Budding paparazzi hopefuls wanting to make it big in California, this one is for you. If you enjoy following, stalking or harassing celebrities as a career choice you may want to reconsider. As of September 24, 2013, a new anti-paparazzi bill kicked in making Hollywood actress, Halle Berry's mission a success.
The Senate Bill 606 in California states that “Any person who intentionally harasses the child or ward of any other person because of that person’s employment shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment”.
Could this mean the end of TMZ? Who knows but the ‘Monster’s Ball’ actress had been pushing to get the law passed since early this year, after facing horrendous stalking by celebrity photographers. Recalling one such incidence at the California State Assembly Judiciary Committee on Public Safety, Berry spoke about a large group of photographers crowding around her and her five year old daughter, an experience that resulted in the little girl being terrorized to the point of believing the photographers were trying to kill her.
Actress Jennifer Garner joined Berry in court, testifying in favor of the bill. Tearing up, the actress spoke about the continuous ordeal her family has to go through, having to endure photographers that follow them through the day. “Literally everyday there are as many as 15 cars of photographers waiting outside our home” says Garner, “large, aggressive men swarm us causing a mob scene, yelling, jockeying for position, crowding around the kids." Married to actor and director Ben Affleck, the Hollywood power couple and their three children are of tremendous interest to anyone wishing to make money out of exposing celebrities’ personal lives.
America’s sweetheart and one of Hollywood’s highest paid actresses Sandra Bullock welcomed the new bill, and praised the efforts of Berry and Garner. "Children should be allowed to be children and not be sold” says the mother of 3-year Lois Bardot.
Bullock herself has been of great significance to the media, in particular the paparazzi, since her highly publicized split from ex-husband Jesse James, and the subsequent adoption of Bardot from New Orleans. It was a period of almost a decade that a man stalked Bullock, following her across the country in a desperate effort to meet her. In July 2010, the actress filed for a restraining order against him, who subsequently admitted himself into a mental institution on account of his severe obsession with her.
The law of course is not limited to celebrities, it essentially applies to any child who is getting stalked and/or harassed due to the nature of his or her parent(s)’ occupation. Politicians, billionaires, policemen, and anyone in the public eye who runs the risk of being stalked owing to their profession will greatly benefit from the law.
Would you like to see similar laws implemented in your state/country. Or do you feel this contradicts the first amendment to the United States constitution by infringing on the right to free speech and free press?
Sources:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.,http://omg.yahoo.com, http://omg.yahoo.com, http://www.cnn.com
Image Sources: http://abclocal.go.com ,
Feature Image: http://ca.eonline.com
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