The video above is a video from a Discarted.com altercation with a private security guard over a photographer’s right to shoot in public. This video was taken as part of a National Photographers Rights rally in the Port of Long Beach, a place where both security guards and police frequently harass photographers shooting in public. After telling the photographers that they are not allowed to photograph the refinery, the security agent proceeds to tell them that she “doesn’t care about the law.”
Apparently after this altercation, the real cops (Long Beach Harbor Patrol) were dispatched to the scene over a “physical altercation” (with another video forthcoming soon).
This is just another example of routine security guard harassment that takes place frequently with regards to photographers.
In another somewhat related piece, I was pleased today to read that The City of Snohomish has settled for $8,000 with a photographer after their police department unlawfully detained her for taking photographs of power lines. I was especially pleased to see the ACLUs involvement in this case and think that they are becoming a more and more significant ally in the fight for photographer’s rights. It may be that only when more and more of these cities are hit where it counts, in their pocketbooks, that this sort of harassing behavior stops. Thanks, for heads up on this case Adam!