Phoenix skateboarders told not to take pictures of the federal courthouse

Photos by Marco Perez



Skateboarding is not a crime but photography apparently is a crime. At least in Phoenix where there have been several recent reports of photographers getting harassed by cops in the downtown area.

The latest incident involves a pair of skateboarders and a photographer named Marco Perez who arrived at the beloved Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Building last weekend to take some action shots.

But a security guard approached them and told them they had to leave the property because it was closed.

However, he did assure them that they were allowed to take photos of the courthouse as long as they stood on the sidewalk.

So they stepped down onto the sidewalk and set up a light stand with an umbrella and started taking their shots, including the one above with the courthouse in the background.

When they were done taking photos, a Phoenix motorcycle cop pulled up and asked to see their film permit.

“He told me I needed to have one and I could NOT take pictures of the courthouse,” Perez said in an email to Photography is Not a Crime.

So basically we have a situation where the security guard understands the law better than the police officer.

Ironically, the cop didn’t say anything about their skateboards. He probably didn’t see them skating off the walls. Or maybe harassing skateboarders is just so passe.

“He said things like, ‘remember Oklahoma’,” Perez said, as in remember the Oklahoma City bombing.

The officer also claimed to be the head of the Phoenix Film Office, which states the following on its website:

A Phoenix Film and Digital Media Permit (FDM Permit) is required to film in city owned buildings, parks and public-right-of-ways within the defined boundaries of the City of Phoenix. The FDM Permit covers features, TV series and shows, commercials, web casts and still photography used for commercial use.

Perez said he was only taking pictures for himself and his friends, and that the officer never mentioned anything about commercial photography.

To obtain a permit, one must submit a written proposal of the scope of work, take out a $1 million insurance policy and pay a $100 permit fee.

Oh, and here’s the kicker. One is also advised to hire off-duty police officers at the rate of $40-an-hour for a minimum of three hours.

Perhaps officer friendly needed the hours.

“What is real sad is that downtown was empty at 10 a.m.,” Perez said. “That is why I go, cause I know it’s empty. They just don’t know that these policies are what keeps downtown from being a money maker.

“All these nice properties and no one can capture their beauty. Sad.

“Did you notice the flag I put in the composition… We happen to like America.”

Photos by Marco Perez



Skateboarding is not a crime but photography apparently is a crime. At least in Phoenix where there have been several recent reports of photographers getting harassed by cops in the downtown area.

The latest incident involves a pair of skateboarders and a photographer named Marco Perez who arrived at the beloved Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Building last weekend to take some action shots.

But a security guard approached them and told them they had to leave the property because it was closed.

However, he did assure them that they were allowed to take photos of the courthouse as long as they stood on the sidewalk.

So they stepped down onto the sidewalk and set up a light stand with an umbrella and started taking their shots, including the one above with the courthouse in the background.

When they were done taking photos, a Phoenix motorcycle cop pulled up and asked to see their film permit.

“He told me I needed to have one and I could NOT take pictures of the courthouse,” Perez said in an email to Photography is Not a Crime.

So basically we have a situation where the security guard understands the law better than the police officer.

Ironically, the cop didn’t say anything about their skateboards. He probably didn’t see them skating off the walls. Or maybe harassing skateboarders is just so passe.

“He said things like, ‘remember Oklahoma’,” Perez said, as in remember the Oklahoma City bombing.

The officer also claimed to be the head of the Phoenix Film Office, which states the following on its website:

A Phoenix Film and Digital Media Permit (FDM Permit) is required to film in city owned buildings, parks and public-right-of-ways within the defined boundaries of the City of Phoenix. The FDM Permit covers features, TV series and shows, commercials, web casts and still photography used for commercial use.

Perez said he was only taking pictures for himself and his friends, and that the officer never mentioned anything about commercial photography.

To obtain a permit, one must submit a written proposal of the scope of work, take out a $1 million insurance policy and pay a $100 permit fee.

Oh, and here’s the kicker. One is also advised to hire off-duty police officers at the rate of $40-an-hour for a minimum of three hours.

Perhaps officer friendly needed the hours.

“What is real sad is that downtown was empty at 10 a.m.,” Perez said. “That is why I go, cause I know it’s empty. They just don’t know that these policies are what keeps downtown from being a money maker.

“All these nice properties and no one can capture their beauty. Sad.

“Did you notice the flag I put in the composition… We happen to like America.”

Support our Mission

Help us build a database of bad cops

For almost 15 years, PINAC News has remained active despite continuous efforts by the government and Big Tech to shut us down by either arresting us for lawful activity or by restricting access to our readers under the pretense that we write about “social issues.”

Since we are forbidden from discussing social issues on social media, we have created forums on our site to allow us to fulfill our mission with as little restriction as possible. We welcome our readers to join our forums and support our mission by either donating, volunteering or both.

Our plan is to build a national database of bad cops obtained from public records maintained by local prosecutors. The goal is to teach our readers how to obtain these lists to ensure we cover every city, county and state in the country.

After all, the government has made it clear it will not police the police so the role falls upon us.

It will be our most ambitious project yet but it can only be done with your help.

But if we succeed, we will be able to keep innocent people out of prison.

Please make a donation below or click on side tab to learn more about our mission.

Subscribe to PINAC

Bypass Big Tech censorship.

Carlos Miller
Carlos Millerhttps://pinacnews.com
Editor-in-Chief Carlos Miller spent a decade covering the cop beat for various newspapers in the Southwest before returning to his hometown Miami and launching Photography is Not a Crime aka PINAC News in 2007. He also published a book, The Citizen Journalist's Photography Handbook, which is available on Amazon.

Leave a Reply

- Advertisement -

Latest articles