On Tuesday, June 18, just after 8pm Christine Calderon, 23, was attacked and fatally stabbed by three transient men that were holding signs begging for money. After Christine snapped a photo of them because of the offensive language on their cardboard signs the men demanded money. When Christine and her friend refused the men attacked and later that night she passed away from the stab wound to her torso at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The attack happened on the popular intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. where tens of thousands of tourists visit each year.
The stabbing occurred on the "Walk of Fame" and three men have been arrested in connection with the attack. The LAist reported, a man who identified himself as Calderon's companion that night agreed to describe what happened and share a photo he took shortly before the incident. He says Calderon's phone has a similar image. (We spoke to LAPD Detective John Skaggs who confirmed the suspects they picked up had the same sign.) He said that he and Calderon had decided to go out to have a couple of drinks in Hollywood when they happened upon the two men pictured above. He said they thought the signs were funny, so they joked about it, snapped some photos and walked away. One of them shouted at them: "If you're going to take our *obscenity* pictures, you need to give us money." When the pair walked away without giving them money the men attacked them and in the altercation Calderon was fatally stabbed.
“Just be aware of your surroundings and be careful. Generally, in my experience as a law enforcement officer, transients don’t like their pictures being taken,” LAPD Officer Cleon Joseph said. “I’m not saying that’s a cause or reason for anything, but at the end of the day you need to be careful,” he said.
[Via PetaPixel]
Sarcastic? Yes. But I have heard that very same argument from many photographers who jump in front of strangers and snap pictures without asking and call it "street photography". Their defense is always "it's in a public place so I can do it". Sooner or later, they're going to snap pictures of the wrong person like this girl did.
Except taking photos in a public space is legal and stabbing someone isn't. This is the same kind of logic and blames women for being raped because "they should have known better than do have worn 'that'".
You made my point exactly. The dead girl kept her right to photograph and that's the important thing. I'm sure that's what her family must think too. *insert sarcasm*
Dood... wrong post to complain about privacy issues... the girl's dead... wow.. seriously?
Now is the perfect time Farzad. Let this girl's death be a lesson and use common sense when shooting. Remember the guy who was mauled by the bear? I do. That's why I'm a bit more careful when I shoot nature.
I agree with you. It is sad story but it can give some perspective on safety for street photographers.
sad yeah - that this is human nature. inhuman.
What does a bear have to do with privacy? They could just as well have been attacked by these sub-humans if they just walked by and didn't give them a dollar. Photography has NOTHING to do with this, it is purely street survival techniques and taking photographs really has nothing to do with this in the end.
The point of the bear story was just because you have the tools to take the picture, and the right to take the picture doesn't mean you should always take the picture.
Laws work until you piss someone off and get stabbed to death.
That's the dumbest statement I have ever heard!
Oh, excuse me, don't be stabbing me. I have a right to take your picture because you're in a public place making a public spectacle of yourself with your signs and begging. Yeah, I'll bet that'd work really good.
You HAVE to be sarcastic right? Otherwise you are being a complete ignorant.
Even in public you retain your right to your image and the representation of your persona.
At least in Canada but I suspect it,s the same in the states.
What pisses me off is no one tried to help this women!!
Everyone says it would be different if you where there.....NO IT WOULDN'T, I've been there a couple of times...Step in and help your fellow man, or in this case women!
Don't understand why you protect their identities with a black banner on them faces. Everybody should know the face of such dangerous people.
"innocent until proven guilty" at this time they haven't been proven guilty so showing their face would lead Fstoppers liable to being sued by these sick individuals.
True, but so ironic.
Last year we've had this case in our city where security camera's filmed a couple of guys beating up another man for fun... and their faces where also blurred... to protect their "innocence"...
It's quite sad that she was murdered over a photo (if that's all that took place) but I believe a little common sense may have saved her life. Those don't look like guys that have a sense of humor, and if I saw them my first thoughts would be to stay away from them, not to walk up and take their photo. It looks like a cell phone snapshot, so she must've been close to them.
Hopefully the low-lifes will suffer in prison or worse.
"transients don’t like their pictures being taken" .. so much for street photography. Stories like this make me so scared and paranoid to be a photographer..especially being the small young girl that I am. I have always wanted to go down to the "walk of fame" and take pictures..but now hearing this just scares me. And I always said "if I bring a guy with me to protect me it will be fine".. well she had a guy in this story too..and she got stabbed and killed. It's unfortunate people have to be like this and ruin a good form of art: Street Photography. I know I now have another story that will always be in the back of my head. I don't think I'll be taking pictures of transients ever now. Scary!
Honestly, you have nothing to fear... Just ask their permission first, say you'll pay them and if they say no don't disrespect that and take their photo anyway. If you do take their photo just make sure you pay them after. In London (UK) none of them are bothered as long as you pay them...
Yep.
I always give money upfront, and them ask them. Usually their are very happy with the 1-2$ I gibe them that they are in perfect mood to say yes.
I guess iphonography CAN kill you...
Too soon?
Why are their faces edited out?
Can't be incriminating a guilty person you know.
It just seems silly considering that the video below the edited photos didn't have their faces edited out.
many of those guys suffer from really serious mental problems. No mental institution will get them and they end up doing these sort of things just to get themselves locked in.
Many of the people that are in this position have a mental illness. Unfortunately the United States spends their money on illegal wars in other countries and building up a massive military budget larger than all other countries combined instead of spending the money on its own citizens helping to get people like this off the streets and giving them the mental health services they really need. In America it's not going to change and we'll be seeing more and more of this.
Uhhhh.... and WHY are we concealing their faces????????????????????????
not everything needs to be photographed.......
the person responsible for this murder was a volunteer with the' greater west hollywood food coalition run by ted landreth .