Archive for the 'Rally' Category
More Tequila Party Nonsense in Arizona
Published April 27, 2010 Assault , Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Protests , Rally Leave a CommentTags: arizona, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, sb 1070, tequila party
Tequila Party Member Harasses of Videographer
Published April 27, 2010 Photographers' Rights , Protests , Rally Leave a CommentTags: arizona, Harassment, illegal immigration, sb 1070
It’s extremely ironic when the man in the black jacket raises concerns about the videographer’s “moral compass,” since it’s very clear that the moral compasses of the people entering the United States illegally have been broken since the day they arrived.
Tequila Party Member Slaps Videographer
Published April 27, 2010 Photographers' Rights , Protests , Rally 2 CommentsTags: arizona, illegal alien, illegal immigration, illegal immigration bill
Nazis Rally for Racism in LA
Published April 21, 2010 Photographers' Rights , Protests , Rally Leave a CommentTags: discarted, LAist.com, Los Angeles, nazi
Photo by discarted
This past Saturday’s Nazi rally and counter protest in downtown Los Angeles got a lot of press, and our own discarted was there to document the scene.
See more photos at LAist.com
Change Is Not in the Air
Published March 18, 2010 Photojournalism , Protests , Rally 5 CommentsTags: Answer Coalition, anti-war, March 20
On January 20, 2009 President Barack Obama took over the Oval Office after riding a wave of voter support and momentum that was generated by his YES WE CAN campaign. And a defeated and lame duck George W. Bush crawled back to his Crawford ranch for some tree trimming. However, since President Obama’s inauguration it appears he has forgotten his campaign message, and simply took a well-known play out of the old political campaign playbook—and that is: do and say whatever is needed to win the election.
For instance, Xe Services, formerly the infamous Blackwater, continues to garner government contracts (along with other private security contractors), allowing them to continue working alongside US military forces in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Guantanamo Bay detention facility is still in operation even though President Obama issued an executive order in January 2009 to close the prison within a year. The Patriot Act, which chipped away at Americans’ civil liberties during the Bush Administration, had three sections of it extended by President Obama in February 2010. And finally, Bagram Air Base, a known US torture facility operating in Afghanistan and dubbed Obama’s Guantanamo, functions as if the Bush Administration were still running the place. In April 2009, the Obama Administration appealed a US District Court ruling that some detainees at Bagram Air Force Base are entitled to challenge the reasons for their detentions.
So it appears that Obama’s YES WE CAN doctrine really hasn’t come to fruition, which is why there are more anti-war protests scheduled for this weekend, which marks the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, thousands of people will take to the streets in Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles (among others) to protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sponsored by the Answer Coalition the Los Angeles march will begin at 12 noon at the intersection of Vine and Hollywood Boulevard. And if it’s like years prior, this Saturday’s march will certainly be an emotionally charged event, providing plenty of opportunities for photographers to capture some important moments in history. So if you’re in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, be sure stop by Hollywood and Vine for a good ol’ American protest.
Photography by discarted
UC Berkeley Photojournalist Lands In Jail
Published March 8, 2010 Photographers' Rights , Protests , Rally Leave a CommentTags: Cameron Burns, Oakland Police, photographer arrested, The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley
Photo by Reginald James/TheBlackHour.com
If you’ve been following the woeful state of California’s public university system, you know there’s been some major protests about budget cuts that are decimating the schools’ previously stellar reputation.
Last Thursday, on March 4, thousands of demonstrators gathered at Oakland City Hall in support of public education funding. When a group splintered off for a march across Interstate 980/880, Cameron Burns, 18, a freshman at Berkeley, followed them with his Flip camera as a reporter for The Daily Californian.
Burns found himself in the middle of a chaotic scene when riot police advanced on the protestors. He was tackled and handcuffed as one of 150 people arrested by Oakland police. He was charged with “obstructing a public place and unlawful assembly” and spent 20 hours in jail. Burns says he repeatedly told police he was a journalist, but he couldn’t prove it because he didn’t have his press pass.
Daily Californian staff, university officials and a state senator are working to get the charges dropped since Burns was working as a journalist during the melee. Still, he says he has “no regrets.”
Here’s Burns’ video of his experience at the protest. It’s too bad he didn’t get any video of the actual arrest because it would have made his piece.
Article via The Daily Californian
Town Halls, From the Photographer’s Perspective
Published August 14, 2009 Photojournalism , Protests , Rally 2 CommentsPolitical discourse has turned ugly in America, and it’s more of the same with the current health care debate. Rather than accepting our system is broken and championing change in any form, certain people like to cling to destructive myths and wild misinformation to fuel their own anger and sense of oppression. At least that’s my take.
The Columbia Journalism Review has an interesting interview with New York Times photographer Damon Winter, who won the Pulitzer this year for his work covering the then-Senator Obama’s campaign for the presidency.
Winter took this photo of an angry man at a town hall meeting this week in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and he talks about his role at events like this – among other things, avoiding creating caricatures and staying calm among the fray.
Article via Columbia Journalism Review
NPRO Rally: Free State vs. Police State
Published June 9, 2009 Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment , Protests , Rally , Security Guard Harassment Leave a CommentTags: cops, Harbor Patrol, npro, photographing refineries, photography, Police, Port of Long Beach, security guard
Here’s the second installment of a series of our NPRO Rally videos that will be posted throughout the week, culminating on Friday with a recap of the whole weekend rally.
As you see, this encounter at the Port of Long Beach was drama-free. The Harbor Patrol were friendly and civil and took the appropriate tone, as opposed to many law enforcement officers who see a camera and immediately get suspicious, aggressive and condescending. The main officer seen here is probably an amiable guy in general, but I think he was also playing the game differently, being funny and congenial and conciliatory in order to get the same information they all want – names, addresses, social security numbers. I called him on this and he played it off like I was crazy to even suggest a thing – who me?! He must have thought he was being pretty clever asking where we were parked (“Do you guys have a car or something?”), assuming he would ID us through our license plates. He knew that when you’re not breaking any laws you can refuse to identify yourself – as we did.
So, it was fine enough, but a few things still bothered me. 1) The call the refinery security guard put out after speaking with us was that it was a physical altercation, and that’s just a complete fabrication. How did this conversation get blown into a physical altercation, necessitating the need for four patrol cars? And 2) The female officer at the end of the video said we should have informed them of our plans to shoot at the port, framing it as a “common courtesy.”
Yes, sure. We could also notify the police when we’re going grocery shopping and jogging in the park. That’s what you do in a police state.
Photographers’ Rights Rally Weekend 2009
Published June 3, 2009 Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism , Police Harassment , Protests , Rally , Security Guard Harassment 7 CommentsTags: cops, discarted, lapd, long beach, Los Angeles, Photographers' Rights, protest, Rally, shawn nee
It’s been a year since we held our first National Photographers’ Rights Organization (NPRO) rally in Los Angeles, and a lot has happened since then. Over the past 12 months, hundreds of us have been harassed by security guards and law enforcement for practicing a perfectly legal activity while in public. Some of us have even witnessed or personally experienced an unlawful arrest by an out-of-control cop. But with the help of our cameras, the grassroots mobilization of the internet and our lobbying of companies and public officials, we have stood up to this abuse and forced change.
For instance, Amtrak finally released a policy on photography and the NYPD’s leaked policy document says to stop the harassment of photographers shooting in public. So in order to progress even further, promote even more awareness and stand up for our rights, NPRO is holding a Photographers’ Rights Rally Weekend this year that will kick off in the Los Angeles Harbor/Port of Long Beach on Saturday June 6th, and end on June 7th in Downtown Los Angeles.
Before attending this event, it is important that we all educate ourselves about the law and photography. To learn the essentials it’s best to start with Bert Krages’ ubiquitous “The Photographer’s Right.” Read it. Memorize it. Print it. The knowledge you obtain from this document will help protect yourself when confronted by law enforcement or security staff when taking pictures in public.
You can also check out the numerous links in section 9 of this blog’s sidebar, which provide you with even more information regarding the law and photography.
Most importantly though, no matter what we are told by law enforcement, California Wiretapping Law legally permits us to secretly record police, or anybody for that matter, when they are in public and there is no expectation of privacy. We do not need a cop’s acknowledgment or permission to record their threats.
It’s extremely important that we bring video cameras and/or audio recording devices to document the unlawful actions of cops and security guards.
So put on your rally lens caps and clear your schedules for the first weekend in June.
NPRO Rally – Saturday, June 6th
Location: Los Angeles Harbor/Port of Long Beach
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Directions From Downtown Los Angeles: 110 S to Anaheim St Exit, Turn Left on Figueroa Place, Turn Left on W Anaheim St, W Anaheim St Turns Into E Anaheim St, End At N Henry Ford Ave, Park On Street
Directions From the 405 N/S: Exit 33B S Wilmington Ave, Travel West on S Wilmington Ave, Take First Left at E 223rd St, Right on S Alameda St, Continue on S Alameda St, Veer Left on to N Henry Ford Ave, End at Intersection of E Anaheim St and N Henry Ford Ave, Park on Street
NPRO Rally – Sunday, June 7th
Location: Pershing Square, Corner of S. Hill St. & W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Photographers’ Rights Rally June 6th & 7th
Published May 25, 2009 Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment , Protests , Rally , Security Guard Harassment 1 CommentTags: discarted, npro, shawn nee
The National Photographers’ Rights Weekend Rally is just two weeks away. So put your rally lens caps on and clear your schedules because this year’s event is taking place over two days (not just one like last year) and will certainly cause some controversy – as well as raise awareness for photographers’ rights.
For more info, email npro@discarted.com.
boywithgrenade.org 