This should be getting plenty of publicity, and I'm happy to contribute -- courtesy Violet's post on Metroblogger, this account by a local photographer who alleges he was harrassed and assaulted by a man claiming to be a police officer (but refusing to show identification) for taking pictures of a San Francisco skyscraper.
A lot of things are disgusting about this situation. The physical bullying, for one thing. Worse -- it's bad enough when a cop hides behind a badge to rough somebody up, but when somebody who's not even a cop tries the same thing, and won't even identify himself, that's both pathetic and scary. This is supposed to be a free country, not a place where some thug in a windbreaker can push you around with impunity.
The photographer in question, one Thomas Hawk, should certainly file a police report for assault. I wonder how pleased the local cops will be when they hear some rent-a-cop is throwing his weight around and claiming to be a police officer.
Worst of all is the paranoia -- the notion, held by at least one corporate goon, that taking pictures of a building is threatening. The question I have is, where is this idea coming from? Is there some security consultant going around briefing corporate security guards about the supposed threat to their buildings by amateur photographers? Who is promoting this notion?
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