Yet another "Thou shalt not photograph!" story

An aviation cartoonist tries to photograph FAA headquarters for

reference and is stopped cold.

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In the October 7th Washington Post (Note that my reading of

Post policy means this is going to disappear on the 21st):

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<a

href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53223-2

003Oct6.html">

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53223-2003Oc

t6.html </a>

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If the link doesn't work, just go to www.washingtonpost.com and

search for "Klyde Morris"

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Towards the bottom of the article is some brief info on other

cases and the name of an ACLU person who is apparently

specializing in this sort of thing...

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Also look at the guy's site for some cartoons referring to the

incident:

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<a href="http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1172">

http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1172 </a>

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<a href="http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1174">

http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1174 </a>

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<a href="http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1176">

http://klydemorris.com/strips.cfm?strip_ID=1176 </a>

It is a hard time for railfans and aircraft groupies.

There needs to be a �flash mob� type protest of such things by going to federal buildings en mass and shooting away and making a stink about it if and/or until questioned. Lots of public right-of-way shooting, and maybe a ACLU lawyer on hand to observe. Would be fun to a degree and attract attention to the issue, both the seriousness of the right to photograph and the stupidity of the enforcement of non-existent procedures.

Sounds good to me Chris. Although I'm sure someone will come along and say we're all silly loons, clueless about the laws. Where do we want to do this? I'm in Rochester, NY but I'll travel a moderate distance. ;)

This can be done with few people and need not be associated with anything more than a bunch of concerned photographers about the hysteria around photography of public spaces. In my mind, you would want to make more than a get-together of it. Invite some local press that might actually publish a story, and actually have a readership of a certain reach (i.e. the local socialist rag does not count!). Also, arrange to have some legal type there to observe. A offer of lunch to a ACLU lawyer might do the trick, might not. Regardless, just going to make a fuss is not productive, going to make a point and have it heard beyond the click of your shutter is.

Chris/Carl: If you ever bring this show to San Diego, I'm up for it... Heck, I'll even bring my Zorki with cyrillic inscription--that should get them wondering!

"If you ever bring this show to San Diego, I'm up for it(.)"

 

Ya know, I haven't been to San Diego post-9/11, but visiting family a number of times in the past, I stayed at the beautiful and historic Hotel Del Coronado:

 

http://www.hoteldel.com/

 

The Del Coronado is on the ocean and South of the hotel along the pennensula is where Navy SEALs and other Navy personnel train. Well North of the hotel, there is a Naval air station on the tip of the pennensula.

 

In the morning, when I went out jogging along the beach, there were dozens of SEALs, SEAL trainees and others naval personnel jogging up to the air station and back. They were quite friendly. (I felt goofy jogging next to the guys with SEAL tattoos who were jogging a couple of miles just to loosen up for their real workouts and who could kill me with one of their thumbs. However, I usually fell in next to some middle-aged officer in worse shape than I was- which made me feel a bit better about myself.)

 

It would be interesting to see how security is out there now. You used to be able to jog down the beach into Mexico and back. And I never had any problems photographing down along the pennensula.

Hmm, as a poor college student I doubt I can afford San Diego. Anyone going to fund me? ;)

This week, the governor of Rhode Island signed into law a bill which prohibits anyone from videotaping any person without that person's express permission. Police in RI (who lobbied hard for passage of the law) have stated they will enforce it vigorously. If one is found guilty, the penalty for a first offense is punishable by a $500 fine and six months in prison. Now that the so-called Patriot Act has effectively abolished the Bill of Rights, I guess our politicians feel safe to eliminate what few rights we still have. Any immigrants from the former USSR are going to feel right at home here pretty soon.

Jim: I'm very interested in this development, but searching the states's legislative database could only come up with a bill from July criminalizing peeping-tom-style taping (as disorderly conduct), with a required element of lewd or lascivious intent (which they'd made a tort in 1997)--Do you have a bill number or other citation I could look up?

 

Out here in California right now I'm rather worried that Ah-nuld will try to push through sweeping anti-photo laws aimed at protecting his buddies from paparazzi, but, if real, this Rhode Island law is more draconian than my worst nightmares.

I was arrested last week for trespassing (NYC DEP police) when photogrpahing the Ashokan resevoir bridge in the Catskills. Anyone who wants to join me Wednesday night in court is welcome. Technically I was trespassing (fishing only area) but the only reason they bothered with me is because I was taking pictures of the bridge.