NYC sued over right to shoot video, pictures in public

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org ^ | 1 13 06 | First Amendment Center Online

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[stainlessbanner]

Sharma said he felt stunned and scared ...... He said he felt ashamed and humiliated

sniff, sniff

[Sloth]

The ACLU is like a stopped clock, only less frequently.

[meandog]

I have to agree with the NYCLU...everyone should have the right to photograph in public. A camera, after all, is only an extension of the human eye. ( fellow libertarian )

[oceanview]

there is no constitutional protection to use a camera.

why can't I legally tap domestic cell phone calls them, after all, its just an extension of my ear. the listening device simply converts the sound waves present in the air at different frequencies, to a frequency I can listen to.

right?

[JTN]

Well, if the civil liberties union is agin' it, then I'm fur it!

Not really, but get ready for that kind of attitude.

[Brilliant]

The Constitutional right to take photos? Hmmm.... Well, I guess John Adams would have put it in there, if he'd known the camera would someday be invented, so it's only fair to say that it's in there, huh?

[BenLurkin]

Is it scenery or is it a target?

[Brilliant]

Not in the constitution, though. Probably the issue is this: Can the NY authorities find any law that was violated by photographing the building?

[JTN]

The Constitutional right to take photos? Hmmm.... Well, I guess John Adams would have put it in there, if he'd known the camera would someday be invented, so it's only fair to say that it's in there, huh?

We still see the phrase "freedom of the press" as applying to newspapers even though they no longer use old-fashioned printing presses. The First Amendment is interpreted as protecting a general freedom of expression, which is why the city will lose this case.

[Turbopilot]

What else should one expect from NYC and its "Republican" mayor? I'm actually not sure what's worse - that the government prevented this guy from filming in a public area, or that the government itself wants to be able to film every public area.

On second thought, I'm pretty sure the government filming is worse.

[ashtanga]

Well, I certainly mean no harm, but I'm a photographer who shoots in public because I have no interest in setting up still lifes or posing models in a controlled environment. My work is uplifting and hopeful, or so I think. I know that we have to balance the needs of the artist with the edicts of the State, but this is curious business.

[Blzbba]

"Can the NY authorities find any law that was violated by photographing the building?"


If they can't, rest assured that it'll magically appear in the next 'Patriot Act'.

[Sloth]

why can't I legally tap domestic cell phone calls them, after all, its just an extension of my ear. the listening device simply converts the sound waves present in the air at different frequencies, to a frequency I can listen to.

Well, it's electromagnetic waves, not sound -- but, yes, you should have the freedom to decode publicly emitted signals all you want, as well as taking pictures.

[fullchroma]

Good post and interesting web site. Once in a blue moon (pun intended) the ACLU is right it seems.

[hershey]

Those cameras the British govt. has on London street corners and in the Underground, etc. -- there's been talk of setting up a similar system here. Couldn't you sue and say the state or city was invading your privacy or whatever? Just a thought.

[vollmond]

... Sharma as a conscientious, law-abiding resident of Bombay, India ...

Don't you need a permit of some type to ply a trade as a visitor to the US?

[conservative in nyc]

Can the NY authorities find any law that was violated by photographing the building?

Yes. Commercial filmmaking (like what this guy was doing) requires a permit. The law is on the books so that movie, television and commercial makers don't disrupt neighborhood life by turning certain Manhattan neighborhoods into permanent movie sets.

Its New York City - the liberals who live here complain about EVERYTHING. My favorite are those who move to the city and then start complaining about traffic and construction noise.

[pgyanke]

Someone please tell me how a conscientious, law-abiding resident of Bombay, India could have his U.S. Constitutional rights violated...?!