Thursday, January 08, 2009

Protecting trains from Duane

This story needs more attention.
Amtrak photo contestant arrested by Amtrak police in NYC’s Penn Station
By Carlos Miller
Armed with his Canon 5D and his new Lensbaby lens, photographer Duane Kerzic set out to win Amtrak’s annual photo contest, hoping to win $1,000 in travel vouchers and have his photo published in Amtrak’s annual calendar.

He ended up getting arrested by Amtrak police; handcuffed to a wall in a holding cell inside New York City’s Penn Station, accused of criminal trespass.

Kerzic says he was hardly trespassing because he was taking photos from the train platform; the same one used by thousands of commuters everyday to step on and off the train.

“The only reason they arrested me was because I refused to delete my images,” Kerzic said in a phone interview with Photography is Not a Crime on Friday.

“They never asked me to leave, they never mentioned anything about trespassing until after I was handcuffed in the holding cell.”

In fact, he said, the only thing they told him before handcuffing him was that “it was illegal to take photos of the trains.”

Obviously, there is a lack of communication between Amtrak’s marketing department, which promotes the annual contest, called Picture Our Trains, and its police department, which has a history of harassing photographers for photographing these same trains.
Illegal?
“Security: While there is no prohibition against taking photographs of Amtrak trains, photographs may only be taken in Amtrak’s public areas, not areas restricted by signs, barriers or locked entrances. Non-public areas, such as railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment, are private property; trespassers are subject to arrest.”
-Amtrak This Week newsletter, 23JUL07
Here are Duane Kerzic's photos, taken in public areas.

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Comments:
Amtrak has had plenty of public-relations gaffes in recent years. Last month, hundreds of passengers were left stranded in an unheated Chicago Union Station with little more than an apology from Amtrak personnel.
 
The most dubious part of the story is that Duane was photographing dismal, empty platforms for a public relations contest with a deadline last July. Clearly, he was more interested in Penn Station creepiness, a legit subject, & his one good train shot is of a NJ Transit engine.
 
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