Blogger/Journalist Attacked by Security Guards

As longtime readers of my blog know, photographer's rights are one of the things I am most passionate about, and few people have done more to defend the legal rights of photographers than Carlos Miller, who runs the excellent blog Photography Is Not A Crime. 

The day before this post, Miller was beaten and attacked by private security guards while waiting for a train with his friend to take him home, and it was all captured on video. The incident begun with a security guard telling Miller he could not film the tracks of the Metro station while he was waiting for a train, a complete lie. Not only is the station a public place, owned by the city, why would it be illegal to film railroad tracks???

Below is video of the incident, and if it had not been filmed, it would have been Miller's word against 50 State security, against whom Miller already has a pending lawsuit for past altercations, stemming from his defense of his legal right to film in the station.

The video is not long; jump to the :50 mark to watch the interaction with security guards who can only be described as thugs. If ever there were grounds for a lawsuit and criminal charges, this video is it. See Carlos Miller's full post about this incident HERE.

This, my friends, is why it is so important to not only know your rights, but be willing to stand up for them, and to record interactions with authority. I support the ACLU, who work tirelessly to defend the rights of artists, teachers and photographers, and I urge you to do the same.

The National Press Photographers Association is another group that defends photographers by  sending letters to police departments that have abused photographers to remind them (believe it or not) what the law is.

LINKS

• Photography Is Not A Crime - Carlos Miller's excellent blog that chronicles the threats photographers face 

• The ACLU - Defending our rights and civil liberties, which are under more assault than ever before

• The National Press Photographer's Association - Protecting the profession and integrity of photographers