http://www.startribune.co...93703.html

C.J.: College kid says Prince bodyguard swiped his camera after snapping shot

C.J., Star Tribune

Published December 30, 2003

Prince's bodyguard reportedly played the role of airport Scrooge Monday when he swiped an Edina man's new digital camera. Anthony Fitzgerald, 19, was on his way to London for New Year's when his friend Carah Barrett said "Oh, isn't that Prince?" Symbolina was deplaning near an L.A. flight, the college kids believe. "Sure enough, it was him in his sunglasses and everything trying to make a big deal out of nothing," said Fitzgerald, reached Tuesday via cell phone. "There was one of those carts waiting for him. He hopped on that and was waiting I guess for the rest of his party. I went over and took a picture," said Fitzgerald. "I turned around and right in front of my face was his bodyguard who said What the hell do you think you're doing? Snatched the camera out of my hands and got on the thing and they drove off." I attempted to get Prince's side of the encounter Tuesday through his NYC attorney Londell McMillan. "We do have a report of it," said Lt. Matt Christenson of the Twin Cities airport. "The report is still in process and under investigation." Fitzgerald said "I called (airport police) as I was on the plane, and they wanted to delay the plane so I could fill out a police report. I didn't want to hold up 109 people. I told them when I came into Minnesota I would do it then." Fitzgerald's mom, Michelle Lee, said she called to make a complaint with airport police, but she was told that her son needs to finish this. "It's on file," Lee said. "First I call, talked to security, and security said we can't do anything. I said, 'Don't tell me you can't do anything about it. This is ridiculous!' This is a good kid." Fitzgerald was a very upset kid when he called his mom from the airport while she was working her server job at Bacio in Minnetonka. Fitzgerald, seen in a holiday Walmart commercial playing with an X-Box, goes to KU in Lawrence, Kansas while Barrett attends NDSU in Fargo. "Here is a college kid who works at Russell Stover down in Lawrence for like $7 an hour; part-time job while he's going to school; second year down there. Come on. He doesn't have money," said his mom, reiterating, "I mean, this is a good kid. Never been in trouble. Super kid and just really likes Prince." Make that liked Prince. Fitzgerald said he previously thought pain and suffering claims in lawsuits were silly, until now: "It surprised me. It really just shocked me because this man appears out of nowhere and yanked the camera out of my hand." After work Monday, Lee went home and started working the Web to see whether there is a way to reach Prince. "He's like wiped off the face of the Earth. Nothing on the Internet. Couldn't get ahold of Paisley Park. Nothin'," said Lee. But she knows Paisley's location. "When I get off work at Bacio today, I'm heading out there. I'm leaving him A NOTE!" she said. "I'm furious. I want my son's camera back. That is wrong and dirty. Who does this big goon think he is?" Is this anyway for a door-knocking member of Jehovah's Witnesses to allow his representatives to act?

LOL! What a little bitch, like he's the center of the God-damn world!

So is this where the recent pics come from?

And these are the pictures posted on NPGMC site - right???

From previous experience, I dig exactly where they are coming from...

Yeah, pretty cold. Talk about alienating a fan... It would make me howl if they were fooling with his camera in Beverly Hills and took those shots. tee hee

sbacon1999 said:

Duane (or 'Dwayne' as I like 2 call him - kinda has a more 'Hicksville' vibe 2 it) threatened 2 throw me off a balcony in MPLS once 4 doing something very similiar. JERK.

Long story.

fuck, i woulda snapped, knocked over the bodyguard with my luggage, took back the camera, ran over to prince and crack him over the head with the camera and then take a picture.

Ardeo said:

Ardeo - u my hero man!

I would have gone ape-shit over this. The man stole his camera and should be arrested for it. That's all there is to it.

If Prince goes out in public, then he should expect that somebody's going to take his photo. If he doesn't want that, then he should hibernate all year in Paisley Park and never leave.

Haystack said:

umm, yeah...good luck in gettin the camera back, kid, you'll need it (the luck, not the camera ). i feel no sympathy for this cat at all. if he were a knowledgeable fan (which he kinna-sorta ain't, cuz he coulda used google in order to find ol' boy's website...tho' he'd have to pay $25 ducketts in order to even get in the joint n'complain ) he'd know that prince don't take too kindly to havin his pic taken...'less he gets like paid for it or what-not.

and as for c.j.'s heffalicious ass....

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

why dont he like his pic taken...is he, is he vampire?

Ardeo said:

bananacologne said:

i think he is a vamp, he doesnt want anyone to know when he's not in make-up

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Yeah, but if Prince is in a public place (an airport) then it's his hard luck if he has his photo taken when he doesn't like it. He's a celeb and he should accept that that's how life is. Heck, he should be thrilled that people still think that much of him that they want to take his picture. I know that if I saw him in a public place I'd definitely take his picture and if any bodyguard tried to take my camera away, I'd tell him to Fuck off and kick the cunt if he tried to steal from me! I don't care how big or fierce (or ass-kissy to Prince) he was.

Prince really knows how to give himself bad publicity.

Haystack said:

me and u both

man, if i ever have the chance to crack prince over the head with a digital camera...i'll crack it extra hard 4 u

Haystack said:

Dansa, I totally hear what you're saying and I respect and acknowlege it, and dig that you're just telling it the way it is, but I just gotta say this:

IF YOU DON'T WANT YO PICTURE TAKEN IN PUBLIC, DON'T BECOME A PUBLIC-ASS MUTHAFUKKIN' FIGURE.

Don't like meat? Probably shouldn't become a butcher.

Don't like classical music? Probably should shy away from that career as a cellist.

Don't like working with children? You might not want to follow that dream of being a kindergarten teacher.

Okay, maybe I'm simplifying matters a bit, but DAMN. And it's not like it was a paperazzi - it was a kid! A fan! I could understand Prince tsk-tsking the guy, or the bodyguard requesting that the kid ask permission or just plain saying "no pictures please", but when a public figure is in a public place - hell, when a PRIVATE citizen is in a public place - all bets are off!

Matter of fact, some stranger on the street took my picture last week, for lord knows what reason - I would have preferred he hadn't, but ya know what, that's why I have blinds on my windows when I go home, shit. I would prefer people not come up to me and ask for directions or money or smokes when I'm out on the street, I'm not a fuckin' people person, okay? - but that's part of being outside in the world, isn't it? And if I were in a position where I was a public figure, I'd either get used to the added attention or I would figure out how to shield myself from it with a minimum of grief. He's been in the game long enough, he knows better. And it's not like he has the same scrutiny as MJ or Madonna anymore. People just want to see his hair and his outfit anymore, and most people in mainstream society don't even give a shit about THAT anymore.

What a bitter old troll he is, pretending he's still as relevant a celebrity as he was on the night of the 1985 AMAs. Whatever. Ugh.

Haystack said:

i guess i said what i said outta my own personal belief that it's kinda dumb for any fan to take snapshots of celebrities out in public. same with gettin autographs...i find it pointless, in a way.

call me weird.

oh my god. i never knew that imnotsyingthisjusttobenasty's (sp?) avatar is CJ!!!

CJ said:

Riiight, CJ.



Sop it up, fans. Sop it up with some big ol' biscuits.

º
[This message was edited Tue Dec 30 16:18:12 PST 2003 by Supernova]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

not weird. (at least not in this case ) i agree with what u're saying, but someone doing it IN A PUBLIC place doesn't give the celebrity or his goons the right to STEAL something.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

He should have no problem getting the camera back if the story is true, and Duane, or whoever took the camera away, will need to do some damage control quickly or he could potentially be facing misdemeanor charges in Bloomington.

Generally, you are legally entitled to photograph anyone--celebrity or not--in a public place where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g., you can't legally take photos of people in a public bathroom because there is such an expectation there). The fact that "fams" know Prince doesn't like his picture taken has no legal relevance. Whether you have the right to publish such photos without the subject's permission is a separate question that depends on a multitude of factors, including whether the person is a public figure.

Furthermore, the taking away of the camera, if true and coupled with the intent to permanently retain it, may constitute misdemeanor theft (unless it's a real expensive camera, in which case it could be felony theft). If the bodyguard made physical contact with the person, it might even be misdemeanor assault in many places. You can laugh at that, but I've seen people charged for physical contact as slight.

madartista said:

yet n'still, the cat shoulda known better. period point blank. 'sides, this situation ain't all that bad.

prince's henchmen snatched up his camera. prince's fuckin bodyguards, man! that'll shake up all the kids in study hall when he tells 'em.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Well, yeah. I agree with that. But I think it's a matter of etiquette and personal discipline. When I lived in NYC, I brushed past several famous folks of whom I was a big fan, but something in me said that it would be more respectful to let them be than to harass them. But still and all, if you sell X million records and then go stand in a long ass line at the movie house, prepare to be approached. That's just how it is, and if you think it's your right to refuse that treatment, then maybe it's also correct to not get paid kajillions of dollars for a damn record contract when far fresher artists are out there making five bucks playing at an all-ages show in someone's damn garage.

I think when it comes down to having one's personal safety threatened, then fine - public figures should strike back. I applauded Bjork when she went haywire on the reporter harassing her child in an airport. What happened to Princess Diana was all kinds of sick and wrong. The stories you hear about stalkerazzis should end up with jail sentences for the photographers at fault.

But a gawky ass kid with a digital camera who's excited about seeing Prince in an airport? Come on. I wish Prince would pretend to have some fucking class sometimes.

uh oh

I'm gonna get so much crap for this from my friends.

HobbesLeCute said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Being weird is definitely the way to be! I wouldn't want to be considered anything less.

Haystack said:

you're all a buncha weirdos imho