Uncle Pete, Nothing to Fear

Uncle Pete says he's got nothing to fear because he's always stayed on this side of the law, never done nothing to get into trouble.  I always felt that way too, but it didn't keep the Syracuse Police from harassing me for my pictures. I don't know if it's a post 9-11 phenomenon like what Camilo Jose Vergara writes about on his website Invincible Cities, or if it's just random bad luck on my part for being bold enough to document the Syracuse Police arrensting this man at Columbus Circle. In any case, I was pretty scared when the officer wouldn't let me leave, draped himself over my car and insisted that we were "having a conversation, " while continuing to request for me to share my pictures with him. I was so scared that after I asked his name, I immediately forgot it.  Despite that lapse I'll never forget what it felt like to be physically detained and harassed by the police for photos which I'm within my rights to take, but which clearly can draw the ire of officers who don't want their actions documented.