Photographer Arrested for Taking Photos of a Police Station… in Bushwick
June 20, 2013 | Kyle Chayka
Last Saturday afternoon photographer, Shawn Randall Thomas was arrested for photographing a police station in Bushwick. Thomas was allegedly taking photos of the station for over an hour prior to his encounter with the frustrated police officer seen in the video below. Thomas says that he was unlawfully arrested and has filed a formal complaint against the police regarding the incident. While it may not be entirely clear why Thomas was taking so many photos of the building, who cares — it’s not illegal.
“I was surprised at the manner that it happened,” Thomas said, describing his experience. “I think at this point all cops know it’s legal to take pictures.”
Shawn Thomas recorded the video above at the Utica Avenue 3/4 stop last Saturday. In it, we see a police officer standing on the platform with a calm civilian to whom he's issued a summons. The clip proceeds without action for a few minutes, until Officer Efrain Rojas arrives. First, Rojas…
Photographing a police officer is perfectly legal, and yet somehow Shawn Thomas keeps getting arrested for it. Yesterday, Thomas went to trial for an incident in which he was arrested for recording video of a police officer in a Crown Heights subway station. Officer Rojas, the arresting officer -- who…
What with the recent arrest of Shawn Thomas, a photographer who was arrested and allegedly beaten for the non-crime of recording video of a police officer, it's an opportune time for Photo District News to be releasing their photographer's guide to the First Amendment. In the video above, National Press Photographers Association…
