It has been a year to the day since I was banned via the universal trespass order from entering 67 Burlington business. I was banned for taking public photos of ordinary people. I was banned because some were irked at my "unsettling" decorum in public. They did not take kindly to the way I expressed myself and, when it became evident that I was not going to submit to their sense of etiquette, they acted against me with the only instrument at their disposal. Even after being banned, there was no further law nor ordinance to prevent me from taking photos on the public streets. Sure, I was harangued by the local authorities at work and on the streets, but no citation was issued nor any infraction logged.

Street photography is the ground-level documentation of the human condition as it presents in the public forum. It is the purest of proletarian arts. This sort of activity is, of course, not only culturally vital but - supremely - protected speech. So, with hesitation, trepidation and outright fear, I continued. I felt it my duty.

Today, marks the end of the one-year ban. I am free to enter any store or shop again, though I doubt I'll ever spend another dime in Burlington. Well, with the exceptions of Lezots Camera shop, Radio Deli and Radio Bean (thank you guys for your unwavering support.)

Ironically, like a plot twist in a shoddy novel, I was harassed today by the Burlington Police. Officer Dominic Brodeur explained to me in no uncertain terms that he knew that it was my right to take photos but, as he so tersely put it, "I don't want you doing it here." He explained that there were complaints, that I was "pissing people off" with my camera. There were other words exchanged, the most humorous was when he accused me of photographing him in his cruiser three hours prior. To which I responded, "That's not possible, I was at work. Call my supervisor, see for yourself..." But, I digress. The point being, that as Officer Brodeur walked off, I could not get out of my head a certain notion.

That notion was that perhaps a society - even one as small as Burlington - so willing to step on the rights of others - so willing to give up their own rights when they conflict with the whim of fashionable etiquette - does not deserve a champion so willing to fight for the rights of all.