Always the voice of common sense. - Pete Gilbert

thanks Peter - Steven Hodson

it's usually a case of "not my problem" until it affects them. then it becomes an issue. i'm no different though, but the photography restrictions in many places throughout ny including and especially public places has been a very disturbing trend since 9/11. security vs liberties or at least that's how the powers that be would like us to believe - Cee Bee

Steven, I just took a deep dive into your feed to see all the "photography is not a crime" stories I missed the first time around. And you're right - people get slammed to the ground, arrested, jailed, and convicted, and most of us (me included) ignore it. One person is asked to leave a building, and it becomes a Federal case. Perhaps SF MOMA can sponsor an exhibition of the work of Carlos Miller and the others, and everybody will be happy. - Ontario Emperor from fftogo

which if you consider the number of bloggers and people here on FriendFeed who are either ardent amateur photographers or professional it is so surprising that this kind of thing takes such a back seat unbl it is someone like Thomas who yells louad enough at being wronged. Now to give Thomas credit he also has talked with Carlos Miller in the past and tried to write about it but we can see how far that got the injustices being done into the public eye let alone the tech blogosphere's attention span. - Steven Hodson

I still blame Mona for the wave of interest - mjc

Steve: I missed your previous posts and wish I hadn't. I think they are great and appreciate you taking the time and effort to bring the the topic to light. I follow Carlos Miller's blog as well and really don't like the trend we are seeing in regards to photographers and our rights. For me, FriendFeed and blogging (which I recently started) has helped me make my voice heard for what I believe in. Previously, I would read a story in the paper or online and not have any outlet or way to share it. - Justin Korn

...However, on another note, I don't agree with the title of your post here since it sounds like you are targeting Thomas Hawk as opposed to the underlying issue you are trying to address. - Justin Korn

Indeed, I missed your July post. However, "late to the party" I feel is inaccurate. Thomas Hawk wrote in the first person, and that of course is the best way to justify attention-grabbing rhetoric. In the end, many things conspired to make this story "pop." Don't feel bad, Steve! P.S. I like your moxie! - Richard ¿digame? Walker

to a point Justin you might be right *BUT* I can tell you this if I hadn't used that headline tyou can bet the post would have gone unnoticed as every post about this issue had before it - having to use that headline achieved two things - it got attention to a serious matter and it salso proves my point at the same time. - Steven Hodson

Steve: You have a point :) - Justin Korn

I wrote about this on my blog as well. Last year though, and before I was doing the FF thing. Harder to get it noticed if it's not one of the echo chamber that it happens too. You article is definitely correct about that. - Todd Jordan

thanks to whoever Stumbled this post - Steven Hodson

@Todd - the Broad Brush - subscribed - Steven Hodson

@Steven, This issue is not new to the tech Bolg sphere. If you follow Thomas, it has happened to him many times and he has been blogging about it for years. I see posts almost weekly from Thomas as well as several other photographer-tech bloggers about this sort of injustice all over the world. I agree that it sucks, and should not happen. I think it is good that so much noise has been made about this particular incident as it will shed light on others and bring them to the public's attention. - Jeff P. Henderson

Nod. :) - Todd Jordan

@Jeff - Steven's article really highlights the ongoing problem. It's sad though that we only get riled up when Thomas speaks about it. That said, I'm familiar with Thomas having run ins; he's not been silent. I've run into this problem as well personally. The real issue is that we should rally around photographers whether they are part of our soc network or not. - Todd Jordan

Steven, good to see another perspective on the issue. Of course as you so eloquently pointed out, the situation is hardly unique to Thomas Hawke. Photographers have been accosted, arrested, and threatened just for the simple act of taking a photograph. I'm sorry your posts didn't generate the buzz that Hawke's did, but the bottom line is that we are bringing light to the situation and that's a good thing. - Jack Wilson

Bravos, Steven. Dugg it. - Dave Martin

@Dave thanks :) - Steven Hodson

I'm reading past the catchy headline. We have entered a new kind of fascism already. Unlike the mechanistic and structured kind of fascism of the 20th Century, this one is a more decentralized process. Today's fascism depends heavily on the ignorance, silence and distraction of populations. Most people who rave about iPhones probably don't care about their rights as photographers. Ironically, this new fascism will soon subsume the very trinkets which FASCinate the tech-o-sphere. We are all late. - phil baumann

It all goes back to the rights of an individual vs. the rights of a group vs. the rights of an authority who speaks for the group. In some cultures that honor the group more than the individual, there wouldn't be a discussion; the Hawks and Millers of the world wouldn't have a "right" to do these things. However, people in California, Florida, and Tennessee presumably have these rights. - Ontario Emperor from fftogo