That particular refinery has been a "sensitive" site for a long time, even when I lived a short distance away in the 60's. It is completely and closely surrounded by a fairly high density residential community.

It is also an attractive subject to photographers because the structures are so close to the street. But even when the threat of terrorism doesn't make everyone nervous it is private property and off-limits to photographers unless you obtain a release and permission from the owners of the refinery before taking a camera to the site.

That the police in the metropolitan Los Angeles area are overly rough, aggressive and hostile is also no surprise. Even breaking a traffic law, especially after dark, is putting your safety and well-being at risk if you are stopped.

And that's why I always have a few of these in all my bags.

http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf

The "Rights" document was obviously written before the Patriot Act was passed. Today using a camera to record all kinds of public infrastructure is covered by the act and you can be questioned legitimately by the police if there is any suspicion you might be a terrorist or associated with terrorism. Refineries and chemical plants are considered by Homeland Security to be potential terrorist targets.

Second, many communities and government jurisdictions have very restrictive statutes governing the practice of professional photography on public property. It also gets sticky doing photography inside a gated community, even if you are on obviously public space like a road. The police do not always know by visual indicators of your status and can and will stop and question photographers as to whether you are a professional and if so you have the proper licenses and have paid the fees imposed on using public spaces to do professional photography. Many public spaces by statute require posting insurance bonds to do photography on publicly owned property. Even National Parks have restrictive regulations governing photography done by professionals.

Even a beach that's public and a part of one Southern California community is restricted and requires a specific license to practice photography as a professional on the beach.