Okay, we try not to pull story ideas from the front page of the Chron too often. After all, you can scan the headlines above the fold in the box without actually having to pay for the thing just like we do. But this is just so creepy, we had to do it. Matier and Ross report that Eric Steele, who asked to set up a number of cameras to film the middle span of the bridge constantly during the day for most of 2004, had received permission to do so based on his idea to create a documentary about noble American landmarks.

Turns out that his real intent was to film most of the 19 suicides and more attempts in order to "allow us to see into the most impenetrable corners of the human mind and challenge us to think and talk about suicide in profoundly different ways." Uh, sure, dude. We agree with Tom Ammiano, who remarked "Whatever the intention of the film, you can't help but think of a snuff film."

This was all revealed in an email Steele sent clarifying his intent and asking permission to interview bridge workers for their reactions to the suicides. Yeah, we're real sure The City is going to be cooperative now. Still, the question has to be asked -- who exactly allowed someone to install 24 hour automated surveillance cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge, documentarian or no documentarian? (Address your angry letters to Rich Weideman of the GGNRA) Filming suicides is only one of the troubling things that could have arisen out of that scenario.

Photo from photo.net by [email protected].