 |
Re: ACLU tangles with Philadelphia MTA over rail photography
Author: Joe
Date: 06-01-2011 - 11:59
This whole thing is asinine. I just finished reading the article, and I also watched Part 1 of the video (I did not watch Part 2...it's boring).
Let me get this straight....
-The man was not arrested
-The man was touched
-He was uncooperative with the police
And now he has the ACLU trying to squeeze money out of the transit agency for his "suffering"? Give me a break. This is nothing more than a college student trying to be an activist. Yes, I know who Chris is. I thought he had more sense than this.
The first person to speak with him (the sergeant whom I think is a fare inspector and not a police officer) was quite nice, and laid things out for him quite clearly. He was told that transit policy states that if you want to photograph the trains, you have to get permission first. Chris did not have permission to take pictures. What is the issue here???
If he would have simply provided his ID, as well as explained that he is a rail and transit fan, and that he was taking pictures for his hobby, then this whole encounter would have been over with in 3 or 4 minutes---if that. This is exactly what I'm talking about when I see railfans acting irresponsibly. As the sergeant stated so correctly, "You're making a mountain out of a mole hill".
I am HAPPY that transit officials are keeping an eye on photographers. We do not know where the terrorists will hit next. However, we do have some ideas as to what their targets will be. This, of course, includes transit. What a stupid thing for Chris to do. I thought he was more mature than that. He is surrounded by liberalism every day by being a college student, and I'm sure that environment contributed to this. He'll probably do a school project on this incident and get an A from the pony-tailed, 60's throwback, hippie teacher who drives a Prius with Obama and "CoExist" bumper stickers.
SOMEBODY has to speak up and say what many people are privately thinking, but are afraid to come out and say due to it being "politically incorrect". Why didn't Chris show his ID, explain the railfan business, and then get on with his day?? WHY?? Answer: Because he *WANTED* to make a mountain out of molehill. It's blatantly obvious by how he handled this whole thing. I wonder how many minutes into this encounter did Chris start to see dollar signs and the ACLU? I wonder if he saw dollar signs and the ACLU *before* this incident? It sure seems like it to me.
Why didn't he heed what the sergeant was telling him, which is that the transit agency requires prior approval before photos are taken? The only real mistake I can see here on the officer's part is that they did not kick him off the property and tell him not to return or he would be arrested for trespassing. If someone does not want to play by the rules, and they are given ample opportunity to do so, then they need to be removed from the premises. It's just like any other establishment: "No shoes. No shirt. No service."
This disgusts me. He should be ashamed of himself. I hope, in the end, that he has to pay for the legal bills that the transit agency is going to incur as a result of this nonsense.
Let me get this straight....
-The man was not arrested
-The man was touched
-He was uncooperative with the police
And now he has the ACLU trying to squeeze money out of the transit agency for his "suffering"? Give me a break. This is nothing more than a college student trying to be an activist. Yes, I know who Chris is. I thought he had more sense than this.
The first person to speak with him (the sergeant whom I think is a fare inspector and not a police officer) was quite nice, and laid things out for him quite clearly. He was told that transit policy states that if you want to photograph the trains, you have to get permission first. Chris did not have permission to take pictures. What is the issue here???
If he would have simply provided his ID, as well as explained that he is a rail and transit fan, and that he was taking pictures for his hobby, then this whole encounter would have been over with in 3 or 4 minutes---if that. This is exactly what I'm talking about when I see railfans acting irresponsibly. As the sergeant stated so correctly, "You're making a mountain out of a mole hill".
I am HAPPY that transit officials are keeping an eye on photographers. We do not know where the terrorists will hit next. However, we do have some ideas as to what their targets will be. This, of course, includes transit. What a stupid thing for Chris to do. I thought he was more mature than that. He is surrounded by liberalism every day by being a college student, and I'm sure that environment contributed to this. He'll probably do a school project on this incident and get an A from the pony-tailed, 60's throwback, hippie teacher who drives a Prius with Obama and "CoExist" bumper stickers.
SOMEBODY has to speak up and say what many people are privately thinking, but are afraid to come out and say due to it being "politically incorrect". Why didn't Chris show his ID, explain the railfan business, and then get on with his day?? WHY?? Answer: Because he *WANTED* to make a mountain out of molehill. It's blatantly obvious by how he handled this whole thing. I wonder how many minutes into this encounter did Chris start to see dollar signs and the ACLU? I wonder if he saw dollar signs and the ACLU *before* this incident? It sure seems like it to me.
Why didn't he heed what the sergeant was telling him, which is that the transit agency requires prior approval before photos are taken? The only real mistake I can see here on the officer's part is that they did not kick him off the property and tell him not to return or he would be arrested for trespassing. If someone does not want to play by the rules, and they are given ample opportunity to do so, then they need to be removed from the premises. It's just like any other establishment: "No shoes. No shirt. No service."
This disgusts me. He should be ashamed of himself. I hope, in the end, that he has to pay for the legal bills that the transit agency is going to incur as a result of this nonsense.
