Snapping the Silver Spring Photo Ban
From Marc Fisher, Washington Post:
Dozens of photographers and people who believe in the right to take photos in public spaces spent the midsection of the Fourth not sitting at home watching America reclaim the Mustard Belt–the world title in competitive hot dog eating–but out in downtown Silver Spring, where until recently it was forbidden to take pictures on what looks like a public street.
Yesterday’s protest action–a simple stroll through the retail strip built by the Peterson Companies while taking pictures–is just one step in the grassroots effort to reclaim Silver Spring’s center as a public space.
The land is still owned by Montgomery County, but the lease under which the downtown development operates has been interpreted to mean that the developer may regulate visitors’ behavior as the owner of a shopping mall does, restricting political, religious and other forms of public expression. But the downtown street that Peterson manages is different, if only because the public perceives it as a seamless continuation of all the surrounding public streets.