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WMATA Photography Harassment
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#22
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Posted 21 January 2010 - 05:32 AM
good to hear you got a response. too bad the worker that harassed you is a sub contractor type so all the manager can do is complain to his manager.
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#23
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Posted 21 January 2010 - 07:07 AM
He's not a subcontractor, he just works for a different department, so he has a different manager. He said that it was possible but not likely that I would hear from that guys manager as well (he said they're not as good with the customer relations piece, since they're not supposed to be a public-facing job).
#24
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Posted 21 January 2010 - 12:43 PM
Well I can't imagine a better response, I'm glad it worked out for you.
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27,618 Miles on Amtrak in 37 states.
Routes Traveled: Acela Express, Adirondack, California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carolinian, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Downeaster, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Corridor, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Southwest Chief, Vermonter.
27,618 Miles on Amtrak in 37 states.
Routes Traveled: Acela Express, Adirondack, California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carolinian, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Downeaster, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Corridor, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Southwest Chief, Vermonter.
#25
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Posted 21 January 2010 - 04:42 PM
Ryan and others: While I personally agree that we all have the right to take pictures of whatever we want that does not involve traspassing on private property, I suggest you all make sure that you do not do this when you are on a tight schedule. We do have SS Oberagravatenfuhrers out there and if you are in a hurry to get somewhere on time, their nonsense can leave you stranded, right or wrong.
Secondarily, though, and I know this is wrong, I would avoid being confrontational in any way whatsoever with police officers. Even if you are in the right. My response to this would have been, "Sorry, I wasn't aware of this policy. Thank you for so informing me." (then you write a letter to the company asking for them to retrain this guy- annonymously.)
Why? You break the law. I know you break the law. I break the law. Everyone breaks the law. You go 66 in a 65, you jay walk, you spit on the sidewalk, you chew gum, you eat on trains that don't allow food. And so on. A cop will not get away with attempting to imprison you with something that isn't illegal or that you didn't do. No, he will get a solid chewing out from his boss if he does something like that. If he does it enough, he may find himself in actual trouble. But he certainly will not get in trouble for crossing every T and dotting every I of the law on someone he doesn't like. It can make your life miserable. And what are you going to do about it? Call the police?
No, of course they shouldn't do that. But they do. And they get away with it, every day. It is to your best interest to make friends with cops in the areas you frequent. I am on a first name basis with most NJT cops that have Newark Penn on their beat. I also know the station manager and others that work there on a first name basis. If they see me taking pictures, its allright. They know me. If someone who doesn't know me sees it and complains, its allright. They know me.
If I do something honestly wrong, it won't help me one bit. But it stops them from harassing me because they think I am up to no good. And people you know and smile at and say hi to and ask the weather are not people you tend to target for demonstrating your authority.
Secondarily, though, and I know this is wrong, I would avoid being confrontational in any way whatsoever with police officers. Even if you are in the right. My response to this would have been, "Sorry, I wasn't aware of this policy. Thank you for so informing me." (then you write a letter to the company asking for them to retrain this guy- annonymously.)
Why? You break the law. I know you break the law. I break the law. Everyone breaks the law. You go 66 in a 65, you jay walk, you spit on the sidewalk, you chew gum, you eat on trains that don't allow food. And so on. A cop will not get away with attempting to imprison you with something that isn't illegal or that you didn't do. No, he will get a solid chewing out from his boss if he does something like that. If he does it enough, he may find himself in actual trouble. But he certainly will not get in trouble for crossing every T and dotting every I of the law on someone he doesn't like. It can make your life miserable. And what are you going to do about it? Call the police?
No, of course they shouldn't do that. But they do. And they get away with it, every day. It is to your best interest to make friends with cops in the areas you frequent. I am on a first name basis with most NJT cops that have Newark Penn on their beat. I also know the station manager and others that work there on a first name basis. If they see me taking pictures, its allright. They know me. If someone who doesn't know me sees it and complains, its allright. They know me.
If I do something honestly wrong, it won't help me one bit. But it stops them from harassing me because they think I am up to no good. And people you know and smile at and say hi to and ask the weather are not people you tend to target for demonstrating your authority.
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#26
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Posted 22 January 2010 - 05:35 AM
GML,
In principle, I agree with you, making life difficult for those with that kind of power can be foolish. Here's my reasoning for handling things the way that I did. First, like you suggested, I wasn't on a tight timeline - I actually left work about 30 minutes earlier than I needed to in order to catch my train to devote the time to taking pictures. I pushed back as hard as I did on the first guy that approached me because he was just a track worker-type. If a station manager or police officer had initiated things, I likely would have handled things a little differently. Once the station manager and transit police were involved, I was nothing but sweetness and charm to both of them (while still maintaining my ground that I was correct). In both my written complaint and conversation I had with the Superintendent yesterday, I went out of my way to say that while misinformed on the rules (which is easily corrected), the station manager did an exemplary job of handling the situation. She was polite and got the hostile track worker out of the picture and back on the job, defusing the situation. Same with the transit police when they showed up. As far as their ability to harass me, I'm always completely within the rules on the train - easy to do as long as you don't eat or drink and pay your fare.
Thanks for the thoughtful commentary - it's great advice to keep in mind and not all situations will end up as nicely as this one.
In principle, I agree with you, making life difficult for those with that kind of power can be foolish. Here's my reasoning for handling things the way that I did. First, like you suggested, I wasn't on a tight timeline - I actually left work about 30 minutes earlier than I needed to in order to catch my train to devote the time to taking pictures. I pushed back as hard as I did on the first guy that approached me because he was just a track worker-type. If a station manager or police officer had initiated things, I likely would have handled things a little differently. Once the station manager and transit police were involved, I was nothing but sweetness and charm to both of them (while still maintaining my ground that I was correct). In both my written complaint and conversation I had with the Superintendent yesterday, I went out of my way to say that while misinformed on the rules (which is easily corrected), the station manager did an exemplary job of handling the situation. She was polite and got the hostile track worker out of the picture and back on the job, defusing the situation. Same with the transit police when they showed up. As far as their ability to harass me, I'm always completely within the rules on the train - easy to do as long as you don't eat or drink and pay your fare.
Thanks for the thoughtful commentary - it's great advice to keep in mind and not all situations will end up as nicely as this one.