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ACLU tangles with Philadelphia MTA over rail photography
Author: Graham Buxton
Date: 05-31-2011 - 19:31
This article is linked in tonight's Trainnews, but given the interest in the photography thread below, I am putting it in its own thread. Here is the first part of the article, follow the link below the quote to read the whole story.
Quote:Baltimore Sun
MTA warned: Let photographers shoot
ACLU tells agency police can't forbid taking pictures
Christopher Fussell likes to take pictures of trains and buses. The 29-year-old Oregonian has shot photos and video of transit systems all over the United States.
It wasn't until he came to Baltimore, he said Tuesday, that he was detained for committing photography.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland put the Maryland Transit Administration on notice Tuesday that it intends to file suit over the conduct of transit police in ordering Fussell and another photographer to stop taking pictures. The group warned that unless the agency meets a series of conditions by Sept. 1, it will take the MTA to court — where it expects to win.
"Photography is expressive activity that is protected by the First Amendment," said ACLU staff attorney David Rocah. "If you are legally present, you have a right to take photographs."
[www.baltimoresun.com]
ACLU tangles with Philadelphia MTA over rail photography