Sign the Petition Already!

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© Bruce Davidson

Hey New Yorkers and fans of civil liberties. You know the situation, so sign the petition already.

The Art of the Nonresponse Response

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© William Klein

Today the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) issued a statement in an attempt to clarify their proposed new rules governing street photography and filming in New York City. The MOFTBs nonresponse response was no doubt prompted by the flurry of negative blog activity after a New York Times story brought to light the new requirements under consideration.

The MOFTB release merely restates the proposed new rules and attempts to reassure us that the occurrence of two people taking pictures in a single location for more than 30 minutes is "RARE for recreational photographers." (Clearly these folks have never spent any time at Rockefeller Center, Grand Central or the Statue of Liberty.) Beyond not addressing the general absurdity of the proposed new rules, the MOFTB also fails to address any of the concerns regarding selective or discriminatory enforcement.

They do mention that they anticipate "publishing the final rules at the end of July 2007," so there is still time to kill this silliness before it becomes the real deal. Keep up the pressure on Commissioner Katherine Oliver or as Mr. Colberg suggests, take it straight to the mayor.

UPDATE: On Christian Patterson's Speak, See, Remember blog, Adam Bell has provided some insider info for reaching out to reps on this issue:

I just talked to a friend from the Mayors office, here is what she said regarding a letter to Katherine Oliver:

“Unfortunately, the Commissioner probably supports the proposal, so your letter may fall on deaf ears. You could also try your local council member, but your best bet is probably the Cultural Affairs Committee. The Chair is Recchia, and other members are Comrie, Dickens, Garodnick, Gentile, Gioia, Vacca, Weprin, White … all council members email addresses are lastname@council.nyc.ny.us”

So people can also try various member of the cultural affairs committee:

recchia@council.nyc.ny.us, comrie@council.nyc.ny.us, gioia@council.nyc.ny.us, vacca@council.nyc.ny.us, weprin@council.nyc.ny.us, white@council.nyc.ny.us

Here is their webpage:

City May Seek Permit and Insurance for Public Photography

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© Helen Levitt

What in the hell are they thinking? From the New York Times:

Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.

New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.

The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.

Julianne Cho, assistant commissioner of the film office, said the rules were not intended to apply to families on vacation or amateur filmmakers or photographers.

Nevertheless, the New York Civil Liberties Union says the proposed rules, as strictly interpreted, could have that effect. The group also warns that the rules set the stage for selective and perhaps discriminatory enforcement by police.

New York City cops being selective and discriminatory? That would never happen. I suggest sending a strongly worded message to Katherine Oliver, the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, telling her you think this is an asinine idea.