Junkies in Park Slope

Subject: response to "wizing in the park"

I think you are missing my point. I certainly don't feel like we should be monitored with video all the time, and personal privacy is important. Having said that, this was not a government agency taking this photo, it was a private citizen outside their home taking a photo of an occurance they observed in the public space (here, the street). There is a difference.

There is also a difference in monitoring the public space open-ended, and taking a photo or video in reaction to something seen in the public.

In a free society, a person should be allowed to take a picture and disseminate it to his neighbors and others with interest, especially if it is in the public interest. Yes, making rash and unsubstantiated statements about people puts the person stating these statements in jeopardy of defaming. BUT, what goes on in the public is public, and whether someone puts up a photo or a video of something seen in the public is a moral and ethical decision that must be an individual determination. They role the dice, and take their chances. Having said that, the first amendment certainly protects much of what is out on the internet and in the public forum today anyway, and therefore you can’t stop people from doing it even if you believe it is not moral or ethical. That’s just he way it goes in America.

As for whizzing in the public space, which is unlawful, if I ever was caught doing this, and someone took a photo of me, I would probably deserve the public admonishment. I would be angered at little for sure, but free societies tend to be transparent, even at the expense of dignity or embarrassment. There is also a difference between someone publishing the photo of me to defame my character and reputation, and someone publishing the photo of me to let the neighborhood know people are pissing all over the place.

And lets be honest here, Park Slope has many roaming men who are obviously seriously high or medicated to the point of confusion. Some seem dangerous, though most are probably benign. Lets not be New Yorker's without any sense about this whatsoever. With the original encounter, the men in that car were asked to leave, and they certainly didn't clarify their situation to the homeowner, which would have been easy. And certainly, they don't have too either. Yes, we cannot make a definitive judgement whether they were shooting up drugs or a daily medication. But come on, does anyone in New York have any New York instincts anymore? Its the difference between living in reality, and living in a fantasy world. Welcome to Brookyln.

But I digress ... the public space is not private space, and we all have to deal with technology that allows a moment in time to become a blog discussion. The more discussion, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

I appreciate the rely.
Charlesbklyn

it looks like they are wearing "scrubs" or some sort of hospital garb over their clothes. Just an observation.

According to the original poster they were parked in the lot of a local McDonald's. I propose that those "syringes" were in fact happy meal toys.

Apparently no one has heard of Pixar's upcoming film "Ratatouille" about a rat who wants to become a chef, but is crippled by a vicious liquid cheese addiction.

So they were getting ready to shoot promotional cheese in their mouths when this picture was snapped.

Case Closed.