May 23, 2005
No Subway Photo Ban!
After almost a year of bloggers (photo and non) worrying and snickering, plus at least two protests, the MTA and NYPD have finally decided that a subway photo ban is unneccessary! Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne says, "We are not pressing for a ban. Our officers will continue to investigate, and intercede if necessary, if the activity - photo-related or not - is suspicious," he said. The Daily News had a nice summary of how the possibility of a photo ban got started:
- Some Iranian (read, "suspicious!") intelligence agents had been taking pictures in the subways, freaking out the NYPD.Yes, there is no photo ban, but we do have raised Metrocard fares. And the Daily News points out that cameraphones have been critical in subway justice. Now, let's see if transit cops really know that the ban is not happening.
- The Transit Authority floated the idea after an NYPD Transit Bureau request.
- The NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg wondered if the ban would work, and how would it work with those camera-happy tourists.
- Photographers and civil libertarians got involved, mobilizing the masses.
Gothamist on the history of taking pictures in the subway. And join the NYC Subway group on Flickr.
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The ban might be officially out. But many cops don't like photographers and will try and enforce a ban regardless.
Bring along a copy of 'photographers' rights' available from Bert Krages' website
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm
with you at all times. Might not hurt to clip the Daily News article from the paper and bring that with you as well. Couldn't hurt.
www.forgotten-ny.com
ha...no foto ban.....right. I tried to shoot some stuff at the Coney Island stop a few months back and got my ass handed to me by a MTA employee [whom I ignored] and then by the cop which he got. Cops are dicks...end of story.
I'm grateful to hear this. Small steps in the pursuit of liberty (and an occasional win) build awareness and stamina.
Kevin, are you saying that people might actually get hassled for taking pictures of MTA property? Gee, who'da thunk it? I got into a little bit of a tussle with someone on the forums who insisted there are no limitations and he could take pictures anywhere he wants, including at the tunnels where signs say otherwise.
It's public propery, and I pay for it, so I'll take pictures where ever I damn well please, including bridges and tunnels.
We're becoming a society where only those "in charge" can watch us, but we can't watch them.
Just wondering, are we too hip to be worrying about Iranian intelligence agents photographing heavily populated infrastructure? Because that scares the shit out of me.
Yeah the ban was dumb but don't kid yourself, a lot of bad people still very much want to kill us in quantity.
today -- oct 2, 2006 my mom, a tourist from pittsburgh was yelled at by an MTA custmer service rep for taking a picture. what's up with that. there still isn't a ban, right?