Rights: 1, Jackbooted Thugs: 0

[Mephisto]

Oh, and Gravy, keep in mind, in cases like this the best resolution can often be obtained by going, not to the legal system, but to the media.

I agree, and would add that it's your duty to go to the media first, otherwise you'll be slammed around before you're discredited.

 

[Amapola]

Good for you, Gravy! That's terrific, and you told your story very well.

Yes, there are some real benefits to going to the press or other media. After all, it is your duty as a citizen to warn others that they are not allowed to take pictures!

 

[mumblethrax]

If you go to the press with this, I will punch you in the face.

 

[shemp]

Anyone taking a picture of this thread will be punched in the face.

 

[H3LL]

Anyone taking a punch at this thread will get a picture in the face.

.

 

[headscratcher4]

An important lesson: If you let people take pictures on the street, the terrorist win.

I think you should have taken the punch, you could have retired on the money you'd have gotten from the Security company, not to mention the bank. What's a little broken nose and blood compared to a lifetime free of work?

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Darat, revealing the contents of certain sections of the PATRIOT ACT (including those which you mentioned) is punishable under certain other sections of said act. Under the reciprocal (ha!) arrangements between the UK and the US, please report to Thames House for "re-education".

Or the King & Queen Pub on Foley Street, if that is more convienient.

 

[BPSCG]

Lawyers, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't assault defined as the credible threat of violence? Gravy may have a cause of action even without getting his teeth knocked out.

 

[gnome]

Something very similar to this happened to a friend of mine at a Dragon Con in Atlanta, in 2002. He is an amateur photographer and had a tripod ready taking a photo of the building, and a security guard came over to stop him.

Guard: "You can't take pictures here."
Friend: "Why not?"
Guard: "I think you know."
Friend: "Really, I don't."
Guard (sinister voice): "Terrorists"

I think something about a camera tripod really makes security guards edgy.

 

[headscratcher4]

Lawyers, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't assault defined as the credible threat of violence? Gravy may have a cause of action even without getting his teeth knocked out.

You are exactly correct. If Gravy was placed in fear of physical and/or mental violence by the actions of this individual, a civil, and possibly criminal assault has occured. He certainly would have a case against the security gaurd and his employers. It is just that if he'd let him hit him, he'd probably be able to retire...an assault might only get him a good vacaction.

 

[Amapola]

.....and it would have sounded especially good (to a jury) if he had hit the button to turn the camera OFF..... and then gotten hit.......

 

[shemp]

By the way, where can I buy a nice pair of jackboots?

 

[jj]

You are exactly correct. If Gravy was placed in fear of physical and/or mental violence by the actions of this individual, a civil, and possibly criminal assault has occured. He certainly would have a case against the security gaurd and his employers. It is just that if he'd let him hit him, he'd probably be able to retire...an assault might only get him a good vacaction.

Well, personally, I'd be more in favor of sending the twirp to jail. Lawsuits take time, the state prosecutes the criminal case, if they bother.

 

[bjb]

Congratulations for standing up to the man! Speaking from experience, you do have a very, very good case for a charge of making a terroristic threat. A friend once recieved a treatening message that her ex-husband had stupidly left on her voicemail. I managed to transfer the message to a cassete tape, which was then used in court to obtain a restraining order. After hearing the tape, the restraining order judge gave it to the district attorney, who used it as evidence for a charge of making a terroristic threat. Eventually, he was convicted of a lesser charge but this guy had hoped to become a police officer, which can't happen now that he has this conviction.

If you take the time to file charges, very, very bad things will happen to this security guard. Tell them you're a professional photographer and you are afraid of running into this guy again. At the very least, the guard will be taken in and questioned charged. You could also file a nuisance lawsuit against the bank, security company, etc. since you have such outstanding evidence. Believe me, when people hear threats and profanity played back in court, right in front of the accused, it makes a big impression!

 

[Gravy]

I guess I wouldn't recommend taking a picture inside the street construction, but everywhere else is fair game

I did, several of them. I think anything in public is fair game. (The construction workers did shout in unison, "We will punch you in the face!" but they couldn't get out of the hole.)

I agree about those earlier security guards: they looked like they'd been kicked out of the military because they were too tough. I've used the atrium of that building several times for tour guide training classes, and yeah, it can get skanky, not to mention the "secret" restroom.

Thanks for all your encouragements. Rest assured that I will continue to almost get punched, arrested and sued for the cause of freedom!

As for giving this issue wider exposure or taking legal action, I certainly reserve my right to do that. But I don't condemn an organization because one of its employees had a bad day. It's easy to remove a bad apple, do some retraining and change a policy, and that's what I'd like to see happen. It would be different if I thought this was a widespread problem, but as I said I haven't encountered it elsewhere. That said, I'm not averse to making "Them" sweat a bit. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to return the message I just got.

 

[Gravy]

By the way, where can I buy a nice pair of jackboots?

I don't know, but $200 will get you two Zombie Nazis in Jackboots, and what could be better than that? http://www.bigredhair.com/depot/zombies/index.html

 

[shemp]

I don't know, but $200 will get you two Zombie Nazis in Jackboots, and what could be better than that? http://www.bigredhair.com/depot/zombies/index.html

Obviously, you didn't read the offer fully. I can get two for $175! Such a deal!

 

[kevin]

somebody linked to this from another message thread and I thought I would add a link to a nice summary of where you can or can't take pictures. Pretty much everything from a public space is good. Police (not security guards) can ask you to move if you're impeding police work or endangering saftey, but one you move to an appropriate place you can take pictures.

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/06/23/photographers_bust_c.html

Also lately some security guards will inform you that the building is copyrighted architectural work and you can't take pictures. Note that this may be the case, but it doesn't preclude you from taking pictures it just may limit what you can do with the pictures.

Some may find this case from WB getting sued over their use of a building in Batman Forever interesting:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&case=/data2/circs/9th/9856310.html

 

[Polaris]

Something very similar to this happened to a friend of mine at a Dragon Con in Atlanta, in 2002. He is an amateur photographer and had a tripod ready taking a photo of the building, and a security guard came over to stop him.

Guard: "You can't take pictures here."
Friend: "Why not?"
Guard: "I think you know."
Friend: "Really, I don't."
Guard (sinister voice): "Terrorists"

I think something about a camera tripod really makes security guards edgy.

Only if they're not well-trained. Any company I've worked for just tells us to say "no comment" if they try to interview us. The problems come when there are "no pictures" policies inside the buildings and we catch employees taking photos of things. When I was in Beaumont, TX following Hurricane Rita we allowed the press in to interview people at the ER - all we did was not talk to the press, and made them move if they were blocking ambulance traffic. Gravy, you just had an encounter with a couple of he-man idiots who make the rest of us look like boobs. Security attracts morons like that, unfortunately.

 

[Polaris]

Congratulations for standing up to the man! Speaking from experience, you do have a very, very good case for a charge of making a terroristic threat. A friend once recieved a treatening message that her ex-husband had stupidly left on her voicemail. I managed to transfer the message to a cassete tape, which was then used in court to obtain a restraining order. After hearing the tape, the restraining order judge gave it to the district attorney, who used it as evidence for a charge of making a terroristic threat. Eventually, he was convicted of a lesser charge but this guy had hoped to become a police officer, which can't happen now that he has this conviction.

If you take the time to file charges, very, very bad things will happen to this security guard. Tell them you're a professional photographer and you are afraid of running into this guy again. At the very least, the guard will be taken in and questioned charged. You could also file a nuisance lawsuit against the bank, security company, etc. since you have such outstanding evidence. Believe me, when people hear threats and profanity played back in court, right in front of the accused, it makes a big impression!

You bet - I can assure you, security guards are walking on eggshells all the time - it's the easiest thing in the world to get fired from a security gig (not a lot of job security in the security field, hyuk).