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[mob] [Fwd: FC: Denver photographer arrested for photo'ing Dick Cheney's hotel?]
-----Forwarded Message-----
> From: Declan McCullagh <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: FC: Denver photographer arrested for photo'ing Dick Cheney's hotel?
> Date: 07 Dec 2002 12:02:45 -0500
>
> Also see:
> http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0048gq
>
> Also, Canon sent me a review unit of the EOS 1Ds digital camera, which
> arrived this morning. With an 11 megapixel sensor and a body based on the
> professional EOS 1v, it's the most capable digital camera made that adheres
> to the 35 mm format. (It also retails for $8,000.) I'll send along my
> review after I have a chance to use it for a while.
>
> -Declan
>
> ---
>
> Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 12:11:52 -0500
> To: [email protected]
> From: Matt Carter
>
> Not sure if you saw this. Sounds a little sketchy, but still very scary,
> especially for those of us who dabble in photography in the nation's capitol.
>
> If you post to politech, please do not include my email address.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Matt
>
> http://www.2600.org/news/display/display.shtml?id=1441
>
> PHOTOGRAPHER ARRESTED FOR TAKING PICTURES OF VICE PRESIDENT'S HOTEL
>
> Posted 5 Dec 2002 06:03:48 UTC
>
> An amateur photographer named Mike Maginnis was arrested on Tuesday in his
> home city of Denver - for simply taking pictures of buildings in an area
> where Vice President Cheney was residing. Maginnis told his story on
> Wednesday's edition of Off The Hook.
> http://www.2600.com/offthehook/2002/1202.html
>
> Maginnis's morning commute took him past the Adams Mark Hotel on Court
> Place. Maginnis, who says he always carried his camera wherever he went,
> snapped about 30 pictures of the hotel and the surrounding area - which
> included Denver police, Army rangers, and rooftop snipers. Maginnis, who
> works in information technology, frequently photographs such subjects as
> corporate buildings and communications equipment.
>
> The following is Maginnis's account of what transpired:
>
> As he was putting his camera away, Maginnis found himself confronted by a
> Denver police officer who demanded that he hand over his film and camera.
> When he refused to give up his Nikon F2, the officer pushed him to the
> ground and arrested him.
>
> After being brought to the District 1 police station on Decatur Street,
> Maginnis was made to wait alone in an interrogation room. Two hours later,
> a Secret Service agent arrived, who identified himself as Special Agent
> "Willse."
>
> The agent told Maginnis that his "suspicious activities" made him a threat
> to national security, and that he would be charged as a terrorist under the
> USA-PATRIOT act. The Secret Service agent tried to make Maginnis admit that
> he was taking the photographs to analyze weaknesses in the Vice President's
> security entourage and "cause terror and mayhem."
>
> When Maginnis refused to admit to being any sort of terrorist, the Secret
> Service agent called him a "raghead collaborator" and a "dirty pinko faggot."
>
> After approximately an hour of interrogation, Maginnis was allowed to make
> a telephone call. Rather than contacting a lawyer, he called the Denver
> Post and asked for the news desk. This was immediately overheard by the
> desk sergeant, who hung up the phone and placed Maginnis in a holding cell.
>
> Three hours later, Maginnis was finally released, but with no explanation.
> He received no copy of an arrest report, and no receipt for his confiscated
> possessions. He was told that he would probably not get his camera back, as
> it was being held as evidence.
>
> Maginnis's lawyer contacted the Denver Police Department for an explanation
> of the day's events, but the police denied ever having Maginnis - or anyone
> matching his description - in custody. At press time, the Denver PD's Press
> Information Office did not return telephone messages left by 2600.
>
> The new police powers introduced by the USA-PATRIOT act, in the name of
> fighting terrorism, have been frightening in their apparent potential for
> abuse. Mike Maginnis's experience on Tuesday is a poignant example of how
> this abuse is beginning to occur. It suggests that a wide range of
> activities which might be considered "suspicious" could be suddenly labeled
> a prelude to terrorism, and be grounds for arrest.
>
> We will continue to post updates to this story as we learn them.
>
>
>
>
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