Pixiq

Glad things went well and you didn’t need bail money.
The Dude Dean recently posted..Enemy List

Have you guys heard about this poisoned seafood?

http://americaspeaksink.com/2010/08/bp-oil-spill-cancerous-crabs-poisone...

Nice wig Good to hear it went well. Now they should know the truth of the laws. We’ll see.

That banner is great: how do you
argue with that?

Wig photo: Just one soul patch away from Chris Gaines.
http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/img/brooks-garth-in-the-life-of-chris...

For those who participated and are in my photos. Click on Activate, and follow instructions. You’ll be able to download the photos.

Sorry, the link to the site is:

http://www.thecrespogramreport.com/

Nice work, Carlos! Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, from Margaret Mead:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Stretch recently posted..Ruled by Laws- Not by Men

I love the way you wear your cap. My wife reckons I look like an idiot when I do the same thing.

Now I know that’s how it’s supposed to be worn when you are out and about taking photos!

It was my pleasure to support you, Carlos! I hope this protest (if we can even call it that, it was so peaceful) will generate some good will.

And you really wear that wig quite well …
Maria recently posted..Ignorance Is Bliss- Especially When It Comes to Football

So why would anybody want to take pictures at this crappy station in the first place. Seems like a big waste of time.

P.S. Where can folks get that T-Shirt?
Porcupine Picayune recently posted..Too Many Officials Think Taking Photos Is A Crime Here’s Why They’re Wrong

I love the image of the 2 officers! One is smiling away.

Congrats. I think you should go back by yourself and see if the bother you then. They may just not have wanted the additional negative publicity of harassing everyone during the protest.

Poor Oscar. He’s trying to troll SO HARD.

To all of you for making this great statement out in public,

THANK YOU!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Great job guys. Wish I could have been there.

Wow 20 people, what a show of support. Looks like nobody cares nor should they.

Great job Carlos and everyone else. Since I don’t know anyone down there I was worried a troublemaker (I’m not referring to Joel Chandler) and ruin the whole thing for everyone.

a troublemaker *would show up* and ruin

Awww, c’mon Oscar! You must have something better than that! If you’re this dim, we’re gonna have to ask you to leave to make room for a smarter troll.

Carlos, are you aware that your page layout has gotten weird? When viewed with IE8, you have to scroll ‘way down to get to the stories now.

Thought you’d like to know Congrats on the protest.

Nemo,

No, I wasn’t aware. When did you first notice this?

Great job everyone! Though I wasn’t there in body, I’d like to think I was there in spirit. Hopefully, the tide is starting to turn in our fight against illegal harassment!

All I can say is, BRAVO!

Congratulations, Carlos and everyone! Victory is sweet, isn’t it?

Can you get rid of that super-tags widget? It messes the columns up and I’ve got half a page of blank space.

It had been like that a few days. I didn’t mention it because I thought it might be a glitch.

I see you have it fixed, though. Thanks, Carlos.

Guys,

First, congratulations on the protest. That Carlos got 20 people together on, what, 4 days’ notice, speaks to everyone’s character and dedication. A lot of potentially great ideas breathe their last breaths on internet message boards. You actually walked the walk.

Here’s the “but.” But only with trepidation would I characterize it as a rousing success. What was the goal? If the goal was to get 20 people together to take pictures of the miami-dade metrorail on sunday, then yes, it was definitely a success. But I think the goal is more than that. The goal is to help ensure that photographers’ rights are not trampled. It it is too early to tell if the protest helped. Did 50 state just clean up its act for the inspection? Or are they really going to more properly respect photographer’s rights? That is, as of yet, unknown.

As someone else stated, a first step would be for someone, maybe a few days from now, head over by themselves and try to take pictures. If they aren’t hassled, then you’ll have a better idea of how big of an impact you had.

How I see it:
* Knowing that 50 state is cognizant enough of this group to be prepared is a small success.
* That they allowed photographs is a little bigger success.
* If they allow photos from now on, it is a pretty significant success.
* If other organizations stop hassling photographers for fear of attracting PINAC’s attention, then you’ve got a rousing success.

Keep it up until you see evidence of that last one. You definitely qualify as a small group of dedicated individuals.

The fact they had extra security there for the protest and those guards were well briefed on what is actually allowed in the station then is it actually a change of culture? Maybe for the guards that were there that day, maybe it was just for the group on the day.

The REAL test is if a lone photog went to a different station that 50 State also worked at and was not harassed then the message is finally getting to the coal face.

Oscar Finch: i doubt you’re the cop/cop apologist that has been posting on here recently, because if you are, retroactively all of your prior comments (and future comments) are now suspect and not worth responding to anymore.

Trolling for trolling’s sake (and not even in an amusing way!) is the de facto standard of pretentiousness.

I sincerely hope that someone is just trying to screw with the real oscar finch. Yes, he’s an apologist, but he’s not trolling on purpose.

Photography is not a crime but taking bad photos should be.

The reaction was good. They will have it much harder next time they try to harass a photographer. You can point to this time and accuse them of discrimination, bytaking no action they have admitted that you are right.

I want that Photography is NOT a Crime t-shirt!!!

Those weren’t the regular guards. Where were all the black ones at? Was it “No Sassy Soul Sista Sunday”?

By having no black guards this time and having all black guards the other times, does look as though race discrimination ( on the part of the guards) was a definite possibility. Was this, in part, a case of hate whitey?

Hazza- we weren’t hassled at the next station, and I wasn’t hassled when I entered the MetroRail system at the transfer from Tri-Rail.

But yes, the real test is the test of time.
CLJ recently posted..The MetroRail Photo Protest

To those of you asking where you can buy one of those shirts, Jim Winters of Nikon Miami has them on sale here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270620057143

Sweet. Now, next week, everyone split up and photograph at as many different stations as possible at once.
Michaelk42 recently posted..Unsurprisingly- Pogan gets no real punishment

Now, you need to have unannounced test runs at least once a week ( at random times). Send one or two photographers, with cover teams, to varying stations to test the guards. Record and report. Take further action as needed.

I have the same thought as some of the other posters. I wonder what’s going to happen when a single photographer is there taking photos.

Maybe 50 State backed off from saying/doing anything because of the number of photographers there. Only time will tell.

Rail Car Fan

Where in—- the did you get that wig? Did you shoot it?

OK, can’t resist commenting on that wig:

“Hey, it’s Ringo!”

Johnny Law’s hypothetical response –

Hey well, uh, uh, well, we didn’t see ALL the pictures or ALLLLLL the videos. You guys are claiming a success and well, ummm, see here, uh, I will have to hold my judgment until I see what 50 state security did before and after you guys left. Maybe you guys threatened them with a gun or something. We just don’t know. We just can’t tell by these photos and video (which shows security in a bad light) if this was a success. Maybe something you did before the camera started rolling made the security act that way. Again you don’t know what happened by just looking at the video.

Carlos, great job. Sorry I live in PA, otherwise I would’ve been there.

I can’t believe my run-in with Eric Muntan at The Govt. Ctr. Metrorail station on May 16, 2009 and posting on the Subchat Message board, which you picked up on, would result in this protest.

Without your courage nothing would have changed. Keep up the fight!

This is insane, since when is photography a crime in the United States. Can anyone say, “Big Brother”…

I have this same problem with the San Juan Tren Urbano metro system. Is there anything I can do?

I always get harassed and after a long discussion about whether photographing rails makes me a terrorist and citing 9/11 as the reason for security, they let me take pictures. I would really like it if they would just stop harassing me just because I have a big camera. The guards even admitted that if I had a simple point-and-shoot they wouldn’t have stopped me.

It seems that a major source of this problem is what the guards are taught. It’s obvious that when they go to security school they are taught to harass photographers.

Hey JL, your photo on your blog looks like one of the actors on Adam 12. What gives?

You guys rock. I wish more photographers would be as bold as you and take a stand for their rights. So hard to organize people. We must not let them take our rights. My compliments to all of you who stood up for our freedom. Keep us informed as to any further problems.
Todd Maisel, NY Daily News, NY
R2 NPPA Chair, advocacy committee member

Thanks, security guard dudes who read the site, for being good sports, respecting the photographers, and even smiling for the camera! And thanks, photographers, for reminding them – and everyone – about that Constitutional right Excellent day!