MetroRail needs to fire their security company, 50 State Security, before they get the county sued. Over on CarlosMiller.com, Carlos miller reports that guards provided by 50 State Security seized his camera, and then assaulted him and tried to take his iPhone when he started filming with that.
The bad news for MetroRail and 50 State Security; it's all on tape.
Two things to be aware of:
No one is safe while 50 State Security is on the job.
The bad news for MetroRail and 50 State Security; it's all on tape.
Two things to be aware of:
- First, the public is allowed to take video and photographs on MetroRail property. Miller was not doing anything wrong, according to the law, or to MetroRail itself. 50 State Security has been informed of this repeatedly.
- Second, MetroRail security guards do not have the right to seize property, period. Not for any reason. No one is allowed to do that; not ushers in a movie theatre, not waiters in a restaurant, not even the police. Seizure of personal property, under any circumstance, requires a court order.
No one is safe while 50 State Security is on the job.
Thanks for the support!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the felony they committed? I only see misdemeanors.
ReplyDeleteNever mind. Didn't consider that it was probably a VERY nice camera. Us non-photographer types usually only spend $100 or so.
ReplyDeleteCarlos Miller went there looking for a confrontation. He doesn't advance the cause of photographers' rights with his psychotic behavior.
ReplyDeleteThe security guards are only doing their jobs. The blame lies with management and Carlos should take up his case with them and not some under-paid, under-trained security guard.
Shame on you for taking Carlos' side.
Anonymous, shame on you for not even having enough guts to choose a nom de plume.
ReplyDeleteThe security guards were not doing their job, since their job isn't to stop people from doing things they are allowed to do. Since when are security guards paid to break the law by seizing private property?
Shame on you for standing up for criminal behavior from a company that is supposed to prevent crime.
Re your comments on SFDB about my comments regarding Carlos.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot more to the story that you don't know.
And quite frankly I don't care to go into on a blog but drop me a line...there's a link on my blog and I'll fill you in.
Ot Google me and find my phone number and call me if you like. I'd love to talk with you.
Cheers
Bill, when you stop acting like a snotty child, I'll consider calling you. Nothing justifies that, Bill. Grow up.
ReplyDeleteSo you think it's ok to photograph on the rail... according to homeland security it is not ok and also not allowed. We are not talking about a theatre or a coffee shop here, we are talking about a captured place where a terrorist can and have placed bombs and gas to KILL people. given it is a railway.If you take the time to read the pamphlet from metro rail you will see it is not allowed for anyone to photograph or video tape anything without prior approval from metrorail. As far as the officers committing a crime ... try again.. Read the Florida state statues They (security Officers) have the right as an agent for the railroad to preserve peace and even detain (handcuff) anyone for violating rules and laws on the rail. Get your facts straight.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you're simply wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere are no laws against photographing public property from a public place - period. Homeland Security does include any provisions to ban photography of public spaces from public rights-of-way and recent Federal Court rulings uphold the rights of photographers to do so.
The security guards were wrong. Their supervisors have conceded they were wrong. MetroRail has conceded they were wrong. Homeland Security has even conceded they were wrong.
The only party here that needs to "get their facts straight" is you.
First of all, it is not allowed to have someone take pics on, or of the the rail. I know this for a fact. Do you want a terrorist taking pics of the rail systyem, blow it up while you, or your family are riding?
ReplyDeleteThese officers are paid pennies to deal with drunk, drug addicts, get in confrontations EVERYDAY. I saw a female offficer on the mover get into a physical fight with a drunk old cuban man who was exposing himself to 3 little kids and their mother. who stepped in to help? Not a single person. If I were able to get out of my wheelchair, I would have helped her.
Next time you want to bitch and complain over an incident, look at all the good they do, put themselves in deadly situations for PENNIES.
Disgusted, photography on MetroRail is allowed - the law says it is allowed, and so it is allowed, and that's the fact of it.
ReplyDeleteHere's the relevant law:
http://www.pixiq.com/sites/default/files/blog/carlosmiller/uploads/2010/07/Miami-Dade-Ordinance_643x745.jpg
So you don't know nearly as much as you thought you did.
And your argument that it's acceptable for 50 State employees to break the law because they aren't paid well is simply stupid.
I worked at the agency on a minor contract for a couple of years-and they began shafting the guards and throwing blame at them as their economic and manpower woes worsened. It really got belligerent and way out of bounds when middle-managers made the bane of their existence to punitively castigate guards through use of negative comments on files-milking the benefits for themselves. From that perspective-i"d say this company could not maintain any viable large contract-they recruit like crazy zombies at these all black job-fairs-and guess what that ends up with? Also-the training is really marginal-they don't even use post orders on small posts anymore-for fear the guards will use the document against them in workman's comp court hearings! It is a pure scam-using-and abusing guards, in a failing industry. It is not in the public's interest, nor worker's interest, to deal with this group of feckless morons!
ReplyDelete