Father's day photo-shoot ends with cops pointing guns, photographer face down on tarmac

By Cory Doctorow at 10:21 pm Monday, Jun 22

A reader writes: "A photographer for Dallas' local alternative weekly was handcuffed and detained while photographing an old B24 Liberator (with permission, mind you) on father's day." (He wandered slightly ahead of the unmarked permitted zone, cops drew guns and rousted him):

Waiting for the plane to take off, I was surprised by the Addison police. An officer unholstered his gun, then handcuffed and held me until Homeland Security cleared my name.

I was not arrested, but according to Officer Pierce, I did break federal law and a report would be sent to Homeland Security. I will be hearing from them. I apologized to every one involved. The pilot told me the airport was shut down for a short while.

But according to one of the crew, they had ID'd me as one of theirs, and the tower knew and tried to call it off. But once the wheels were set in motion, it could not be stopped. The pilots were pretty much cool and laughed at me and were even willing to escort me to take more shots. One old-timer gruffed under his breath, "It's the U.S.A., not U.S.S.R. -- I didn't fight to protect this shit." One even offered me his seat on a ride.

How a Heartwarming, Kick-Ass Father's Day Photo Shoot Ended Up Face Down in Handcuffs on the Addison Airport Tarmac