Disney Hall Film Shoot Bullies And Their Rent-A-Cop Enablers
Free speech rights are only for those who pay for them? Nuh-uh. 
Kevin Roderick posts at LA Observed:
Have you seen this car? Veteran LA journalist Steve Devol was out early Sunday morning to shoot some dawn photos around Walt Disney Hall. A film crew was there too, shooting this little car on Grand Avenue in front of the hall. Devol says he would have been happy to just shoot the building. But then the crew tried to bully him, and had a guard threaten arrest if he kept taking pictures. So he posted pics of the car and the guys to Flickr.
Devol writes (with the message above the URL, "The weird car they didn't want me to photograph. Too bad. It's in public. Deal."
Film crews and their Rent-a-Cops using public streets and buildings should understand that other members of the public, including amateur photographers, still have a 1st Amendment right to shoot in public places too! If you try to bully people with idle threats of arrest you only annoy those of us who know their rights, who then stick around to gum up your shoot. You want privacy? Shoot in a studio or a lot. The streets belong to everyone. Share this set link if you agree.
All violations of our free speech rights (including freedom of the press and general freedom of expression) must be defended at all times (whenever they are violated) -- or they will erode more than they already have.
Hollywood got themselves exempted from California gun law.
Can't interfere with making that buck!
Radwaste at October 31, 2012 2:17 AM
What gun law are you talking about, Rad?
Eric at October 31, 2012 8:35 AM
Eric, the easiest place to find this is in the Wikipedia article about California gun laws.
Of course, if you watch any Hollywood production for signs of professional gun handling, you'll be disappointed. I think the worst one was in Blue Steel, where it was shown that if you wrap a .44 Magnum in a towel and kill somebody in a back room, the people in the living room won't hear it. Generally, their SWAT teams are depicted advancing in groups without cover, etc.
But - if you're the prop master on set, you can hand an AK or FN-FAL to your actor, even if he has a felony conviction. If you're a private citizen, nope. And if not an actor, that possession gets you a Federal sentence.
Radwaste at November 2, 2012 2:49 AM
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