Public pictures of children

What is the name of your state? WA

I was going to post somewhere in torts, but that really wouldn't fit either, so I chose here. I recognize nothing is illegal on the face, I was just looking for ideas.

On a mailing list of youth coaches I'm on, a poster mentioned a person who is beginning to show up at the games of young girls in his region. (A region is akin to a league.) He is taking photographs of the children with his camera and posting them on the web. The coach was looking to brainstorm any actions which might be taken against this person.

The photographer made the news at:
http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_032907WABpedophile_talksDS.12ddb811.html

Any ideas that are legal?

tranquility said:

What is the name of your state? WA

I was going to post somewhere in torts, but that really wouldn't fit either, so I chose here. I recognize nothing is illegal on the face, I was just looking for ideas.

On a mailing list of youth coaches I'm on, a poster mentioned a person who is beginning to show up at the games of young girls in his region. (A region is akin to a league.) He is taking photographs of the children with his camera and posting them on the web. The coach was looking to brainstorm any actions which might be taken against this person.

The photographer made the news at:
http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_032907WABpedophile_talksDS.12ddb811.html

Any ideas that are legal?

Click to expand...

I have one.....But it's not legal!

Tranquility:

I would have the perv trespassed from all private soccer fields. The coach could probably talk the city and schools into trespassing him from public grounds, too. I don't see any civil liability for that....he makes people uncomfortable, is admittedly a perv, and there's no first-amendment argument here that I find plausible. His website might be protected as free speech, but not his presence or his photography of young girls.

you might consider snapping about a hundred or so pictures of him. Most people who are up to no good, don't like to have THEIR picture taken while they are doing it.

fairisfair said:

you might consider snapping about a hundred or so pictures of him. Most people who are up to no good, don't like to have THEIR picture taken while they are doing it.

Click to expand...

YES!! And then make the photo's into Bill Boards and have his "confession" in very large text! Plaster half the State with these!!

Many other coaches have suggested the counter-picture taking idea as well. The tresspassing idea is not really available. Youth sports have a constant problem in trying to keep away undesireable people. Usually it is a parent who has gone nuts on the sidelines too many times and the league bans the parent. Since the games are on public land, the league cannot get rid of the person. And the school districts don't get involved. Believe me, it has been tried before--although for more common reasons.

Stand in front of his camera/hold large signs to obstruct his shots? Hope he starts the fight that ensues? It sucks there really isn't any legal means to prevent a confessed pedophile from attending children sporting events.

Any provision in Washington law for a restraining order against him?

I rather suspect that if he got laid out by some angry parent, the DA would find there to be insufficient evidence to proceed to trial. I can pretty much guarantee that would be the case in my county in CA ... heck, the DA would probably shake his hand at prelim!

Whack-jobs like this probably need to experience a little less-than-legal justice before they get the hint.

And I concur with Tranqulity that the trespass angle is not going to fly. Absent a restraining order, it is nearly impossible out here to ban someone from a public park or other venue open to the general public (like a school field) for a recreational event. It has been tried before, and failed. As he said, angry or disgruntled parents, etc, have been undesirable and are a constant pain.

- Carl

Overtly taking lots of pictures of him is a great idea. In the article you linked he's called "John" and he's wearing a floppy hat and big dark glasses. This guy definitely wants to be anonymous, as of course he would want to be.

Give him lots of attention. Nothing illegal about all the dads--especially the big ones--standing close to him. Real close. Nothing illegal about telling him "We know who you are." Unsmiling. Nothing illegal about letting him see you write down his license plate. It would be easy to make him extremely uncomfortable.

Ah, yes - good idea! I know I'd be up for that one! Photos, videos, and a web page of your own ... maybe even have some make a show of following him when he leaves the game! Make HIM paranoid!

Ya know ... maybe one of the dads could be the honorary "bat man" for the team and just happen to be holding the bats for the kids while he stands around enjoying the park.

- Carl

CdwJava said:

Ah, yes - good idea! I know I'd be up for that one! Photos, videos, and a web page of your own ... maybe even have some make a show of following him when he leaves the game! Make HIM paranoid!

Ya know ... maybe one of the dads could be the honorary "bat man" for the team and just happen to be holding the bats for the kids while he stands around enjoying the park.

- Carl

Click to expand...

Perhaps have a series of men follow his ass EVERYWHERE, work, home, food shopping...EVERYWHERE...And post this video footage on your web site...

CdwJava said:

maybe one of the dads could be the honorary "bat man" for the team and just happen to be holding the bats for the kids while he stands around enjoying the park. - Carl

Click to expand...

But if you do that please make sure you pick a dad who's reasonably graceful and not too clumsy. It would be awful if he tripped or something and one of the bats hit the perv in the knee. Or if all the bats went flying and cracked his windshield. Or if he tripped several consecutive times and hit the perv several times in the knee. Or something.

Edited after Tranquility's post: Even better! The kids won't need the bats!

Actually, it would be "ball boy", as this is soccer. I agree that parent assertiveness would probably be effective. How do you get to that point? There are many games, at many levels. Do you post a bulletin? What do you say in the bulletin which will not cause legal problems down the line? Remember, we are supposed to be the good guys. Just because we *know* a person is up to know good does not mean we know.

While Carl seems to feel the DA will not charge in an accidental mishap where the person becomes injured, that changes in a tort case where a league makes known a person is a problem and parent's respond to that problem in a violent way. That really isn't appropriate even though everyone here (including myself) believes it is. Better would be a call to the local constables who check for sun in the sunvisor and gloves in the glovebox of the miscreant. Although, in the short term, such harrassment would be useful, over time the guy would make sure he has gloves and sun and the tactic would fail.

What about intellectual property? Can the photography be a licensed event? Can there be a copyright on a logo on a player's jersey which can be protected? Can the game be protected in an IP way?

Gevalia said:

But if you do that please make sure you pick a dad who's reasonably graceful and not too clumsy. It would be awful if he tripped or something and one of the bats hit the perv in the knee. Or if all the bats went flying and cracked his windshield. Or if he tripped several consecutive times and hit the perv several times in the knee. Or something.

Click to expand...

Yeah...that would be tragic....