If the first amendment rights of Lederman and other members of
A.R.T.I.S.T. are routinely being violated, why not seek the assistance
of the American Civil Liberties Union?

> ----------
> From:         ARTISTpres[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> Sent:         Tuesday, January 20, 1998 4:44 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Artist arrested at NY City Hall
>
> 1/14/89
> For Immediate Release:
>
> A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artist s Response To Illegal State Tactics)
> President Robert Lederman was arrested in front of City Hall
> today during the Mayor s State of the City speech. Lederman
> had used a piece of chalk to write,  GIULIANI =POLICE
> STATE  on the street near Giuliani s parked white sports
> utility vehicle. He was immediately surrounded by police,
> arrested and dragged into the basement of City Hall where he
> watched the Mayor s speech on a T.V. monitor while
> surrounded by police officers. Police officials immediately
> washed the chalk off of the street near Giuliani s vehicle.
>
> Lederman was held for three hours at the First Precinct and
> charged with Defacement of Property. While in custody he
> was interrogated by three N.Y.P.D. Intelligence officers and
> asked if he intended to kill the Mayor. This is Lederman s 17th
> arrest on speech related charges. He has never been found
> guilty on any of the charges. The arresting officer is P.O.
> Meeks. Arraignment is scheduled for 2/17/98 at 346
> Broadway.
>
> For information contact: (718) 369-2111
>  e-mail [log in to unmask]
> A.R.T.I.S.T. web site
> http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html
> Photos and a tape recording of the incident are available.
> First Precinct (212) 334-0611 Mayor Giuliani's press office
> 212 788-2958
>
> Background.
> Brooklyn resident Robert Lederman has earned his living by
> selling his own original paintings on the streets of New York
> City for the past 35 years. Lederman is a plaintiff in the street
> artist Federal lawsuit and President of A.R.T.I.S.T. He s been
> arrested a total of 18 times for First Amendment protected
> speech related activities. This breaks down to 12 times for
> selling or displaying his art; three times for protesting artist
> arrests in SoHo; one time for posting a political leaflet about
> the street artist issue on a lightpole in SoHo [the case is now in
> its eighth month in Criminal court]; one time in Washington
> D.C. for handing out leaflets about the street artist issue in
> front of the U.S. Capitol {a trial was held and a decision is still
> pending; the judge resigned rather than rule on the case] and
> now one time for using a piece of chalk to criticize Mayor
> Giuliani.
>
> Lederman believes that Giuliani has shown a consistent pattern
> of contempt for New Yorker s Constitutional rights generally
> and for First Amendment rights in particular. Police officials
> have told Lederman that Giuliani personally ordered them to
> arrest street artists. Reporters have told Lederman they were
> threatened by the NYPD with being cutoff from Police
> Department sources if they continued to cover the street artist
> story. It s certain that if Lederman had written  Rudy Giuliani
> is great  instead of  Giuliani = Police State  he d never have
> been arrested. In other words, the arrest was based on
> censorship of Lederman s political statement. Lederman and
> members of A.R.T.I.S.T. intend to do a Chalk-In against the
> pedestrian barriers in Midtown this coming week in order to
> draw further attention to the Mayor s arbitrary limiting of basic
> rights. Lederman discovered the chalk idea after being arrested
> for posting a leaflet. He recycles and uses small squares of
> drywall found in dumpsters and garbage cans on the street as
> chalk. The chalk is non-permanent (it blows away by itself
> after a few hours) and extremely noticeable.
>
> 1/15/98
> Dear Editor,
> Police State of the City
> Watching the Mayors  State of the City address in handcuffs
> from the basement of City Hall while surrounded by cops gave
> me a real insight into what Giuliani means when he says, "This
> is my chance to do all of the things that I was too timid and
> restrained to do in the first administration."  I m one of the
>  criminals  and  police bashers  he admonished before a
> handpicked audience of admirerers enthusiastically clapping
> and cheering on cue. My crime? Writing GIULIANI=POLICE
> STATE with chalk on the asphalt near the Great Dictator s
> armored car. Every day New York City moves closer to
> becoming a caricature of a third world totalitarian state. All
> that s needed to complete the picture is torch-lit rallys and a
> snappy salute demonstrating our  respect  for police officials.
>
> Robert Lederman
> President of A.R.T.I.S.T.
> 255 13th St
> Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215
> 718 369-2111
>