Defend Photographic Rights on July 4th
Back in mid-May I was wandering around a DC Metro station and found a random odd device. I took this photo of it, what turned out to be a Metrorail air tester, and I was promptly stopped by a Metrorail station manager.
She asked what I was doing and when I politely explained my interest in all things mass transit, that I am a transit foamer, she laughed and let me go about my WMATA photographing ways.
Just the other day, Chip Py was not so lucky. He was harassed when trying to take photos of downtown Silver Spring. Remembering my Metrorail photography moment, I now realize how close I was to being arrested for photography again and how lucky I was to be stopped by a sane Metro manager.
If you wander mass transit stations with a camera like I do, then you've had your share of close calls too. Harassment, legal and not, because you are a transit foamer.
And its time you share your desire to keep photographing buses, trains, and even funiculars with your full First Amendment rights intact by joining Free Our Streets in a declaration of photographic freedom on July 4th.
A Silver Spring Photo Walk to remind Americans that photography is NOT a crime. Even on the Metro.
Post Author:
wayan | 9:40 PM |
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That device is an air sampler that tests for chemical and biological agents. Filters are removed daily for lab testing. The machines were installed following 9/11 and are now deployed in Metro's busiest stations.
That delay, combined with the fact that these machines are simply plugged into the nearest electrical outlet, raise questions about their utility.
