At Philadelphia’s Washington Square Park, Lost Drone | See Drone Fly Through NYC’s Arch (But Don’t Get Too Used to It)

Drone with camera (moon in background)
Drone with camera

I was all ready to write about a drone being discovered at WSP based on a Google Alert I received when I realized it was a drone found in Philadelphia’s Washington Square Park (yes, there is one) posted on Craigs List.

Who knows? It could have been a new form of surveillance for the NYPD left sitting around the park. The whole drone thing is a bit out of control it seems, in every form of use.

Here is the Phila. listing:

Lost Drone, Found in Washington Square Park

On my way to work today, I found a drone in Washington Square Park. Looks like maybe the battery ran out and it fell? The battery and video recording flash drive were hanging out of it.

If you were flying your drone around last night and lost it, I’ve got it! Email me with a description. I’d hate for someone to lose something so expensive.

“If you were flying your drone around last night”… that is funny. Maybe people do that regularly in Philadelphia. (I am a big fan of Philadelphia by the way but is this a regular thing?)

Of course, at least one drone has flown through our Washington Square Park. This video from last year captures footage via a drone flying through the Arch! If you tune in at about 42 seconds, you will catch it.

Unfortunately, drones may become so normalized, we forget too easily that they are being used to kill by the U.S. government regularly.

Drone Coverage:

As Drones fly in Cities and Yards, So Do the Complaints NPR, 2014

History of Drones, The Nation (2012)

Targeted Killings and Drones (by U.S.), Council on Foreign Relations (really scary info re: U.S. actions)

Update: For a great resource on drones, listen to a great audio interview with Marjorie Cohn, the author/editor of the book, “Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues,” along with Jeanne Mirer, Chair of the International Committee of the National Lawyers Guild being interviewed by Mitchel Cohen here at this link. The book has a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and is part of a package to support WBAI-FM community-sponsored, commercial free radio station (99.5 FM here in NYC). For $75, you can receive the book and two CDs, including the above interview, a speech by Kathy Kelly and an interview with a former drone pilot. Make a tax-deductible donation to receive the package here and learn all about drones and more while supporting a important non-profit radio station.

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Photo: Don McCullough

Video: Randy Scott Slavin

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4 thoughts on “At Philadelphia’s Washington Square Park, Lost Drone | See Drone Fly Through NYC’s Arch (But Don’t Get Too Used to It)”

    • Hey Stacy. I think the thing is right now there is little regulation of them. That is my understanding (?). And yes the footage is breathtaking!

      Cathryn

      Reply
  1. “Unfortunately, drones may become so normalized, we forget too easily that they are being used to kill by the U.S. government regularly.”

    I would flip that statement in the opposite direction. Aerial drones have been used for lethal military purposes since the Vietnam War. That part was going on for a long time without anyone noticing. What’s happened more recently is that affordability and civilian ingenuity has turned what used to be only an instrument of warfare into something that actually helps people and lets us see things we couldn’t before. All these new uses are reclaiming the tools of war and making them serve peace instead.

    Reply
    • Hi Richard, I hear what you are saying. I suppose it is true that it can flip both ways. It just still seems a little dodgy (blurring lines) to me. But finding positive uses for these things can be viewed as a good thing, yes, and if they *serve peace* better still. I appreciate your perspective. Thanks!

      Cathryn

      Reply

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