Time for New York’s Port Authority to Admit It Doesn’t Like Photographers

The same thing exists among railroad enthusiasts: spotters innocently taking pictures often harassed by police who believe what they are doing is illegal. Strangely enough planespotting at Gravelly Point (directly below the Potomac Approach at KDCA) is still allowed, and police routinely patrol the area. Those police (combinations of Arlington, Airport, State, and Park police) know what to ask and know what to expect as answers. Perhaps the Port Authority needs to visit KDCA for lessons...

Most of the time when train people get harassed they are on railroad property which can extend some distance from the actual tracks. I am a train person also and have never seen anyone have problems if they were following the rules.

I suspect that since the George Orwellian fiction in the novel becomes more fact than we care to acknowledge, post 911, a little profiling might not hurt, as I imagine most of the culprits are male, white and native born. Not the group in favor currently. Train, plane spotting is not exclusive to the genre, but I might imagine, in this country, they are the preponderance of the of the guilty party. As for homeland security, they may indiscriminately take your picture, but you may not take pictures in the same vain. Know thy borders, thou shalt not trespass. And the picture taker said, but I am outside of the fence!

The problem is that a camera has to be aimed and operated same as a weapon. That is the issue.