No pictures for you!

Fellow patrons had their cellphones temporarily confiscated to prevent pictures from being taken.

What is this? Russia? What in the world was their justification for confiscating everyone's cell phone? I mean a real reason, not the "no pictures" reason. This is still (last time I checked) America and the restaurant was not under marshal law so the confiscation of phones should have been illegal. What would the SS have done if someone refused? Would they have dragged out the malcontent? Imagine the howls of rage from the media and ACLU if this had happened with the last first lady. That would have just reinforced the Bush = Nazi meme but this, this is different!