Man in New York arrested for taking photographs

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Category: Industry News

Photographer sues New York City for $1 million - A man who was arrested by police and told to delete his photographs is suing New York City.

Posted: 2nd July 2009
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New York CityA man from New York, who was arrested for photographing trains, has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York.
 
Robert Taylor, who works for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is asking for $1 million in compensatory damages and the state complaint filed says he's also asking for a further $1 million in punitive damages.
 
On the 12th February, Robert, who's a train and photography fan, was taking photographs of an approaching train at the Freeman St. Station when he was approached by the police. Even though Robert informed the police that he was a MTA worker and knew of the specific statute that permits photography in train stations, the police told him to delete the photographs, arrested him and held him for several hours only to find that the charges would later be dismissed.
 
Gerald Cohen, Robert's attorney told the New York Daily News: “He is asking for $1 million in the lawsuit, but would be pleased with a settlement similar to the $31,000 settlement the city gave to another subway photographer last year.


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Comments

I'm off to New York to photograph the subway. Could be a cost effective holiday!

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2 Jul 2009 - 2:12 PM

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Maybe a million is just a liiitle too greedy

Pottsy
3
Northern Ireland
2 Jul 2009 - 6:06 PM
0

Thats why peoples taxes and insurance are so high. Yes his liberty may have been affected but everything in perspective. He needs kicked out of court for being so greedy.

Yes, it might seem, "greedy," but if more people don't step up and sue the city, it will just become even more unbearable for photographers. I was down there last month doing some street photography and was stopped twice in the span of an hour's time. It just isn't right. And the officers go from one person with a camera to the next. I've never seen it this bad. The city has to do something about re-training the officers.

Chris_L
3 Jul 2009 - 10:09 AM
0

Greedy? I'd want a million dollars for every hour that I'm held illegally or the time back.

Dabow
3
Netherlands2 Constructive Critique Points
7 Jul 2009 - 8:15 AM
0

The larger the fine the heftier the deterrant for police to act quite so cavalier in future. It's the same issue in London. Something needs to be done because governments seem to be turning a blind eye to this sort of harrassment.

As a railway photographer myself, I really hope he wins his case. Whilst I haven't been stopped by the police, I was stopped by an unkowledgable member of railway staff not long ago. Fortunately, I had a copy of a railway magazine where the issue was being aired with statements from Network Rail and ATOC. I showed this to the "jobsworth", because that is all they are, and politely told them them to go and check out the truth of the statements with their supervisor. They didn't return and I carried on my photography. However, the issue remains a problem and isn't unfortunately on the political radar.

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