A photographer taking historically significant pictures of the Downtown Transportation Center in Las Vegas, was harassed and threatened by the goons who patrol the building. The building is going to be closed and demolished, therefore it is important that photographers are able to document its last days for historical reasons. Preventing photography of such sites constitutes preventing the recording of history and is unacceptable on that level alone.

Besides there is no posted sign that states that people cannot take pictures. The guards were rude and abusive. According to the photographer who tells the story in her blog:

Things got ugly. They demanded I erase, yes, erase, my photos. So I switched off my camera, showed them a blank screen and said they’re erased and they believed me. Next they told me I’m 86’d from the DTC, so now I’m trespassing. I showed them my bus ticket and said O.K., I’ll catch a bus. They said no buses for me anymore and I have to leave the property and they escorted me out. I pointed to across the street and asked if that’s their property. They said no, so I planted myself and took more photos. After 5 minutes I saw more gorillas coming my way, so I fled.

First of all – the guards LIED. The Downtown Transportation Center is NOT private property, it is owned by a government agency – the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. According to the RTC website:

Downtown Transportation Center
300 N. Casino Center Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV
The Downtown Transportation Center, owned and operated by the City of Las Vegas, is a key transit operation and transfer site with RTC routes, City of Las Vegas City Ride bus routes and taxi and shuttle services using its facilities. The DTC has been operating at its full capacity for a number of years with an average of 48 departures per hour and the number is expected to continually increase based on demand. RTC representatives are available at the DTC to answer your questions about routes and schedules, sell bus passes, and process applications for CAT reduced fare photo ID cards. The Customer Service Booth operates seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 6

Nowhere on the website did we find a prohibition on photography. Then adding insult to injury the goons chased the photographer even when she had left and was on the public sidewalk and then prevented her from boarding her bus to return home.

Thanks to Photography is not a Crime for the heads up on this story

One Response to “Security Goons at Las Vegas Transportation Center Join War Against Photographers”