blinding

Very few things make me really and truly worked up, in the angry fashion. Just having recently gone to NYC this very week, news of legislature in the works to ban all photography and filming in public places without a permit being being obtained makes the bile rise.

While claiming that the average tourist or amateur photographer would not be affected, they also say that two people in the same 100 foot site simply holding a camera and talking to each other for more than half an hour, would be grounds for "enforcement". Should five or more people wish to use a tripod, they must do so in under 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.

A search for more information on the progress of this proposal leads nowhere fast. Mingling in with old stories about bans on MTA from 2004-5, I found only a couple of articles, most of which refer directly to the content of the NY Times piece (on page two of search results). Its being kept very quiet. The more I think about this unfathomable dissolution of 1st and 4th amendment rights, the more upset I get.

Looking at photography magazines online, I find no coverage whatsoever. Who can object to that which is not made common knowledge, or as it seems from what I've found, vaguely written and poorly documented? Go sign this petition. It sounds like it will be passed by the end of the month and be instated by the end of August. As someone who cannot picture my life without taking pictures any more, this breaks my heart thinking where it might lead next.