Photographer Thomas Hawk Harassed by Police for Taking Photos

Photo by Naixn via Flickr

If you don't know blogger and photographer Thomas Hawk, his name recently hit the radar last August when he was physically ousted from San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art for taking a photograph in an area where photographs were allowed. In short, it became an internet brawl between Hawk and Simon Blint, the museum's Director of Visitor Relations.

On the street, we hear mixed reviews of Hawk. Some think he's great for standing up for his rights; others who can't stand him saying he's abrasive, which leads to said confrontational situations.

Nevertheless, it happened again this past week when he was visiting Long Beach. He and a friend were taking photos of "industrial stuff" around the Port of Long Beach. At one point, a British Petroleum security guard asked them to stop taking photos of their refinery, which drew attention to itself by having a massively huge flag hung on its wall. Later, Long Beach Harbor Patrol stopped them where a larger confrontation took place.