Freelance photographer Ben Hider got more than he bargained for when he tried to make a few photographs of some courthouse flags recently. Raising his camera to makes a few snaps, Hider quickly found himself surrounded by three police officers who demanded he stop taking pictures immediately. Hider did as he was told, but ended up sitting through a couple of hours of intense questioning for his slight transgressions.
According to a WABC-TV report, Hider recounted his story for the media: [They} "Emptied my pockets, searched me, frisked me, started telling me about the recent terrorist threats in America over the past five years and 'haven't I been watching the news?'"
Since 9/11 photographing anything in public has become increasingly problematic for legitimate photographers reporting on life in America. People have become ever-more paranoid about having their picture made in public and authorities are ever-more reactionary to anything different. I guess taking pictures is considered an act of terrorism these days, at least maybe it is in New York.
Apparently the slightest suspicion of activity that hints of "terrorism" can now trump an individual's constitutional rights.
Terror is an enemy that lives in the hearts and minds of people because it is an abstraction. Terrorism, as an act of terrorists, is a tactic used by groups and individuals to disrupt daily life as well as organized systems of governance. Once we begin to live in fear of one another out of the suspicion that someone is out to do us harm, those that use use terrorism as a tactic have won.
Ben Hider found out the hard way. Even though he has a right to photograph in public, other folks -- those holding authority -- see otherwise. For these individuals, Hider's innocent picture-making exercise was an act of terrorism.
It's not especially difficult to imagine the sense of danger police must have to live with in a post-9/11 world. For police and other public service employees, the days of giving citizens the "benefit of the doubt" may be over. We live in a "better safe than sorry" reality now -- one that impinges, at times, on our personal liberties and freedoms -- whether we like it or not.