One James A. Speaker is a menace to the railroad photography community at large. He is known to most of the major railroads as a regular nuisance and trespasser. He can recite all the law enforcement agencies who have field interviewed him. The problem is nobody really wants to arrest him, and keep him, due to the expense. Often he is believed to be harmless, and excused on that basis. Rest assured he is NOT harmless. Why else does he repeatedly run into law enforcement, and continue to trespass on properties he has already been asked to leave from, numerous times. He even brags about the vandalism he has perpetrated on the railroads and their properties, in a lame effort to cozy up to other rail photographers.

His parents have since passed away, and they somewhat kept a very loose leash on him. But encounters with law enforcement by them, demonstrated that they too had "a bolt loose," and did not understand the potential threat Mr. Speaker presents to himself, the public and the railroads. But now Mr. Speaker is operating out of Santa Maria, where a brother in city government gets him a free pass. What he needs is institutionalized, regular, counseling and medications. Someone must take responsibility and keep an eye on him. Mr. Speaker is like many autistics, highly manipulative. Given the chance he will do exactly what he knows he should not do, just because he wants to. He is a good photographer, the the methods used to get certain photos are very questionable, like climbing high tension electrical towers. He should never have been granted a driver's license, and will even ask people, things like, "Do you get flipped off when you drive down the street or freeway?" The mayhem at the wheel is scary. He has wrecked numerous vehicles, and been in too many accidents. He is still loose because nobody takes responsibility for him, and locks him up.