This is a letter sent today to the Department of Transportation by Art Spitzer of the Capital Area ACLU. It is in response to ongoing harassment photographers have faced around the DOT headquarters building in Southeast DC, and the insistence by the headquarters' police force that it is illegal to photograph a federal building.

Here's a related photo, and here's the discussion at DC Photo Rights, where you'll find examples of more incidents and a full account of the DOT policy.

This is One Williams Center, now known as the BOK Tower. BOK leases the building - it still is wholly owned by the Williams Energy Company, a powerful entity in that sector. Once upon a time, Williams Energy was very proud of its tower, then the tallest building in five states. If the building looks more than passingly familiar that's because it was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the same architect that designed the World Trade Center towers. Indeed, it shares many engineering and design similarities to those vanished structures.

Williams Energy does not want you taking pictures of its building. I found that out one sunny afternoon after going into Tulsa to see Pearl Jam at the (surprise!) BOK center. Rachel went to a charity auction and raffle, and I opted to wander downtown and take some pictures. The Williams Center was right across the street from where the auction was being held, so I started there. I had taken perhaps 8-10 shots from the sidewalk next to and in front of the building when I was interrupted by a uniformed security guard.

Once I realized he was talking to me I asked him what he had said. He told me I could not take pictures "on Williams property." Thinking I was on a public sidewalk, I asked him exactly where Williams property ended and the public sidewalk began. He looked apologetically at me and gestured vaguely toward the street curb. I asked if I was in fact standing on Williams property. He didn't answer directly, instead telling me that "Williams doesn't want you taking pictures OF their property." Well, that's a whole different ball of wax, I said to him, and asked what the limits were. He looked increasingly uncomfortable, and repeated the line about not photographing Williams property. I pointed across the street, asked if I could take pictures from there. He shrugged, recognizing how absurd this was. I told him I understood the law, that neither he nor Williams could prohibit me from taking photographs of their building from a public sidewalk. He didn't disagree, looking back over his shoulder as his supervisor stepped out of the lobby. At which point I said quietly that I was going to do him a favor and take my photos from other public property. He smiled and backed off.

I crossed the street to get a better vantage, and took about 200 unnecessary images of One Williams Center, a meaningless thumbing of my nose at yet another corporate attempt to stake a private claim to clearly marked public spaces.