Friday, August 03, 2007

Bloomberg Relents To Photography And The First Amendment

In addition to freedom of speech, the freedom of expression is inherent in the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. Well the Mayor didn't think too highly of that freedom when his film office proposed restrictions and fines for people taking photos and films in the city. Needless to say, the new rules produced an outcry from the community demanding it be rescinded. The Mayor finally backed down today.

From The NYT CityRoom:

Katherine Oliver, the commissioner of the film office, said the rules would be revised based on feedback the office has received over the past two months. A period for public comment, which was scheduled to end today, will be reopened for another 30-day period after the redrafted rules are published.

The city appears to be modifying its position — if not backing down entirely — as a result of a settlement from a recent lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The civil liberties group had threatened to a file a new suit over the proposed rules. (See the text of the proposal as a PDF.)

The mayor’s film office said in a statement:

By reflecting existing procedures in city rules, M.O.F.T.B. has endeavored to meet the challenge of identifying a threshold level of activity which necessitates a film permit, while at the same time substantially mirroring its current practices. The goal is to maintain a safe environment for the public, while balancing the needs of filmmakers whose work may have a significant impact on pedestrian or vehicular use of public space.


The carefully worded statement from the film office pretty much says, "sorry, nevermind." Of course when it comes to PR, signaling defeat requires a confusing statement that tries to make the film office look as good as possible. No matter how the city parses their words, this is a victory for photographers and filmmakers, New Yorkers and the First Amendment.