly unlikely with our passive citizenry) the feds will pass some sort of “Right to Photograph Act.” But of course it’ll actually have a provision banning photographs taken with a “nefarious intent” or with an “intent to further a terrorist plan.” You know something vague like that.
Our legislature and president will talk about how the Act protects the rights of citizens when in fact it does the opposite. As it’ll give the police the discretion to stop people from photographing whenever they determine such a nefarious intent.
Fish, You’re starting to scare me. That’s probably exactly what will happen. Reminds me of the DMCA which is supposed to protect artists and only protects big companies.
Admin: Link for NPR interviews goes to the Krages site, not NPR
Made me think of two fairly-recent items.
1. When Apple computer was getting ready to unveil their “shuffle” iPod player, they had large banners installed in the entrance hall of the convention center – the night before the convention was to start. Mac geeks looking in the windows saw the banners through the windows and took pictures – only to be chased-down the street buy convention center Security, who demanded the film/memory cards.
2. Review of a small Casio camera, by Ken Rockwell – with his proceless comment about the advantage of the camera having a small amount of built-in memory, instead of being supplied with a small memory card: 11.) 8.3 MB of permanent built-in memory instead of including a throwaway card. This allows all sorts of tricks like the 999 user presets and making photos even when forces of evil have confiscated all your memory cards.
Link to the Rockwell camera review: http://www.kenrockwell.com/casio/exz750.htm
The precendent of the Rodney King video alerting us to abuses by the system being a good thing, is being replaced by the Abu Garhab precendent of photos alerting us to abuses in the system being a bad thing. 🙁
Abu Ghraib link: http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444
Unfortunately, in the vanguard of those stuffed in the back of
the Black Marias will be our very own John Dvorak.
You’ve all read his comments on how many photos he snaps.
Too many, perhaps?
What is his real purpose?
No one need shoot so many photos unless….?
I’m reaching for the phone right now.
I’d respond to this ludicrous comment, but someone is pounding on the door. I’ll be right back.
John — are you there? John? John?
We ARE upset about it, but what can we do? Congress is bought off, the Federal courts are stacked, and the written law has become meaningless. This isn’t Stalinist or Nazi, it’s Facist. Strong state, weak citizens. That’s the goal. So maybe we all should just shut up and pay our taxes.
It gets worse. Why? Assuming you get away with taking the photo, and then take them to WalMart to be processed, they’ll assume you’re violating some professional photogs copyright, and refuse to print them!
Railfan photogs have been getting hassled on a regular basis since 911. Go to Canada and you can take all the pix you want.
Keep voting Republican….
“We ARE upset about it, but what can we do”
What can you do?
Well, you can take to the streets and start fighting! Organize rallies and demonstrations. Create websites explaining the situation. Go to radio and talk shows. Start campaigns. Fight these laws in court.
Whatever it takes.
Each and every one of these laws must be fought.
*One-by-one*.
You can’t fight it all at once by calling your government a bunch of fascists (which, btw, they are, as the rest of the western world seems to think), because that way you’ll be labelled extremists and radicals – just one step away from terrorists. You have to fight each law one at a time, and be ready to fundament your views, in a peaceful and civilized way.
Be prepared to spend time, years if need be. The government will do it’s best to make you fell impotent and frustrated. And it is VERY GOOD at that!
And you must start NOW. Otherwise one day you’ll have a mountain of oppressive laws to fight against… And everyone will think it’s best to just lay low and pay their taxes….
But even if you don’t start today, start tomorrow. Better late than never.
Fight for your country, guys! Not for me or anyone else in the world – for YOU, americans!
Scott Adams once said that Democracy was the best political system there was, because it allowed the government to legally screw the stupid and the lazy. The stupid can’t figure out they’re being screwed, the lazy won’t do anything about it.
It occurs to me that this dispute is a result of people complaining about racial profiling. If the police only arrested Arabs taking pictures, that would be considered unseemly, so for security, they are stuck banning everyone.
Angel, what does votng Republican have to do with it? Under Clinton, airline agents were tagging people who had to get their carry-on luggage inspected at the gate. This was in response to TWA 800, a crash that was ruled a mechanical failure. And of course people investigating that crash were arrested and prosecuted essentially for just taking pictures and publishing stories.
Most of the Patriot Act was proposed under Bill Clinton, they just didn’t have the votes to pass it. Al Gore was a big proponent of the Clipper Chip. Health care ID cards actually passed under Clinton, with a Democrat and Republican sponsor. The only reason you don’t have to show your health ID at a hospital right now is because a Republican Ron Paul has been able to defund it every year.
All governments are total failures, and the people get the government they deserve.
Cowards and mediocres get dictatorships.
Religious sadists and women-haters get Islamic Extremist rule.
Americans, fat, lazy, gas-guzzling, passive, entertainment loving, porn addicted, herd-instinctual, are getting what we deserve.
I used to take a video camera into bars and libraries and everywhere I damn well pleased. Homes of friends while people were partying and fighting and screaming at each other.
Funny thing is, after a while they forgot the camera was on, even when I pointed it right at them. I videotaped a gal stealing all the booze out of our refrigerator and I followed her down the hall and the stairs.
I videotaped a drug bust downstairs outside my apartment. As I videotaped, pointing the camera at the criminals in the back seat of a police car, a nice officer asked me not to tape anymore. I kept taping but pointed it down at his feet.
Pointing the camera down, but still taping, getting the audio, was a neat trick security guards and cops fell for every time.
I will photograph any fucking thing I feel like. No one can stop me.
By the way, the photo ban in NY’s subway was dropped. I don’t see any problem with what happened to the writer. I want the police to be questioning people. I couldn’t find any details of the guy in Texas.
It is even worse in Missouri. For the fourth year in a row a bill making it a felony to photograph a puppy mill has been introduced under the pretence of protecting the nations food supply.
http://thechartonline.collegepublisher.com/media/paper630/news/2005/04/15/State/State.Holds.Nationwide.Puppy.Mills.Breeders.Title-925350.shtml