This video which seems to have been released by Houston Mayor Annise Parker as a part of the…ahem… Run, Hide, Fight series is nuts. I understand the need for awareness and diligence toward creeps (not just in the USA and not just terrorists) but this ummm “awareness” is over the top – particularly with regard to photographers.
After watching the video and others in the series, there are basically two groups that appear to be the focus.
1) people planting bombs – a multitude of examples including vests, backpacks, people trying to gain access to do this; and…
2) people taking photos – of public spaces? and exits? and… huh?
Seriously? Those are the two groups we should fear? I’m particularly referring to roughly the 1:45 mark where the specific vilification of photographers or “people with recording devices” is a big WTF.
So, in short, yes Mayor Parker we should keep a collective eye out for nutjobs. I’ll all for awareness, but I hate fear mongering. And pull your head out.
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Wanna know more about photographers rights? Check out this post or this post AND… very importantly…tune into the next chasejarvis LIVE episode on August 29th in collaboration with ASMP.org where I’m hosting a world class panel that’ll discuss the current and future state of photographers rights…the good, bad and ugly about some changes in our landscape.
(Thx Trey for link)
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My thoughts… extra money in the city budget. I live in Houston, and I have never seen these (there were actually three videos produced) broadcast anywhere. There was; however, a short article in the Houston Chronicle about the pieces. The budget for all three, according to the paper, was a cool $540,000. If anything should make citizens afraid, it’s that kind of waste of taxpayer money. If you “make the call”, no one will respond as the police can’t be paid due to the high video production budget. Besides, don’t most of us take all politicians and political propaganda with a very, very small grain of salt? Houston’s a great place to live and work.
What about the chick in the orange scrubs pretending to read a book?
“In order to protect us”, the government wants to have absolute control, and will get it by breeding fear.
Well, I guess the police is about to get real busy if this will get people to report anything “suspicious”.. Isn’t propaganda fun? I guess politicians also watched Jack Bauer and now want to spread the fear. Let’s be very afraid of anyone not acting like a “proper” citizen. Let’s start to mistrust anyone we don’t know. That’s what freedom is all about, right? Oh, well. Noone ever actually thought anyone intelligent ever wanted to waste his/her life in politics, right?
Good way to fix the situation real quick is for anytime, anyone, anywhere in Houston sees a picture being taken with a cellphone, point and shoot, mirrorless or an SLR being taken to call the report hotline. The system would be so overwhelmed so quick that thoseon the other end would throw up their owns in frustration. As soon as the fear pushers have to start asking for more money with mousing to show for it, pubic opinion would simply turn.