Update: A police report was filed with LAPD.
While photographing the Michael Jackson memorial on Hollywood Boulevard on June 27th, I came upon a scene where an Andrews International private security guard was ordering a guy who was heckling the gathered reporters to leave the public portion of the boulevard. I took one photo and the guard, Vasquez #782, immediately turned his attention to me and told me to stop and that I couldn’t take pictures specifically of him. I refused, being that I was on a public sidewalk and what I was doing was legal (not to mention completely reasonable – I mean, really? There are thousands of cameras on the boulevard on any given day – not including Andrews International’s own cameras that are videotaping us 24/7. After I repeatedly refused and went to take another photo, Vasquez grabbed my camera and pushed it into my face. Then he called his supervisor to report – get this – “I have somebody taking taking pictures of me.”
Forget for a moment that what I was doing was legal. All of this took place on the public portion of the boulevard, which raises the question: Why are Andrew International’s private security guards patrolling the busiest public sidewalk in Hollywood, acting as though they are LAPD, when they have no police powers or legal authority to do so? Andrews International guards are stationed at Hollywood and Highland to handle incidents that occur on the private property of the entertainment complex. They are not there to take action when something occurs on the public portion of the Boulevard, nor do they have the legal authority to do so.
However, based on the fact that this is my second encounter in a year involving these guards and photography on Hollywood Boulevard, as well as personally witnessing numerous encounters between the guards and other people on the public sidewalk, it’s very apparent that these private guards believe their authority extends well beyond the mall they are paid to patrol.
More important, it seems that city officials don’t have a problem with ceding one of LA’s most popular tourist attractions to a bunch of bullies who couldn’t find a law in a law library. Of course Hollywood Boulevard is going to be photographed – every inch of it has been and will continue to be. And of course a security guard might find himself in someone’s frame, whether he’s detaining someone or just standing there. It’s not his (or her) place to do anything about it. These guards’ job is to only “observe and report,” and that doesn’t involved harassing and assaulting photographers.
Andrews International’s mentality of “observe and take action,” no matter where the incident occurs, has gone unchecked for too long and this type of behavior will continue to happen unless we pressure local officials (namely city councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge) to put an end to it.
To voice your concerns, we’ve compiled a list of all the relevant officials to send a complaint to, along with a written statement you can cut and paste if you don’t have the time to write your own.
*****Copy and Paste These Emails Into Your Email*****
councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org, councilmember.labonge@lacity.org, dorothy.perez@lacity.org, mayor@lacity.org, MHarkins@hollywoodandhighlandsecurity.com, randrews@andrewsinternational.com, roger.andrews@andrewsinternational.com, sarman@andrewsinternational.com, rbennyworth@andrewsinternational.com, wbesse@andrewsinternational.com, mhargreaves@andrewsinternational.com, dhoffman@andrewsinternational.com, john.nagy@andrewsinternational.com
*****Copy and Paste This Statement Into The Body of Your Email*****
Subject: Andrews International’s Harrassment of Photographers
I am writing to object to the treatment of photographers on Hollywood Boulevard. It is well known that Andrews International, the private security force hired to patrol the Hollywood and Highland complex, regularly overstep their authority and harass photographers who are there only to document what is a major Los Angeles tourist attraction. Despite having no legal authority to do so, these security guards harass and even assault photographers, who have every legal right to photograph on public sidewalks.
So these guards are, in effect, attempting to enforce rules by breaking the law. This is troubling, not to mention an abuse of authority and an embarrassment for Andrews International and the city of Hollywood. I strongly encourage you to look into these policies and see that these employees are properly educated about photography in public.
It is troubling that this popular tourist attraction is being marred by bullies who aren’t familiar with laws, or even the parameters of their own jobs. If the intention is to make Hollywood a welcoming, open and mainstream place for tourists and locals to enjoy, these very aggressive and poorly trained officers certainly don’t do well in reinforcing that mission.
I hope you can see the value in rectifying this situation and I would appreciate your timely response to this matter.
Video of encounter here:
http://discarted.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/hollywood-bullyvard/
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME HERE
—–Los Angeles Politicians—–
Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council President
Phone: (323) 957-4500
Email: councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org
Tom LaBonge, Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 4
Phone: (213) 485-3337
Email: councilmember.labonge@lacity.org
Dorothy Perez, Executive Assistant to Tom Labonge, District 4
Phone: (213) 485-3337
Email: dorothy.perez@lacity.org
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Email: mayor@lacity.org
—–Hollywood and Highland—–
Mike Harkins, Executive Security Director, Hollywood and Highland
Phone: (323) 468-2270
Email: MHarkins@hollywoodandhighlandsecurity.com
—–Andrews International—–
Randy Andrews, Chairmand and Cheif Executive Officer
Email: randrews@andrewsinternational.com
Roger Andrews, Executive Vice President
Email:roger.andrews@andrewsinternational.com
Susan Arman, Vice President
Email: sarman@andrewsinternational.com
Robin Bennyworth, Executive Director
Email: rbennyworth@andrewsinternational.com
William Besse, Executive Director of Consulting and Investigations
Email: wbesse@andrewsinternational.com
Mike Hargreaves, Regional Director, Southern California
Email: mhargreaves@andrewsinternational.com
Dan Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, Quality Control and HR
Email: dhoffman@andrewsinternational.com
John Nagy, Senior Vice President, Southern California/Arizona Region
Email: john.nagy@andrewsinternational.com
What happened with LAPD? Did they respond? Did you press assault charges?
It took LAPD over an hour to respond so I had gone home by then. They did call me though wondering where I was and wanted to know if I would like to press charges, which I’m still debating.
This is sickening. I think you should press charges.
By the way, I got harassed last Tuesday near there, too. But, I wasn’t even actively taking photos.
I didn’t get a name or badge number, so it won’t have the impact like this does.
I’ll write about it on my blog and include it in my email.
Unbelievable.
If you got it on video, by all means press charges!!
Pressing charges often precedes a civil suit.
When you cost large organizations enough money, they often take notice.
“Business Improvement District” goons have egregiously flouted the law in a number of L.A. neighborhoods for years. At one point the ACLU went after a bunch of them for their systemic abuse of the homeless.
http://www.aclu-sc.org/releases/view/100296
http://www.laweekly.com/2001-05-24/news/off-my-back/
More fun with Andrews private police, out in Pasadena:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muzzlehatch/2320597432/
Andrews International: nothing surprises me from these fascist keystone kops.
I sent my email in.
How long is this kind of stuff going to keep happening?
Press charges. These things need to see the light. People will say “oh, stop,” but that’s how things get taken away. You were 100% in the right, while Vasquez #782 committed a crime.
If you don’t press charges – you are validating what they are doing.
Press changes!
Hi can I ask what you’re using to shoot the video? It looks like a good thing to have something recording as you shoot.
Thanks
Byron
You really should press charges otherwise you just wasted an officers time that may have been used for something more serious.
I know it seems trivial but it’s really not. It’s always the best policy to not call the police until your sure you are going to help them help you. Besides Vasquez #782 needs to tell the real police how he is such a bad ass while they are whipping his ass in the elevator.