Day 1 IMG_5722

Banned In Woodburn:

This is a bad photo posted for a reason. I was doing some street

photography in Woodburn Oregon this evening. The store owner

comes out and kicks me off telling me that "I could not photograph

PRIVATE property". I left before he called the cops. Considering all

the crud that is happening here (Drugs, gangs, domestic violence,

the cartels) this is a dangerous place after dark.

I am posting this because I have a right to under UNITED STATES

law.

You said it yourself:

Many cities are dangerous places after dark. And so, whether it makes perfect sense or not, people are afraid and often wary of others. Who knows what reason he had for being so hostile toward you or for being suspicious and not wanting you to photograph his place? With the prevalence of cameras these days, and the increasingly intrusive government due to supposed terrorist threats, many people react strongly to try to assert what little privacy they have left. It helps to understand that. Depending on the circumstances, you may well have been within your legal rights to photograph. But legality doesn't always do the trick when relating to others. Sometimes we need to go one step beyond in helping to create a society or respond to our neighbors where we each respect each other and yet maintain the liberty to do what we want. It's always a compromise and claims of legality will simply not always work in practical fact.