Photography Ban Lifted in NYC
At least I won't be considered a criminal if I go to New York with my camera now.
Last year the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City proposed to ban photography from all subways and buses in the NYC area. This caused a great uproar amongst many photographers and other civil rights supporting citizens. Sites such as deviantART. com even organized mass protests (in the form of a photography contest) before the proposed ban went into effect) to show what would be lost if the ban were put in place permanently. A package of over 200 photographs was mailed to the MTA by deviantART just after the ban was put in place.
While the MTA sat on a final vote for almost a year they have finally made the right decision. "In the wake of the public comments period, after consulting with the NYPD, which had originally requested the rule change, MTA NYC Transit will not go forward with the institution of a photo ban," TA spokesman Charles Seaton said.
This marks a great victory for photographers, civil rights supporters, and the NYPD. Common sense has, somehow, prevailed.
Check out nycsubway.org for more information on the subways and the death of the photography ban.