Are there problems with the new stadium?

Evidence:

1. Private Security guards now prevent people from taking pictures near
the ballpark.
2. Construction workers have been warned not to discuss the project
with anyone.
3. An Architectural/Engineering/Construction mentoring group for DC
high school kids had its site visit of the new park canceled. (Not
postponed, canceled).
4. MLB had some type of info that caused them not to schedule a home
opener.
5. Zero tickets will be sold for the March 29 exhibition game (making
it much easier to cancel, right?

Part of my paranoia comes from this blog post from WAPO journalist
Jacqueline Dupree from her awesome website: jdland.com
Ms. Dupree writes, "Taking photos of the stadium's exterior started to
be constrained in late summer by the infrastructure work being done
along First Street and Potomac Avenue; and by October access to N Street
had pretty well been cut off too, again because of the infrastructure
work. While I grumbled about the loss of access to those locations, I
respect the perimeters of construction sites, and totally understand the
need for security to keep people out of the ballpark, and so I stayed
north of N. But yesterday, while standing on the northeast corner of
First and N streets, on an open public sidewalk outside of the stadium
footprint, I was approached by a security guard telling me repeatedly
that I was "not allowed" to take photos of the ballpark. (At least I
wasn't screamed at through a megaphone, as happened to a correspondent
of mine at the same location recently.) This is, of course,
ridiculous--there are no laws against taking photographs of anything
while standing on public property, and it deserves its own separate rant
about stupid attempts to clamp down on civil liberties in public spaces.
But the cumulative effect of the run-ins I've had over the past few
months when I am absolutely positively 100% in no way trying to set foot
inside the ballpark (my favorite being the time I was shadowed by a
guard all the way down South Capitol from N to Potomac and back despite
never coming any closer to the ballpark than South Capitol's median)
have left me drained and uninterested in continuing the battle. At the
same time, I'm dealing with the fallout from a recent memo sent out by
the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission reminding ballpark
contractors and subcontractors that they are not allowed to talk to "the
media" without prior approval by the DCSEC, leaving workers who have
been nice enough to answer such probing questions as "how many panels
make up each row of the HD scoreboard?" feeling that they can no longer
be helpful.
I imagine something could be worked out, though right now I'm worn out
from all the drama and not quite ready to fight the fight. In the
meantime, I'm not going to update any ballpark photos or post news of
the stadium other than links to accounts in the ("real") media. (Of
course, the vast majority of the exterior work of the ballpark is
already completed, so this isn't exactly a breathtakingly brave stand!)
Once the roads are reopened, and the ballpark is close to opening, I'll
of course get back in gear, but until then I'm taking a breather."

Why remove access for a journalist that has been providing free positive
publicity?

--
FSogol

"FSogol" <FSogol.TakeThisOut@nospamplease.org> wrote in message
news:odadnToK8PaaXNDanZ2dnUVZ_hadnZ2d@cavtel.net...
> Evidence:
>
> 1. Private Security guards now prevent people from taking pictures near
> the ballpark.
> 2. Construction workers have been warned not to discuss the project with
> anyone.
> 3. An Architectural/Engineering/Construction mentoring group for DC high
> school kids had its site visit of the new park canceled. (Not postponed,
> canceled).
> 4. MLB had some type of info that caused them not to schedule a home
> opener.
> 5. Zero tickets will be sold for the March 29 exhibition game (making it
> much easier to cancel, right?
>
> Part of my paranoia comes from this blog post from WAPO journalist
> Jacqueline Dupree from her awesome website: jdland.com
> Ms. Dupree writes, "Taking photos of the stadium's exterior started to be
> constrained in late summer by the infrastructure work being done along
> First Street and Potomac Avenue; and by October access to N Street had
> pretty well been cut off too, again because of the infrastructure work.
> While I grumbled about the loss of access to those locations, I respect
> the perimeters of construction sites, and totally understand the need for
> security to keep people out of the ballpark, and so I stayed north of N.
> But yesterday, while standing on the northeast corner of First and N
> streets, on an open public sidewalk outside of the stadium footprint, I
> was approached by a security guard telling me repeatedly that I was "not
> allowed" to take photos of the ballpark. (At least I wasn't screamed at
> through a megaphone, as happened to a correspondent of mine at the same
> location recently.) This is, of course, ridiculous--there are no laws
> against taking photographs of anything while standing on public property,
> and it deserves its own separate rant about stupid attempts to clamp down
> on civil liberties in public spaces.
> But the cumulative effect of the run-ins I've had over the past few months
> when I am absolutely positively 100% in no way trying to set foot inside
> the ballpark (my favorite being the time I was shadowed by a guard all the
> way down South Capitol from N to Potomac and back despite never coming any
> closer to the ballpark than South Capitol's median) have left me drained
> and uninterested in continuing the battle. At the same time, I'm dealing
> with the fallout from a recent memo sent out by the DC Sports and
> Entertainment Commission reminding ballpark contractors and subcontractors
> that they are not allowed to talk to "the media" without prior approval by
> the DCSEC, leaving workers who have been nice enough to answer such
> probing questions as "how many panels make up each row of the HD
> scoreboard?" feeling that they can no longer be helpful.
> I imagine something could be worked out, though right now I'm worn out
> from all the drama and not quite ready to fight the fight. In the
> meantime, I'm not going to update any ballpark photos or post news of the
> stadium other than links to accounts in the ("real") media. (Of course,
> the vast majority of the exterior work of the ballpark is already
> completed, so this isn't exactly a breathtakingly brave stand!) Once the
> roads are reopened, and the ballpark is close to opening, I'll of course
> get back in gear, but until then I'm taking a breather."
>
> Why remove access for a journalist that has been providing free positive
> publicity?


You raise some valid points. One thing you may want to pass along to Ms.
Dupree is that Silver Spring recently stopped allowing photographers to take
pictures of the new buildings there. The local security said that it was
private property, and the courts struck that down quickly. The press has
the ability to take pictures anywhere that is not labeled by the Federal
government as restricted for National Security (yes we still have that
ridiculousness). States and local jurisdictions (much less a private
security force) cannot overrule the first amendment. I realize this is a
Maryland court decision which has no automatic jurisdiction, but courts will
often times take another court's decision into account favorably. So she
may be able to get quick relief and the area may get advertisement for the
new stadium.

--
Brian J. Whiting
CompAid.TakeThisOut@rcn.com
Brian_Whiting_2006.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com