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Carlos Miller reports on a story originally posted on the Photo Forum whereby a student photographer was ordered to delete pictures he took of police making an arrest.

According to the student:

One of the police officers walked over and told, “you can keep taking pictures but these guys don’t seem to like that your taking pictures of them”. So I walk down the sidewalk a bit and take some shots of the squad cars and proceed down the block.

I then come across a girl in the back of a squad car parked on the side of the road with the female officer doing something or other on her laptop. I walk by, stop and take two shots of the squad car, showing the person in back. … The officer asks me what I am doing. I respond, “taking pictures of night life in Whitewater”. She then tells me that I have to delete the pictures of the girl she arrested. I said ok. Then she asked to see that I deleted it. At this point she didnt give me time to delete them so i was like, “Ya I will delete them in front of you” and i reached my head and camera into the car(neck strap around my head) and deleted the first one. Then she said “give me your camera” I replied, “are you confiscating it?” she said no I said i’ll show they are deleted, then she was obviously getting irritated, she said “I’ll give it right back”. Not wanting further trouble and not knowing my photographer rights I gave in. She scrolled through my photo’s and deleted a handful of photo’s including some from the first “crime scene”.

Then I started asking questions. She said I can take pictures of people being arrested unless they say they(victim being arrested) do not want a picture taken, in witch case the officer may or may not come delete my photo.

The officers counted on the student’s ignorance of his rights and illegally intimidated and coerced him into giving up those rights by the forcible seizure of his property. The actions of the police were inexcusable and we hope the student files a lawsuit.

Although this isn’t a photo rights issue many of our readers are concerned about the recent developments in and around the Coney Island area so we thought we should pass this along:

WHEN: March 3rd, Tuesday, 6:30 PM
WHERE: Lincoln High School
ADDRESS: 2800 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 112

Community Board 13 will hold a public hearing on the city rezoning plan. It’s expected to be as lively and contentious as the June 24 scoping session at Lincoln, where testimony went on till 10pm and was documented by film-makers.

An email received from Save Coney Island says:

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND:
Save Coney Island encourages all Coney Island Lovers to attend this Community Board Hearing or submit your written testimony (address below) to convince the Community Board to oppose the City’s inadequate plan.

The Community Board hearing is an important event in the rezoning process because the City places a lot of importance on the vote of the Community Board. The City has presented their plan for the rezoning of Coney Island (to review this plan Click Here). This rezoning will determine how Coney Island is redeveloped. Save Coney Island is opposed to the proposed plan because it:

1) Reduces the area reserved for amusements to a narrow 9-acre strip. “We are concerned that the proposed area set aside for open-air amusements is of insufficient size and that as a result this revitalization effort will not be successful,” the Municipal Art Society warned. A New York Times editorial called it “an area that is simply too small to attract enough rides and attractions to bring back the big crowds.”

2) Allows high-rise towers of up to 30 stories in the core amusement district. The N.Y. Times editorial warned: “The hotels could too easily become a wall, blocking public access to the sideshows and the rides, the boardwalk and the ocean. The hotels also squeeze the outdoor rides into a narrow strip”

3) Tempts developers to tear down historic Coney Island landmarks. The lots containing Nathan’s and other historic structures along Surf Avenue would be rezoned to allow for high-rise towers.

4) Clears the way for chain retail and other generic commercial uses. Allowing large formula restaurants and chain retail establishments into the amusement district’s core would take land away from amusement uses and erode Coney Island’s unique character.

The ULURP (to learn more about ULURP process–http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/luproc/ulpro.shtmll) process to instill this inadequate plan is under way. The 2nd step in the process is the Community Board Hearing. Please attend this meeting and urge the Community Board to:

1) Expand the acreage allotted to outdoor amusements. Nine acres is not enough. Land that is not specifically zoned for amusements will be lost to amusements forever.

2) Keep high-rise towers out of Coney East. Hotel towers and other high rises belong north of Surf Avenue and west of Keyspan Park, not in the heart of the amusement district.

3) Provide safeguards against the displacement of small businesses and local entrepreneurs by chain operations. The rezoning should include a greater mix of maximum footprints to encourage a more diverse and desirable mix of businesses, and it should incorporate formula business restrictions (http://www.newrules.org/retail/formula.html).

If you would like to speak at the hearing please call Community Board 13 at 718-266-3003 to reserve your time to speak. Speakers are allowed 2-3 minutes to give their testimony.

You can also submit your written testimony by writing a letter to:

Community Board 13
1201 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11224
Originally posted at 10:05PM, 21 February 2009 EST ( permalink )
me-myself-i edited this topic 54 minutes ago.

Story Here
Security guards had the unmitigated gall to try and force a photographer to stop taking pictures from public property.

A transcript of the exchange includes the following:

photographer: “You’re saying it’s not allowed for me to take pictures here?”
security: “what I am telling you is we have a strict policy, and you can be courteous enough with us. I’m not trying to be mean to you or anything like that. I’m just trying to inform you so you can follow through with us.”
photographer: “I understand that your company wants that, but I think my civil rights are important too.”
security: “You got your civil rights, that absolutely correct.”
photographer: “I’m going to stand up for my civil rights.”
security: “and you have the right to, but um, as being private property too they also have a right…”
[photographer] pan down and point at the brass line that denotes the property line, I’m on the public sidewalk, he’s on his property.
photographer: “wait wait, this is…”

During the exchange the security guard invoked 9/11 as the reason for banning photography but what is absolutely amazing when confronted with the fact that other people were taking pictures with point and shoot cameras he then said that only pro cameras with detachable lenses were banned.
NOW we are getting to the real reason. The building’s managers do not want to be the only ones to produce and sell professional pictures that include their building in the background. Well the fact remains that they have NO RIGHT to control what anyone does from public property — NO RIGHT at all!

from our usual reporting on photography issues to comment on the problems facing the illustrious Governor of the State of New York.  Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy – especially since he was ruthless in his prosecution of prostitution rings when he was Attorney General…

Eliot – this song is for you: