As a concerned citizen worried about the direction that law enforcement is heading in nowadays, the next time you contact the Los Angeles Police Department with your complaints, you might want to take the response you receive with a grain of salt.
Continue reading ‘LAPD’s Canned Response to 23 Citizen Complaints’
If the Los Angeles Police Department was potentially accessing your private information via a government database like the DMV, you would think that the subject of those searches would have a right to know if the information was accessed, when it was accessed, and why it was accessed. That way, the person could determine if the searches were done legally, or illegally. And whether or not, at the very least, find out if the searches violated LAPD policy.
Well, having carte blanche to this information may be true in states like Florida where there are very strong public records laws that keep government open and protect the public’s right to know. But what holds true in the Sunshine State, does not in The Golden State.
At least one person thinks I’m a decent photographer.
Last night, an email popped up on my phone that looked like another man notifying me that I’d inherited 10 million Nigerian nairas. So I went back to work, and ignored it for a few hours. But later, when I checked the rest of my emails I realized it was from someone congratulating me on making Complex Magazine’s “The 50 Greatest Street Photographers Right Now”.
It was a nice surprise, and seeing that I’ve been laying low for a while and not paying much attention to the photography world it was very unexpected. And I really can’t believe the writer called me “…a bit of a folk hero in the street photography world.” Haven’t heard that one before, especially since my photography has caused other people to call me things much worse than that. So it was a nice use of words.
I’m really appreciative being a part of this group of people. It’s motivating and helps you can keep going when you feel like putting the camera down for good.
So if you have some free time, go check out Complex Magazine because there’s some great photographers on that list.
Happy Holidays From Johnny & Red
As most of you already know, I was unlawfully arrested in June by the Los Angeles Police Department for taking pictures from a public sidewalk. Sergeant Rudy Vidal, who is included in the Christopher Commission’s ‘LAPD 44‘, ordered my arrest for interference. Last week I received an email from someone describing their recent encounter with Vidal.
Apparently, “crossing on a red signal” is grounds for a trip to the police station and being chained to a bench.
On December 4, 2013, a drone flew over Griffith Park in Hollywood, CA. This is the second time I’ve seen and was finally able to capture it on video.
Click on image to see full size and more detail.
“Shawn, let me use your phone.”
