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L.A. Photographer Faces Criminal Charges for Documenting Graffiti


lord_casek

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Im scared of it too. All the threats Ive faced from bulls while benching (from the road that runs next to the yard) and property owner who have buildings with graffiti on them could be possible. This can set the precedent for that, which is horrifying.

 

i cannot ellaborate due to the arrest itself and subsequent charge(s) being stayed.

 

but i had a fucking gnarly situation happen to me taking flicks of a rooftop i did the next morning. it was a horrific series of twilight zone random unluckery fuckery. this did not happen in canada, and as i said to set it off. was no joking matter.

 

@reality - nekst put up keegan underneath adek.

 

 

ya i know but the photos themselves have the website run along the bottom which APPEARS TO BE THE PHOTOGRAPHERS FIRST AND LAST NAME which is absolutely mind bogglingly absurd.

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Im scared of it too. All the threats Ive faced from bulls while benching (from the road that runs next to the yard) and property owner who have buildings with graffiti on them could be possible. This can set the precedent for that, which is horrifying.

 

As mentioned above, Photographers Bill of Rights. This has come up a bunch as related to benching, particularly with railfans photographing Amtrak. In your case, make sure that "the road that runs next to the yard" is not the railroads' right of way (ROW). If not, you should be cool. I've definitely been stopped benching in a number of areas and for the most part let go w/o problems. I know that railfans ran into problems in NJ andI believe in NYC stations before.

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There was a documentary about East Oakland, Discovery Channel crew follows a group of bangers and I think they knew they were boutta cap some guys...they knowingly filmed the whole thing.

 

But the photographer being arrested is just ludacrous, or it may just be the strict LA laws..hm

 

i used to live in that neighborhood, USED to.

 

off beautiful Seminary Blvd.

 

 

but yeah, if your stupid enough to NOT think you will go to jail in CA, getting caught with taggers spraying walls on your video device...

 

you deserve to be locked up anyway!

 

* fail jonas

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Right, cause LA dosent have enough crimes going to trial on a daily basis.

 

This is absolute bullshit all around.

 

First of all theres no way to prove he was a lookout, unless like stated he was snitched on or for some reason admitted to it. Its not what thye know, its what they can prove.

 

Second of all anyone who thinks he should be charged for taking pictures of people in the act of a misdemeanor are off their fucking rocker, and are probably old geezers who reside out in the counties.

 

And Third like someone already said this isnt a big deal becuse some pencil dick got pinched out in LA for taking some pictures of graffiti artist in the act, this is about the ability of the law to stick you with crimes just for being there.

 

I feel all the phtographers on this shit cause im not in your field, but alot of this same shit happens when you try to film shit. Hopefully this gets thrown out and people realise how ridiculous it is.

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T;7367943']I dont think you guys understand being charged with something and actually being prosecuted for it. Cops always aim high and cop a plea for a misdemeanor or some fine. Its just to get you the next time type shit..Doubt it will go to trial

 

That's just the surface of what people aren't understanding in this discussion...

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This isn't a discussion on a dice roll weather charges will or will not be dropped or any given sunday. Its a discussion on what is or isn't legal for a photographer to do aswell as how to line up a proper story if one gets into this situation so as there is no dice roll but rather an absolute no charges filed scenario.

 

And this article/story/result will show us a lot to those reguards.

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Dude you're really going to have to ramp up your communication skills beyond a 5th grade level if you want people to actually take you serious. Doesn't it bother you being almost 30 but you spend at least 5 hours a day joking around with 19 year old kids? I know you are on the same emotional level, and only a few years behind that mentally, but doesn't it concern you that it might be time to do something more age appropriate? Your contribution to this forum is filling every 3rd or 4th post in literally every thread in channel 0 with some dumb nonsensical rambling joke. Isnt it time to go outside yet? That long Canadian winter has been over...

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Cleared http://www.pdnpulse.com/2010/05/la-photographer-cleared-of-criminal-charges.html

 

LA Photographer Cleared of Criminal Charges

 

LA photographer Jonas Lara had his day in court today. The criminal charges against him were dropped and the judge issued a court order for the release of his camera equipment, which had been held as evidence since his arrest on February 2, 2010.

 

Lara was fighting a charge of aiding and abetting two graffiti artists whose work he was documenting when the three men were arrested in South Central Los Angeles. (More on the case here.)

 

The photographer established a legal fund and appealed for donations after he was unable to convince his public defender that his rights as a photographer to document the work of the artists had some bearing on the case against him.

 

In just over a week, enough friends and colleagues in the photo community responded with donations for Lara to pay the retainer for The Kavinoky Law Firm, a group of California-based criminal lawyers.

 

Joel Koury, the attorney who represented Lara in court this morning, says his strategy was to “go in with guns blazing,” which caught the prosecutor off guard, because key evidence—pictures that the police claimed they took showing Lara’s hands with paint on them—had apparently gone missing. Koury says he doubts that the police ever took them.

 

 

 

The prosecutor, judge and Koury then discussed a formal diversion plea for the vandalism charge, which would have required Lara to perform community service over the course of 18 months before the case would be dismissed. Koury told the judge he would talk to Lara about agreeing to a six-month probationary period, but instead Lara and the attorney decided to stay on the offensive, refused the deal and pushed for a trial.

 

Koury also showed the prosecutor character letters colleagues had written on Lara’s behalf, proof that Lara was in art school and had published books of his work, and proof that he had a photography business registered with the IRS.

 

“We’re not talking about some gang member, we’re talking about an actual photojournalist,” Koury says he told the prosecutor. “Just because a photojournalist takes a picture of someone committing a crime does not turn the photographer into a criminal,” he adds.

 

The prosecutor then offered to knock the charge down to trespassing and agree to an informal diversion plea, but again Lara and his attorney refused.

 

Koury says he asked the prosecutor what was really important to her in the case, and she responded that the property owner had paid $200 to have the graffiti murals cleaned off the wall of the building.

 

Koury says that though he believes he would have beat the trespass charge in a jury trial, he offered at Lara’s behest to agree to have Lara pay the $200 restitution fee to the property owner in exchange for the charge being reduced to a disturbing the peace infraction.

 

Though Koury says he feels “a little bad” that Lara paid the restitution, the deal guaranteed Lara could walk away from court today with no criminal record rather than having to go through a jury trial.

 

The LAPD has still refused to return Lara’s camera equipment despite the judge’s order. When Lara went to the police station to retrieve his equipment the police were “really pissed off,” he says, and attempted to question him further about the February 2 incident.

 

Koury says it is just a case of “cops being a little bit stubborn.” He expects Lara should have his gear back in a day or so.

 

Lara first met with and hired The Kavinoky Law Firm yesterday afternoon. The firm, which typically commands retainers in the five figures, agreed to represent Lara for far less “because we were pissed off,” Koury says. “It was ridiculous that [a photojournalist] would find himself in that position."

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