Trainspotters - The New Enemy

a special award should go to the muppet of a security guard at kings x who told me to put my camera away because cameras were not allowed. i was looking at the photographs id taken earlier not even in the station. and lets not forget the moron security guard at the london eye who tried to stop me taking photographs there although i was even stood on public land. and what about the police who tried to stop me taking pictures of st pauls because i was acting suspiciously. that is, i was taking them at night when there was no-one around. now the city of london photography regs say you shouldnt cause an obstruction so i thought i'd take them outside the rush hour. now i just take them when people are everywhere and the police never bother me even though i'm blocking the pavement in the process.

Call me paranoid, but a Big Hit is coming soon.

New York City Sued Over Filmmaker's Right To Photograph

By Donald R. Winslow

(January 12, 2006) – A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, in Manhattan claims that New York City’s requirement to have a permit to film in public is unconstitutional, and it seeks a court order against the law’s enforcement. The New York Civil Liberties Union, along with the New York University Law School Civil Rights Clinic, filed the federal suit Tuesday on behalf of an Indian filmmaker, Rakesh Sharma, against the City of New York and the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, Katherine Oliver; a police detective, Daniel D’Alessandro; and five unidentified police officers.

Sharma, of Mumbai, India, a well-known independent filmmaker, came to New York City in May 2005 to shoot a film about the lives of everyday people, including cab drivers, in the post-9/11 world, NYCLU said in a press release. The suit says that after Sharma lawfully filmed various midtown scenes with a handheld video camera while standing on city sidewalks, he was detained by New York Police Department officers, held and interrogated for several hours, searched, and told before he was released that he needed to have a permit for any future filming.

The NYCLU says that Sharma returned to Manhattan in November 2005 and applied for a permit to film so that he would not be harassed again. His request for a permit was denied, and the film office refused to provide him with a written explanation of their denial. Applicants are also required to have $1 million of insurance to receive a permit.

In a statement from the NYCLU, executive director Donna Lieberman said, “In a democracy, people have the right to document activity in public places without being arrested. When the city tried to stop people from taking pictures in the subway, we objected and the city backed down. In the same way, we are challenging the city's arbitrary film permitting scheme, which exposes legitimate filmmakers to risk of arrest for taking pictures on the streets of New York."

The National Press Photographers Association was one of several press organizations that successfully opposed the city’s 2005 attempt to ban photography in the subway system, and opposes any restrictions upon photography in public places. NPPA also recently took formal steps to oppose a proposed ban of photography on New Jersey public transportation and its property by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, which withdrew the proposed ban in early January after it received “an unusual number of public comments” and complaints about the proposed rule.”

Chris Dunn, a professor at the New York University Civil Rights Clinic, is the associate legal director for NYCLU. Dunn said in their statement, “The police can and should investigate suspicious activity, but that does not give them license to arrest people for public photography."

Sharma is a critically acclaimed international filmmaker whose most recent film, “Final Solution,” documents politics in India by studying violence in Gujarat. An earlier film, “Aftershocks – A Rough Guide to Democracy,” tells the story of two small Indian villages that fought a government-controlled company that sought to profit from their destruction by an earthquake. Sharma’s suit against New York City says that the filmmaker makes documentaries, films that “use candid footage of peoples, places, and events. He does not use actors, sets, or a crew in his films, and often uses a small, handheld video camera to film.”

On May 13, 2005, Sharma was photographing taxi cabs emerging from the Park Avenue South Underpass near 39th Street and Park Avenue, and had been doing so for about half an hour, the suit says, and he saw no notices prohibiting filming in the area. He had seen tourists shooting footage in the same area on the previous afternoon, as well as at the same time he was filming. He then started walking toward Times Square, continuing to film images of the city when he was approached by a New York City police officer in plain clothes who flashed a badge and asked Sharma to identify himself.

The suit says Sharma did not hesitate to comply with the officer's request, immediately handing over his passport, and explained that he was a visiting filmmaker. After a few questions the officer, still keeping Sharma’s passport, instructed him to follow him to the corner of 39th Street and Park Avenue, which Sharma did. Other officers were summoned to their location and after several minutes Sharma was told that they thought it was suspicious that he was filming a “sensitive building” (the MetLife building) and that he would need to be investigated further.

As the officers questioned Sharma and searched his shoulder bag one of the officers, according to the lawsuit, charged Sharma and shoved him in the chest when Sharma tried to turn on his video camera to show the first officer his footage, believing that showing the police officer the footage might put him more at ease about what he had been photographing. The suit says that after charging and shoving Sharma, the officer grabbed and retained the video camera and said words, to the effect, “we known how to deal with you guys, asshole,” and told Sharma he was authorized to “punch him if necessary.” The suit says Sharma was stunned and scared and feared for his physical safety.

For two hours police held Sharma at the corner, and he was told he was not allowed to move while police retained his camera and passport. The suit says Sharma was denied permission to make a phone call, and after two hours an NYPD sergeant arrived and questioned Sharma. Detective D’Alessandro arrived along with an unidentified detective and they questioned Sharma further before taking the filmmaker to the 17th Precinct office. In the car, the suit says, Sharma told the detectives about what had happened and that he had been shoved and called an “asshole” by the officer. The suit says that detective D’Alessandro apologized for the event and said words to the effect that “we have some young detectives who have not had adequate time for training.”

The suit says that at the precinct, the detectives allowed Sharma to use a computer to search the Internet for his name in order to verify his identity. The search revealed many Web pages that mentioned him and the detectives were “seemingly satisfied that Mr. Sharma was who he claimed to be,” and they returned his passport but retained his camera. They said it was necessary to show their supervisor the footage.

Finally, several hours later, detectives returned Sharma’s camera and apologized to him for the conduct of their colleague and for having detained Sharma for so long, the suit says, and he was released without being charged with any offense. When his camera was returned, Sharma says the LCD screen flap was scratched and the display window was cracked, which had not been the case when he was using the camera earlier in the day. Sharma says he did not film in New York City in the following days because he was afraid police would harass him again, and cancelled appointments he had made for additional shooting.

In the preliminary statement at the top of the federal suit, the claim says, “This is a civil rights action to vindicate the right of law-abiding members of the public to engage in filmmaking and photography in public places in New York City. The plaintiff Rakesh Sharma is an independent documentary filmmaker who in May 2005 was detained for several hours, searched, and harassed by members of the New York City Police Department for doing nothing more than filming on a public sidewalk in midtown Manhattan… The defendants have violated Mr. Sharma’s rights under the First and Fourth Amendments of the United States Constitution and his rights under New York State law. Mr. Sharma would like to resume filming in New York City but is afraid to do so because he fears further police detention and harassment, particularly since he is unable to obtain a permit.”

Railroad rescinds ban on photos from Metra platforms

By Virginia Groark
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 28, 2006, 5:43 PM CDT

Faced with opposition from railroad enthusiasts, the Union Pacific Railroad announced today it would once again allow people to take pictures from Metra station platforms on the Chicago-area routes it operates.

A month ago, the Union Pacific, which operates commuter trains under contract with Metra, decided to ban photography from platforms on Metra's UP North line to Kenosha, Northwest line to Harvard and West line to Elburn. The railroad cited passenger security as the reason for the ban.

But the decision generated complaints from railroad enthusiasts, who contacted the American Civil Liberties Union.

Today, the Union Pacific announced it was clarifying its policy and would allow pictures taken from the Metra platforms, though it reserved the right to question photographers. On UP property itself, however, photography will only be allowed with the prior consent of the railroad.

If railroad officials spot people taking pictures of railroad operations on public property, the employee may stop and question the photographer if he or she thinks the activity is suspicious, the railroad stated.

Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis has said the photography ban was imposed for the safety and security of passengers. A similar ban has been in place at Ogilvie Transportation Center since the days following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, he said.

Rail enthusiasts, though, argued that banning photography from Metra platforms was a violation of their 1st Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060828photoban,0,850755.story

GUIDELINES FOR RAIL ENTHUSIASTS
Advice for Rail Enthusiasts visiting stations on the National Rail network
Introduction
All Britain's Train Operating Companies and Network Rail welcome rail enthusiasts to their stations. The following guidelines are designed to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable experience in the pursuit of your interest.

Before you enter the platform
At major stations please inform the Duty Station Manager of your presence. This will ensure that station staff are aware that you are on the station and they can go about their duties without concern as to your reasons for being there. At smaller stations you should ensure that you advise a member of the station staff of your activities.

You may require a platform ticket to allow access to platforms.

On the station platform
You should ensure you act safely and sensibly at all times. Please remember the following:

Stay clear of the platform edge and behind the yellow lines where they are provided for safety reasons.
Do not trespass onto any area of the railway that is not available to passengers.
Do not climb on any structure or interfere with platform equipment.
Ensure that you do not obstruct any signalling equipment or signs which are vital to the safe running of the railways.
Avoid wearing anything which is similar in colour to safety clothing, such as high -visibility jackets, as this could cause confusion to drivers or other railway employees.
Avoid congregating at busy areas of the platform (e.g. customer information points, departure screens, waiting areas, seating etc.) or where this may interfere with the duties of station staff.
Be aware of your surroundings. We also kindly ask you take note of any unusual behaviour and activities and report anything suspicious to a member of staff or for more serious incidents, to the British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, dial 999. Your presence at the station can be very helpful to us as extra "eyes and ears" and can be a positive security benefit.
Photography
Taking photographs on stations is permitted providing it is for personal use. For any commercial photography, prior permission must be sought from the appropriate train operator or, from Network Rail at their 17 major stations. On busy stations the use of a tripod may cause a dangerous obstruction to passengers and you may be asked not to use one. In addition, tripod legs must also be kept away from platform edges and behind the yellow lines. Flash photography on platforms is not allowed as it may distract the attention of train drivers and train despatch staff and is therefore a potential safety hazard. You are also not allowed to take photographs of security related equipment such as CCTV cameras.

Railway Byelaws
To ensure ease of travel and safety on the railway system (which includes passengers, staff, property and equipment), the Byelaws must be observed by everyone. A copy of the Byelaws can be obtained at most staffed stations and is downloadable from the SRA website.

General
A key priority for Train Operators is to ensure the safety of their passengers and staff. You may very occasionally be asked by station staff to move to another part of the station or to leave the station altogether. Station staff should be happy to explain why this is necessary and if you are travelling on by train they may advise you to remain in the normal waiting areas with other passengers. If this occurs, please do so with goodwill as staff have many things to consider including the safety and security of all passengers and are authorised to use judgement in this regard.

Thank you for reading and complying with these guidelines. We hope you find this information useful when you next visit a station.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/guidelines_for_rail_enthusiasts.htm

It seems that all parties are either ignoring or scared to face the problem if illegal immigration
in the United Kingdom. While most of undocumented immigrants are hiding and living in misery, J Reid and
L. Burn are pretending to be in control of the situation. This inertia is will only benefit scrupulous employers

So far we have been listening only to right wing parties and think tanks. That's the reason why I decided to
launch the survey at http://www.skillipedia.com to hear opinions from normal people. Once we get enough coverage
from the press we will be able to relay the result of the survey to the Home Office

You opinion is much appreciated

... BUTWEHAVETOPREVENTTERRORISMATALLCOSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At the New Labour 2006 Conference in M/cr waiting for ex pres. Clintonan to appear the tedium was boken by the arrival of a white van, a group of black clad, uniformed, bullet proof vested, curiously soft capped, snipers disembarked with a pile of gun cases and paraphernalia, with much comical self conscious gesticulating and barking of orders as the small crowd watched.

I happily snapped away with my dinky digital.

A young, and really very attractive WPC said I shouldn't photograph them, and I politely explained that as a citizen I could take pictures all day long on the public highway, and anything I could see from it. Rooftop gents surveyed the scene through high powered bins.

Realising I wasn't going to stop she sauntered off. Minutes later Clintonans convoy screeched past so fast I couldn't get a shot.(Photographic)

I wasn't wearing a navy blue anorak with an orange quilted lining.Does that count ?

There's a strange anomaly here. Our authorities are the most surveillance-happy on the planet, but they don't want us to photograph anything. I suggest that anyone approached for holding a camera points out that the whole scene is most probably being filmed already, so the objection hinges on who is doing it, which is rather a different argument.

Given that mobile phones can already take quite decent pictures, I imagine it will soon be beyond the ability of A.Jobsworth to keep track of who is photographing whom, so perhaps it is time for him to come to terms with the principle of ganders and sauce...

This discussion reminds me of 1967 hitch-hik ing around Yugoslavia. the camera stayed firmly in the rucksac near port installations.! , and I regret those days when roamers never felt, and were, so safe.

back to 2006, the digital camera and the mobile that does photies are important weapons for us ti fight back against the sSecurity State.

"Muppets" are always good for a laugh, but this new technology can work for us, and will.

The Iranian-american student who got tazered ,repeatedly,in that uni library, the whole world knows about it now....?

Being chronically slow to decide, am not yet equipped, but will be soon. A few demos on the horizon here in la belle france ....

Slightly tangential, but this reminds me of another paradox. We are constantly being told that HMG can be trusted to keep medical, police and ID records safe, and yet the Met. have just had half their payroll records lifted from a stolen laptop! I know this belonged to a subcontractor, but presumably they were chosen carefully*, and the result is that the police's own records about themselves have gone AWOL!

Given the ever-increasing storage capacities of small computers, it is perfectly feasible that the entire national database could be fitted onto a single laptop (and will, indeed, have to be for ports of entry, if only as a backup), so how long before that finds its way into the wrong hands..?

*as opposed to just price, which would have been really silly. Wouldn't it?