[UPDATE: The criminal charges against him have just been dropped and the judge issued a court order for the release of his camera equipment. Good news for sure, but the points remain: 1) we need documentary shooters shooting the entire gamut, legal and not. 2) we need public defenders who understand this need and are prepared to help us defend it.]
This is nuts. LA photographer Jonas Lara has been arrested and faces up to a year in prison for ‘aiding and abetting’ two graffiti artists while documenting their work in February. Lara pleaded not guilty, wisely citing it’s within his rights as a photographer to be at the scene documenting the work of the artists. But here’s the rub: his public defender, David Gottesmann, has so far refused to consider his rights as a photographer as part of the defense.
PDN reports, “When he was arrested, Lara was working on a long-term project for which he has documented the work and creative processes of 30 visual artists. Lara met the two graffiti artists at an abandoned building in South Central Los Angeles to photograph the pair as they worked on the illegal mural. The photographer says the officers were understanding when he explained his reason for being at the scene. They told him they needed to process him, and that he would be free to go in the morning. After advising Lara that it would be dangerous to leave his car in the neighborhood, one of the officers even drove Lara’s car to the police station so he could avoid a towing fee.
Once he got to the police station, however, Lara’s situation became much more precarious. The police held Lara for eight hours before telling him he was being charged with felony vandalism. He was held for 26 hours in total…before his wife bailed him out.”
Now call me crazy, but this is pure bullsh*t. I’m not advocating crime, I’m advocating Lara’s rights to document it. His public defender won’t cite his rights as a photographer? Huh? If documenting crime is a crime, then why isn’t every photojournalist who documents drug abuse, war, and violence in prison? The guy is headed for the MFA program at Art Center in Pasadena. His work is legit. We need pictures like these.
Since his public defender doesn’t see the light (wtf?), Lara needs private council. He’s got a donation page here. Spread the word. And if you’re a photojournalist, please keep shooting.
(via PDN Pulse)
As a business owner and have vehicles and a building. I wouldn’t be to thrilled about my property being someone else’s canvas. Granted some work is beautiful art and I appreciate it. Gang, unitelligeable and scribbles on my trucks are quite annoying. Although photojournalists seem to want a disconnect from the happenings around them, you are still citizens of this (and or your) country. Interesting place to be. I can see if he coaxed, paid or goaded them into doing this, I would take issue with it. If documenting like a casual observer, then this somehow turned into a circus to curb vandalism. This would set a bad precedent for any and all news reporting as well. Photos of the looting after Katrina… Hmmm how many can you think of? Or shot yourself for that matter.
the documentation of murder, rape, and even child killings happens everyday around the world. they’re of course not sitting in a quiet room watching it happen, but they’re out there documenting it in war-torn countries everyday. and we need those photos in our culture to drive action and reaction. so clearly it’s not “what” they’re documenting that is the problem…
I was going to comment after I read through all the comments. But this is pretty much dead on what I wanted to write. I think James Nachtwey in War Photographer said something similar about the power of a photograph to incite a desire or movement for change. I whole-heartedly believe that photographers don’t just take “pretty pictures.” As artists, we push the envelope and we challenge norms. Often that means capturing the ugly, dirty and bitter parts of our society. Also our work allows us to tell the stories of those who often are overlooked by the system.
Larry Clark, ‘Tulsa’.
Is he a criminal?
Weegee? Nan Goldin?
Or, if we are talking about murder, how about the infamous photo from the Vietnam war of the man being shot in the head (by Eddie Adams)? Criminal?
TV is overloaded these days with CCTV footage of crimes being committed yet do the carriers / operators of these video cameras get arrested? I wear a yellow reflective jacket and take photos at all sorts of events but never once have I been asked what I was doing. In fact several passersby have asked me directions as if I was a public official, one even told me of a mugging down the road thinking I was a policeman!
Ensure you stand out, ask permission, carry ID, smile a lot and never lose your temper or make sly remarks under your breath. Did our unfortunate friend provoke the authorities in any way, or was he just brash enough to think a camera was the only defence required to keep him out of trouble?
I would love the opportunity to photograph a couple of grafitti artists in action, but without my ID or yellow jacket I’d make sure I could run fast.
As a civilian, and not an accredited photojournalist, you’re obliged to report a crime if you see it being committed. This is a duty that you owe your country. Else, every criminal could carry a camera and claim that he was just documenting the act being committed.
If you are a civilian and you fail to report the crime, you are in fact aiding the person who is committing it. Whether it is minor or not is irrelevant.
If you have a photojournalist’s ID card, then things are different.
Chase, I think you’re way off on this call. From a legal POV, not from an artist’s perspective. As an artist we are forced to preserve and spread our art.