Re: Photography and the Law

In article <3pr9241dqqr7ia6ftpet70eifaerrg7vh0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 Mike Ross <mike@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> Which apply (as the rules you posted pointed out) to "Every motorist and
> pedestrian using any facility under the jurisdiction and control of the
> Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority"
> 
> I reiterate that it's perfectly legal to photograph any bridges or
tunnels
> provided you do so from land that is NOT owned by the authority. If
you're not
> on their land, or 'using their facility' they have no power over you.

True. However you also snipped a statement from an NYPD spokesman saying 
that while photographing on the subway remains legal (it was never 
illegal), photographing the Triboro, Queensboro, or Manhattan bridges is 
"illegal". I have no idea whether there is any truth to this, but if it 
is NYPD policy it might as well be law as far as the hassle factor is 
concerned.

A friend of mine is documenting Newtown Creek. He regularly gets a free 
cup of coffee from various Queens police precinct houses when he is 
hauled in for taking pictures _of_ the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the 
Newtown Creek power plant, the Sunnyside rail yards, even the elevated N 
train. The fact that it is not necessarily illegal doesn't seem to 
matter in these days of "if you are taking pictures you must be a 
terrorist". He has yet to be charged and has a very convincing 
ACLU-inspired patter that is usually all he needs.

He has some pretty interesting HDR images of the area at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchwaxman/

> 
> >In fact I was arrested for one shot of the exterior of the building
with 
> >a digital p/s, requested to delete the photo, and released with no 
> >charges. The OCME has an extensive outdoors facility, in a tent and 
> >quite a few trailers, where the DNA testing of 9/11 remains is going
on. 
> 
> Where is this facility? Is it the place on 1st Ave., next to NYU?

Yes, the blue tile building on the corner of 1st Ave. and E 30th St. 
Spread out from there across E 30th to the oldest Bellevue buildings is 
the tent city. Between 1st and the FDR Drive access road are the stacked 
trailer/morgues and a new much bigger tent. There is a constant police 
presence and E 30th street is closed to traffic for the foreseeable 
future.

As long as mindless hysteria rules the actual letter of the law has very 
little meaning.