Photographer vs. Building Security Stupidity
If you think that photographer harassment by private companies only happens in Silver Spring, think again.
Bill Adler was harassed yesterday when photographing a building in Chinatown. As Bill tells it:
[W]hen I stopped to take a photograph of a building on 7th Street, NW between Eye and K Streets. Two security guards emerged and one asked me what I was doing. I responded that I was taking photographs. The dialog then went this way:
Guard: “You can’t take photographs of this building.”
Me: “Yes, I can. There’s no law against it.”
Guard: “This is a Federal building and no photography is allowed.”
Better yet, Bill went back to the building with the now-famous Chip Py and took more photographs.
Now that’s the way to stand up to The Man.
Yeah, I’ve had that happen too. I know they are just doing their jobs but they don’t HAVE to be the cogs they are in the machine of bureaucracy.
If they are not careful, these security rent-a-cops will become cogs in the blog!
Not too sure where this security issue is going, but you really should read this article on issuing permits in NY to photographers…
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/nyregion/29camera.html?ei=5090&en=71135caff6fefe6a&ex=1340769600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print