Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The following is a TRUE story - If I've told it before, forgive me: About one month after 9/11 I had occasion to drive across the Hudson River on the Tapanzee Bridge, a very low, flat affair with an unimpeded view up the river - toward, among other things, a power plant, and down the river toward Manhattan. As I pulled onto the bridge in the middle lane, headed west toward the NY thruway, I noticed slightly ahead of me in the far right hand lane a Honda prelude driving at about 40 mph with its blinker lights on. The sun roof was open and - swear to God - a 'swarthy' young man was standing up through the sunroof, VIDEOTAPING up and down the river, and video taping views of the bridge. His companions in the car were two other 'swarthy' individuals. Now I tend not to be paranoid, and I try to be politically correct - but this insanity was too much even for me. So I opened my cell phone and dialed 911. When I got the operator - NY State Police - I told them where I was, and that I needed to report suspicious activity. They connected me to some center, where I told my story, provided the license plate number, the make and model of the car, color, etc. By then we were close to the western end of the bridge. The folks at the terror center, or where ever it was, thanks me and said they'd take care of it right away. And just then I noticed that about 100 yards ahead of me, in the far left western lane, there was an NYState cruiser - and I told the operator that. Again he thanked me, and disconnected. And I watched as the cruiser pulled away and disappeared, leaving me and the video tapers behind. A few days later, when I hadn't read or heard anything about arrests connected with video taping the Tapanzee Bridge and the power plant, I called an investigative reporter friend at Newsday, and told her the story - gave her the license plate number and make and model of the car. She checked the plate that I saw on the Honda Prelude driven by three 'swarthy' men in their 20s, and found that it belonged on a Ford Fairlane registered to the Westchester Co., NY, government! So she called the county government, and a spokesperson eventually came back to her and claimed that the plate belonged to the county police,and was on a car in the county garage.....And if you believe that..... So...Pretty obviously I had seen what I thought I had seen, complete with a stolen license plate on the car. And NOTHING was done about it. So at least it's nice to know that now that every possible target in the U.S. has been videotaped, photographed, and studied ad nauseum, the dimbulbs 'protecting' us are hard at work harrassing photo students. Oh....My kids gave me grief for reporting the three young men, saying that they were probably just student, or some such, trying out a new video camera, and because of me they'd end up in Guantanamo. I told my kids that if they were right, and the three guys were students video taping a bridge from the sunroof of a moving car only 30 days after 9/11 they were so terminally stupid that they needed to be get someplace like Gitmo for their own safety!:-) -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Frank Filippone Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 2:29 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: RE: [Leica] Photo student harassed in Seattle by Homeland Security Even funny is the statement by the local Lock authorities, that welcomes photos. Seems like A does not talk to B. I think this kind of miscommunication is the basic problem, when coupled with enforcers that are not picked for their negotiating skills. You ( the public) get oppositional directed orders from enforcers that threaten you with either a gun or a badge or both. Disobey the badge ( even though the order is not in compliance with the law) and you get to go to jail for disobeying a Police officer..... They got you. I believe BD is most right... act in a way that makes "The Man" nervous, and you will attract officious trouble. BTW, there was a Graduate student that had permission to photograph a power plant form the manager of the plant. Her work was done on an 8x10 camera. One evening, the cops saw what she was doing and demanded her to stop. ( She was on a public road, photographing from the safety of the nearby public field, , legally parked, etc.) She complied when they told her to go. She was threatened to go to jail for actions that were suspicious. Can you imagine any rational cop ( operative word is rational) that would think an 8x10 camera, on a tripod, with all the paraphernalia, photographing a power plant, is a suspicious act? The power plant has been there since the 70's ( probably there in the 30's, but I am not sure). Photographed extensively for its fine art promise. If you were going to get a picture of something for nefarious reasons, wouldn't you just go to the WEB files and get a picture from some other photographer? Would you use an 8x10 monster? Would you OWN an 8x10 monster if you were a nefarious type? Not racial, but ignorant profiling, officious stupidity, power to force people to do what you want them to do, and paranoia. Remember to not bring those dangerous nail clippers in your pocket for your next flight..... Frank Filippone red735i@earthlink.net _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information