For immediate release:
Police ignore Federal ruling; continue illegal
crackdown on street artists

On Saturday,7/12/97 twenty-one plainclothes and
uniformed police officers spent two hours harassing
artists on West Broadway between Prince and Spring
Streets. Among the artists confronted by the massive
police contingent was a nine months pregnant woman
artist and her photographer husband. The police
issued numerous summonses, threatened arrest and
illegally confiscated paintings, original photographs,
limited-edition prints and art displays. Robert
Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. and a plaintiff
in the street artist Federal lawsuit had eight paintings,
seventy prints and a Department of Consumer Affairs
approved stainless steel art display confiscated. The
police videotaped and photographed their own illegal
activities without obtaining permission from artists or
pedestrians. Police officers also repeatedly ordered
confused tourists and pedestrians to, "...walk in the
street", because the excessive number of police
officers surrounding the victimized artists congested
the sidewalk.

Business in local stores was completely disrupted by
the excessive police activity and a street artist
demonstration that accompanied it. Traffic was
blocked for an hour by a large double parked
hydraulic-lift police truck and numerous police
vehicles waiting to transport confiscated paintings and
polished metal art displays. The demonstration began
as soon as police contact was made with the artists,
who chanted, "Help Us Help You Dump Freed",
made speeches denouncing  the City's policy of
violating free speech and accused the police of
pandering to Council Member Freed, Sean Sweeney
and their landlord backers.

At a strategy meeting in the basement of St.
Anthony's Church on June 24th, a roomful of police
officials including the Commanding Officers of the
Peddler Task Force and the First Precinct assured
Council Member Freed and Sean Sweeney they
would eliminate SoHo's street artists despite a recent
Federal ruling granting the artists, "...full First
Amendment protection".

For more information visit West Broadway between
Prince and Spring Streets Saturdays and Sundays and
see why they call SoHo the, "Artist Persecution
Capital of the World", or call:
Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T.
(Artists' Response To Illegal State Tactics)
(718) 369-2111 e-mail [log in to unmask]
[web page]
http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html

Photos and an excellent video of the event are
available. For background information see N.Y.
Times Metro section 6/3/97 pg. B3 "SoHo Street
Arts Triumph as High Court Rebuffs City", and
Village Voice, 7/15/97 pg. 22 "Peddle Pushers-
Community Officials Want Art Vendors Off SoHo
Streets".