Charges dropped against Photographer in Southlake

[paula_malone]

Just thought those of you who had participated on that thread

regarding the street photographer who was arrested at the Southlake,

TX Octoberfest for supposedly taking the photos for unsavory

purposes. Here is the update.

 

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/5221710/detail.html

 

Paula

[jeremy freeland]

You have to be careful in the land of the free

[m_.]

another lesson learned: don't mess with texas.

[m_.]

what upsets me more is that no one talks about his 24 hours jail time. what are they gotta do with the police wrong doings?

[seanmbuck]

The media sucks too. They basically accused and convicted him of being a pervert by plastering his name and picture all over the news and yet he WASN'T EVEN CHARGED! Any apology from them?

[EricM]

A small, if nothing, cost of fear mongering. It?s so easy going on a witchhunt these days when you know the only effort after killing a persons reputation and name is going to be an ?apology?. Sad.

[kent_tolley2]

It's unfair that Mr. Vogel had to spend any time in jail but spending time for a cause and getting air time for it has had some good consequences in the past. (King, Gandhi, Mandella) And on the surface it seems the media just went after the story at the expense of Mr. Vogel's reputation, hungry sharks that they are. Then again without the media here nobody would even know about this event. Now we KNOW Texas has a new law that may be "vague and over-bearing" and open to wide interpretation by the police. <BR><BR>I hope the police see their incompetence in this and apologize to Mr. Vogel. And unless it's intentional on the part of the Texas legislature, I hope they see their incompetence and write a better law.

[jluebke]

<p>I doubt that anything positive in terms of awareness of photographers' rights, clarification or repeal of this vague law will come of this. Sadly, my conjecture is that the prevailing opinion in Texas (and elsewhere in the increasingly xenophobic and paranoid US-of-A) is "better safe than sorry" -- i.e. better to arrest and publicly smear some innocent man than miss the real pervert/wacko next time.</p>

 

<p>I'm not going to engage in any media bashing at this point, but I find it highly amusing that NBC 5i's story states that <i>"Vogel spent nearly 24 hours in jail... and his mug shot appeared in TV and Internet news stories."</i> They fail to state that Vogel's picture appeared on <b>their</b> TV station, <b>their</b> Internet news site, and <b>nowhere else.</b> Go figure.</p>

[anupam]

<i>Sadly, my conjecture is that the prevailing opinion in Texas (and elsewhere in the increasingly xenophobic and paranoid US-of-A) is "better safe than sorry" -- i.e. better to arrest and publicly smear some innocent man than miss the real pervert/wacko next time.</i>

<p>"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer." - William Blackstone<p>Sad indeed.

[Uhooru]

Well, I think the other story here is that the DA's know they have a vague statute that will be challanged and this isn't the case they want to run through the system to test it as it's obvious, even to them, that this one is a dead bang loser. I wonder how contrite they really are. Also the photographer can always sue for violations of his rights.

[justpete]

Contrite? The cops in Southlake?! Not a chance. They do what their chief tells 'em and he does what the mayor tells him. And the wealthy who've enriched that city in the last decade tell him what to do. The DA at least had enough common sense to keep his political career on track.

[chris_waller]

It seems that the 'free world' is becoming increasingly like the old Soviet bloc.

[oceanphysics]

I hope the one or two Hitler Youth supporting the redneck cops in the original thread are proud of themselves.

[juergenf]

To Chris Waller:

 

Not only in the US, also over here in The Netherlands. The proud liberal nation that I once knew, is now gone for the most part. If you walk the streets around the parliament buildings with a camera and you're from a 'ethnic minority' group, don't be surprised when you get questioned by the police because you are problably 'up to something', otherwise, why would you want to take photes at such a location. That's the 'state of Holland' these days. Very sad.

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

Kudos to the prosecutor for stating the obvious and even apolgising. He certainly seems to be no self-righteous ideologue. The Texas justice system has a horrible reputation, often well-deserved (just ask Oprah or rent <i>The Thin Blue Line</i>), but as long as there are reasonable and clear-sighted people like Mr Stallings there is hope, even inTexas.

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

The story upon which the movie <i>The Thin Blue Line</i> is based is actually more chilling than the fictionalised retelling by Errol Morris. A (black) professional from the North was driving through and was arrested tried and convicted of capital murder. Among the more interesting characters in the tale is a (real) psychiatrist who goes from county to county testifying for the prosecution! <i>Everybody</i> is sane and responsible, as long as he's been charged. The man was finally exonerated after a huge international fuss. I think it took years.

[Brad_]

<I>It seems that the 'free world' is becoming increasingly like the old Soviet bloc.</I><P>

 

Yes, it's a regular gulag here - I just got released after three years of political re-education

in a labor camp in North Dakota - last time I'll criticize the government in public. The

state owns everything - appartments, factories, farms - you name it. No enterprenurship

or innovation either. And nothing steams me more than those damn lines. <P>

 

Still waiting to get my papers approved for a roadtrip to Canada. The timing should work

out well though - was recently advised I'm getting closer to the top of the list for getting

my first car -a Lada. The model I'm getting has a rear window defroster! Will be nice for

keeping my hands warm when I have to push it.<P>

[rosedoodle]

I personally think Texas should be allowed to secede.

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

I didn't realise how bad things had become in the US of A. However the transformation will not be complete until the National Hockey Team becomes unbeatable (with the help of dishonest, half-blind referees and linesmen of course).

[Alex_Es]

Here is an interesting question: How do balloons constitute photographing for sexual gratification? Even my basically unsavory imagination fails at this point. Okay, they might look like boobs. Still, to paraphrase Freud a balloon is a balloon and cigar is a cigar.

 

Anyway, if this sexual gratification law was universal half the posters on this forum would be in jail.

[gaius1]

Balloons<div></div>

[Alex_Es]

Oh Guy, that smile. Hope you're not in Southlake, dude. That smile--Whoa!

[jeremy freeland]

more balloon porn<div></div>

[35mmdelux]

The facts are that if one doesn't stand up for your rights in the voting booth this kind of oppression and censorship will continue.

 

Photographers, in particular photojournalists are in unique position to bring pressure to bare on would-be leaders.

 

The present crowd in the White House has shown disregard for our Constitution and has sought to revise it to suit their selfish agenda. In a stunning and stupid move by US Attorney General Gonzalez even the Geneva Accords were trashed. Never mind that he never served in the military - its easy to talk trash when its not you're b--tt on the line.