Harassed by Police for photography on playground. (Memory card confiscated and harassed by police)

[thomas_sullivan]

there are two sides to every story, and true we are not hearing the other side, but behind this particular incident there is that over riding concern that CE brought up...

 

..."...What people think and feel is not criminal. The act is the issue, and what we should be concerned with, and unfortunately the best way to handle that end of it is on a case-by-case basis, not by blanket-partying the population with legislation criminalizing certain, non-harmful behaviors in the public space..."

 

that is unfortunately what is happenning with street photography. You raise a camera, and you are judged right then and there. You are immediately thought to be thinking the worse possible scenario that the public can dream up. Jeez, if they do want to make "thought" a crime, THEY are the criminals. They thought it up. 99.999999% of photographers don't even have those thoughts in their head. It's the light! It's the daily life of things. Like someone said above, we take pictures of whatever is in front of us that looks interesting, some happen to be kids. As a matter of fact, if you ever want to photograph human nature untouched by societies touch, it's kids that show just how much of a joy it is to be human.

 

I raised two kids, I now have two grandchildren......i take pics of them all the time. If their friends are over, I take pics of them. If I see a kid doing something interesting on the street, I take a pic of them. I've never been hassled.....not once......and a quick description of me would be "Grizzly Adams". If someone is taking pics of my grandkids these days, I just pay attention. But, honestly, no more attention than I do any other stranger that approaches them. That concern is prudent. But to think that just because they have a cam in their hands, they are "up to something"....that's being paranoid.

 

Now, if they did do something, camera or not, believe me.......I'd probably earn my quick look description of "grizzly adams"........but, like CE said.....it's the action that I judge. Just like I said above, the person is wrong if the ininiate physical force against another person.........that is when they are wrong.

 

I cannot stress this anymore. You DON'T want even the whiff of thought control to enter into the USA's legal system. Because if it does, some day YOUR pasttime will be considered illegal......I guarantee it.

[robert_m_johnson]

http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2007/03/09/news/cover_story/

news01.txt

 

I'm outa here, enjoy the day folks! :-)

[ray .]

<i>when was the last time you saw 'positive news' on the news</I><p>In the US, watch the

public broadcast system PBS and contribute cash to it to keep it going. Interesting

informative

intelligent positive news all

over the place- the way it ought to be- along with the serious political problems we face.

[robert_m_johnson]

http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2007/03/09/news/cover_story/news01.txt

[ray .]

Most people don't even know what 'street photography' is. If it doesn't fit into

some neat little compartmentalized category they understand or if it is not officially

sanctioned they are prone to be

suspicious. We may be in for a day when to photograph in public you need a license just like

you need a license to drive a car. Best thing for now is to be smart, be fast when you have to,

and act like you own the

street and someone wants you to be there.

[robert_m_johnson]

Borat...

 

"Did you enjoy our fast food?

I like very much U.S. fast-food chain named ?Garbage.? They serve their food from

convenient waist-high containers locate on most American streets. They has outlets

all across country, the menu constant change, and the food is free! My second

favorite is the one run by a red-headed clown who resemble Gogol, the famous

Kazakh sex criminal. It very convenient, particular because the playpen have glass

windows, allowing you to take beautiful photograph of the young childrens inside."

 

:-)

[thomas_sullivan]

"...act like you own the street and someone wants you to be there..."

 

heh...words to live by.

[wigwam jones]

A little dose of actual facts, to distract us from the much-more entertaining news story freakouts:

 

http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/NIJ_Abduction0303.pdf

 

"During the study year, there were an estimated 115 stereotypical kidnappings, defined as abductions perpetrated by a stranger or slight acquaintance and involving a child who was transported 50 or more

miles, detained overnight, held for ransom or with the intent to keep the child permanently, or killed."

 

While 115 is a horrifying number, consider that is out of nearly 300 million citizens, 74 million of which are technically children.

 

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/196465.pdf

 

"Contrary to the common assumption that abduction is a principal reason why children become missing, the NISMART?2 findings indicate that only a small minority of missing children were abducted, and most

of these children were abducted by family members (9 percent of all caretaker missing children). Close to 3 percent of caretaker missing children were abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator; among these, an

extremely small number (90) were victims of stereotypical kidnapping."

 

I realize that this stuff is dull, boring, uninteresting. We'd all much rather respond to the rising hysteria that children are being abducted left and right, and that sinister street photographers who snap photos of children and post them on websites for perverts to track down and kidnap the child later are lurking in every city park, but apparently...it just isn't true.

 

Imagine that, the media telling us lies. I'm shocked.

 

Now perhaps we can all calm down just a tiny bit. No, the world ain't safe, and your kids need to be watched because there ARE bad people out there, but there is no need to take the cameras away from the street photographers just yet.

[craig_gillette]

I still trust cops more than I trust some stranger with a camera. Get over it. Let him file a complaint and get on with his life. And I'll be happy to ship all the death row inmates to some country club overseas. Haven't noticed anyone really wants them though.

[stephen_w.]

OT: Cops are so named because of their former Copper badges.

[robert_m_johnson]

OT: "The Patty Wagon was first used by the British when they would transport Irish

prisoners in the wagons and they would refer to them as "patties", short for St

Patricks."

[wigwam jones]

'Paddywagon', not "Patty Wagon." Pádraig is Irish for Patrick and the diminutive is Paddy. The term was coined in the USA, and was the wagon used to transport drunks en masse. Common stereotypes of the time labeled Ireland as a land of drunkards; thus, a Paddywagon was supposed to be used to haul besotted Irishmen.

[robert_m_johnson]

"'Paddywagon', not "Patty Wagon"

 

WW - You are correct, that has always been my understanding of the term as well.<div></div>

[robert_m_johnson]

Paddy Wagon...

 

http://www.ebluce.com/eblucecollection/

[robert_m_johnson]

oops...

 

http://www.ebluce.com/eblucecollection/archive/transportation/paddywagon1.html.

[robert_m_johnson]

It is kinda fitting that this thread ends up on the paddy wagon. What would you think

if you were Irish and being thrown into one? Think your going to get a fair trial? Ahh,

the good old days! :-)

 

(Others also say that they were called paddy wagons because of all the Irish cops)

[vverna83]

Wow this thread really blew up in the last day! Thanks for everyones input both positive

and negative.

 

After speaking with my lawyer I've decided to move on with life; I'm a senior in university

and crammed with projects, my financial situation is such that some 5 year olds probably

have more savings than I do and most of all I just want to put it behind me. I'd rather just

buy a new CF card than spend thousands of dollars in lawyers fees to find myself turned

into the next ''example'' by Detroits crooked administration. These are the same police

who threw a news reporter through a plate glass window for asking questions.

 

Luckily I've also had the pleasure of meeting around a dozen officers who understand the

rights of photographers and I'm hoping that from today foreward every officer that I meet

is as professional as they have been.

[vverna83]

Thought I'd share this quote with everyone here this is from a member on another internet

forum and it gave me a good laugh.

 

"Everybody grab your children and run. There's a prowler on the loose and he's shooting your

kids with a Canon."

[robert_m_johnson]

Totally OT: Obama has irish roots. At one time some people feared that the Irish

would become the dominate race world wide. :-)

 

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article2356774.ece

[matt_m__toronto_]

vincent, by not doing anything, you do others next in line a great dis-service. while i understand that funds stop you from hiring a lawyer, i would really advise you to file a formal complaint with the police department and to make a few phone calls to a local paper.

 

if you let this just go away, that same cop will use the same attitude again and again.

[vverna83]

Matt, I will be filing a complaint with the Cheif of Police and the Internal Investigations

Department. I won't however be persuing anything in the courts.

[robert_m_johnson]

Vincent, do not overlook conveying your story to your local newspaper. Even a simple

letter to the editor would be better then nothing.

[dakotah_jackson]

"the fact of the matter is that there are big signs in every Manhattan public playground area that prohibits adults from entering unless they are accompanied by children."

 

You New York types are a sick bunch.

[vverna83]

But it IS perfectly legal to stand outside the playground area with a 70-200 and take pictures

of the kids.... of course those probably wouldn't be very interesting pictures so I doubt a

serious photog would even bother.

[yankfan]

" prohibits adults from entering unless they are accompanied by children."

 

Remember when it was exactly the opposite?