Charlottesville photographer Bill Emory visited Washington D.C. on November 3rd to photograph the day-after-election-day goings-on. While taking pictures on Pennsylvania Avenue, the following occurred.
In this climate of liberty I was confronted by an armed man on Pennsylvania Avenue. He demanded the film from my camera. In the name of the Law he proposed to relieve me of my work product. In his eyes I threatened the security of the United States of America. I had taken a picture in this public area that somehow trod on security concerns.
[…]
I implored him to look at me. “I am a photographer, I am a patriot, I would do nothing to harm our country.” I dearly wanted to hold onto my film. Photography is what I do, I had a few exposures on the roll that I felt were promising.
I pleaded, I beseeched. His agency must have a review process, an authority who could develop my film and censor the offending frames.
My appeals were summarily denied. He was hot. He said I could destroy the images or the “situation would escalate”
I had no desire to test the judiciary of the boot-heel, to discover first hand what Kafkaesque definition of “escalation” would be applied to me. I have immediate responsibilities and a life I dearly love. I submitted to the destruction of my work-product.
As Bill writes, this is a dangerous change in America, not just because of what it represents, but because we are permitting it to happen. We are no longer innocent until proven guilty. We’ve come to accept this, like a frog being boiled. How will we know when enough is enough? And what will we do then?