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Amtrak Photo Contestant Arrested By Amtrak Police

Photographer Duane Kerzic was standing on the public platform in New York's Penn Station, taking pictures of trains in hopes of winning the annual photo contest that Amtrak had been running since 2003. Amtrak police arrested him for refusing to delete the photos when asked, though they later charged him with trespassing. "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. Not much different than the JetBlue incident from earlier this year where JetBlue flight attendants had a woman arrested for refusing to delete a video she filmed in flight while the JetBlue marketing department hosted a contest encouraging passengers to take photos in flight." Kerzic's blog has an account of the arrest on Dec. 21 and the aftermath.

13 of 675 comments (clear)

  1. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or just comply and delete them. Then after the police release you and you're walking away, shout "But I have undeletion software on my computer at home that will recover them!"

    Then run.

  2. good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    he should be arrested for abusing the LensBaby

    he's not a photographer, he's a motion sickness inducing quack

  3. PUNishment by gooman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds like the police derailed his plans.
    Maybe they need more training.
    That's no way to conduct themselves.
    The marketing department is on the right track here.
    Someone should engineer a solution.

    --
    "Kittens give Morbo gas!"
    1. Re:PUNishment by FrankDrebin · · Score: 3, Funny

      Lawyer says officer was loco. Motion to dismiss charges.

      --
      Anybody want a peanut?
  4. It's part of the contest! by vell0cet · · Score: 5, Funny

    The point of the contest is not to take really great pictures, it's to try to get away with it. It all makes sense now, it's just a ploy to test their private police.

  5. How many Camera Nerds by Kagato · · Score: 5, Funny

    How many NYC transit cops does it take to push a camera nerd down the stairs?

    None, he tripped.

  6. That'll work... by djupedal · · Score: 4, Funny

    >"I would suggest confronting the situation legally but head-on as an intelligent person who should be able to defend themselves in these situations...."

    "Have you ever been arrested?"
    "Sure...once."
    "And what was that for?"
    "Molesting an officer, why?"

  7. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by tftp · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can't seem to find the area on google earth now.

    Obviously it had been deleted...

  8. Amtrak Police? by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    This would be a great way for celebrities to deal with paparazzi taking photos of them in public places. The Paris Hilton Police could simply arrest photographers and confiscate their material.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by thegrassyknowl · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Is it illegal to take photos?" If they claim it is, then ask why they want you to delete evidence. If not ask them why they want you to delete lawfully taken photos.

    And poof the police vanished in a puff of logic!

    --
    I drink to make other people interesting!
  10. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by ckedge · · Score: 5, Funny

    And we're not even asking you to bleed. Just get tazed a little bit, bro.

  11. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by Achromatic1978 · · Score: 3, Funny

    One of my friends, who is intersex and transgender

    Intersex and transgender?

    Curiosity is piqued as to how someone who is, by very definition, "of both sexes" (excluding very specific chromosomalities), can be "transgender", the belief that one's gender is opposite to that of their physical characteristics at birth.

    Failing that, the very desire to identify as transgender engenders (haha) a belief that you are of a specific gender, regardless of physical characteristics - then using the nominals "sie" and "hir" are counter to that, because they are the very elucidation of the perception that you/they are "different" altogether.

    My personal belief is that a lot of times, such nominatives are rather used far more to draw attention to one's self as being different than for genuine identity, and despite the constant protestations that one does not want to be seen or treated as different in any way.

  12. Re:sue Amtrak and JetBlue by pyrrhonist · · Score: 5, Funny

    Curiosity is piqued as to how someone who is, by very definition, "of both sexes", can be "transgender", the belief that one's gender is opposite to that of their physical characteristics at birth.

    They were born a hermaphrodite, but inside they feel like a himaphrodite.

    --
    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.