July 27, 2007
Fighting For the Right to Photograph
Last month Reverend Billy was locked up for reciting the First Amendment in Union Square. Tonight he returns with a troupe of others to speak out against the outrageous new law that would limit public photography and filming in New York.
Currently there are 2,285,188 photos tagged "New York" on Flickr, and that's just one photo sharing site, imagine if the number stopped there and we lost future images of the city. A new group has sprung up called Picture New York, and they ask you to do just what their name suggests:
"Picture New York WITHOUT pictures of New York. The most photographed city in the world is about to be shut down visually by proposed regulations which would basically make it illegal to film or tape in NYC without a permit and a million dollars of insurance.An overnight, massive grassroots fight against these proposed regulations has sprung up under the name 'Picture New York.' Fighting back with YouTube videos, petitions, handwritten letters, a website, Flickr space and a rally and press conference this Friday in Union Square, this ad-hoc group of working artists, photographers and filmmakers vow to stop the regulations going into effect as scheduled in September from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (MOFTB).
Albert Maysles, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe and Amy Arbus are among the celebrated artists who have already signed on to demand the MOFTB extend the period of public comment, currently ending August 3, and eliminate the proposed regulations: 11 pages of single-spaced rules where none existed before."
Join the good Rev Billy and his Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Critical Mass bike riders, and the above mentioned Picture New York tonight in Union Square. Fight for your right to Flickr! And no, the rally does not have a permit, so wear your comfy shoes incase you end up in the slammer. Details: Tonight at 6:30pm at the north end of Union Square.
Super Deluxe has a pretty funny video of some guys rapping and filming around New York. Watch it here (it comes with helpful suggestions on what to do if the law passes, such as: shoot from Jersey with a zoom lens, dress a tripod up like a dude and much much more).
Photo of Reverend Billy in Union Square via Rachael Noel's Flickr.
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what does mr. quinn say about this?
Im not worried. Even if this were banned, it just won't work. Isn't jaywalking illegal too?
If you're going to the slammer expect to stay for the weekend. if you expect to be pinched make sure your record is squeaky clean of anything.
be safe out there. take care of each other.
See you there!
wish i could be there, but i have work tomorrow. my boss wouldn't like my being in jail so much.
GOOD LUCK FOLKS! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
This matter isn't getting nearly enough mainstream press. Thanks for running this story.
Bloomturd needs to be told in the loudest, clearest terms that NYC is not a Business. It is a City - and we the people don't want more stupid laws who's entire function is to raid our wallets even more.
The only way they'll get me to stop taking photos is to take my camera... from my cold, dead hands.
-Control
ltvsquad.com
Very important action. I will be there and I hope you will too.
That said, I want to suggest that we all get a bit more creative with these demonstrations. To get emergency messages out to the real world public (the streets) is a time honored and quintessentially american tradition. Activist street theatre and its form of creative and deliberate appearance needs to develop forms which cut the police out of the formula. The police are super prepared to turn whatever we do into "police theatre"; its all about them. Facing the cops (who are, after all, some working class folks "just doing their job") is, in the end, a diversion from the real issues. And folks who are not activists or well informed about the issues tend to view the protesters as the powers that be would like to cast the protesters: as disturbers of the peace. Ironic and maddening. So lets figure out how to take the cops out of our street theatre.
riteaid has 2 packs of their one time use 400 speed film cameras for $6.
This makes sense, you can't have film crews shooting without insurance. Anything could happen. A wind can pick up a reflector, knock over a light, etc. What recourse would the injured party have? Would you drive without insurance?
Laws are made to be broken. Don't sweat it.
Fight Crime, Shoot Back!!!!!!!
again, the rules are too vague. and they are doing what NYC does best, make you jump through hoops to get a permit only to be denied said permit. Is there any such policy for this liabilty written?????
did the city check if any insurance company has such a policy?
The NY Times reports that the city's tentative rules include requiring any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. The regulation would also apply to any group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes, including the time to set up the tripod.
the recourse would be to take the said flying reflector owner to court. there already is a system.
don't be a dick, ace.
If anyone needs public service frequency scanners and other radio comm, I'll be outside the US B&N.
Ace: according to the coverage in Metro this morning, it includes a requirement that anyone taking pictures of two+ people for as little as half an hour or using a tripod for as little as ten minutes have a permit and 1 million in insurance and the implication was separate event insurance for every single shoot. If I'm right, the analogy you use about driving a car would be switched to this: imagine having to get new insurance every time you got behind the wheel.
Again, that's based on my understanding, and even if that isn't correct about each separate shoot needing its own insurance, the law applies to anyone with a camera - tourists, people having their engagement/wedding pictures done, a parent having a picnic with two kids.
They could never enforce this in a million years. Demonstrate, but realize this law is pointless.
i was going 2 go 2 this until i saw that critical mass bike riders r going. the nypd hates those guys. unless someone can convinve those people 2 stay home, there will definitely b large #s of people being arrested.
Guest #12: Who are you going to sue? They packed up and left!
Another step towards a police state.
i wish the critical mass people weren't involved in this tonight because they actually break traffic laws that provide for our safety. they set a poor example and i don't want this important protest being lumped in with critical mass.
Please sign this petition - http://www.pictureny.org/petition/index.php
so far there are 3500+ signature. You’ll be joining the likes of Michael Stipe, Patti Smith, Larry Fink, John Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Kopple, St. Clair Bourne, Jennie Livingston, producers from 60 Minutes, Sesame Street, MTV, VH1, Court TV and more, and photo editors from Magnum, Getty, USA Today, Time Magazine, Fortune Magazine, and Forbes.
Guest #12. You miss the point entirely. If the person has no insurance and has no money, who are you going to sue? This way, you know there's insurance. I've seen a couple of accidents happen on my stage and on location and would not even consider shooting without insurance.
OH I see now, you're one of them. thanks for enlightening me mr. big shot film guy.
is mr. quinn in bed with the mayor's film and movie dept. too?
that's what you get for hiring Union workers who feel entitled or are from out of state.
I think any commercial venture should have to have a permit and insurance, even if it's one camera and a few actors. I was rather rudely treated by MTV's Real World Boston crew back in the day. They acted like they owned a 50' radius around them even though it was two cast members, one cameraman, and one producer.
Clearly this is aimed at commercial photographers and video crews, but the way the law is worded, it appears that the average person could get caught up in the middle of this. This law is an enormous waste of time.
I have to agree with #2 however, I really think this is basically an unenforceable law. The only time you'll see a cop go after someone for this is if they are causing a disturbance of some kind. I imagine most of the uproar over this is being made by professionals who routinely do photo/video work on the city streets without a permit or insurance, so they are worried that there livelihood will be negatively impacted by this law, which is probably true.
Personally, the basic NYC maxim that has kept things running since the founding of the City 'The Right to swing my fist stops at your face' should apply here and work well. If your photo shoot isn't causing problems for anyone else, blocking traffic or disturbing the peace it should be able to go one without a problem. We don't need a law for something which should just be common sense.
Working in SoHo I see the opposite side of this quite a bit. Folks set up shoots all over the place and block the sidewalks, litter, cause traffic jams and act like self-entitled jerks if you walk through their shots.
Good luck protesting folks, I hope you can get this thing thrown out.
those "some guys" are Olde English.
pictures
WHAT A STUPID LAW
I loved the giant American flag being unfurled at the end of rally. It had to be at least 40 ft. long!
There's a great NY Times story on this today, and fantastic coverage from ABC news last night, up on YouTube.
Folks should post more YouTube video comments (they can be as simple as you talking about the regs for a minute), continue to promote the petition, and repost this stuff on your blogs! Time is running out!
love,
picture new york