For immediate release: 3/11/98
Three artists arrested during 15th Day of
Metropolitan Museum of Art protest

After a meeting on Monday in which Parks
Department officials and representatives of the
Giuliani Administration decided to make no
changes in their controversial artist permit policy,
a new wave of confiscations and arrests began in
front of the museum. Thomas Rozinski, legal
counsel for Parks and Chief Brash, head of Parks
Enforcement personally confiscated artwork and
self-published illustrated books from artists.
When the artists began demonstrating in response
Brash ordered his men to destroy their art
displays.

Fifteen Parks Enforcement officers backed up by
seven uniformed N.Y.P.D. officers surrounded the
protesting artists and eventually choose two for
arrest, Neil Balmuth and Peggy Hung. Hung was
arrested while playing a valuable Chinese gong
which was confiscated by the police.

At approximately 4:30 P.M. after leaving the
scene for approximately 40 minutes, more than 25
police and Parks Enforcement officers returned
with Chief Brash, marched behind the steel police
barricades that had been set up for the
demonstrators and surrounded A.R.T.I.S.T.
president Robert Lederman while he and the
artists were quietly standing in a circle eating
candy bars and discussing the days events.
Lederman was handcuffed and arrested and
charged with Disorderly Conduct and Obstruction
of Governmental Administration.

This is Lederman s 26th arrest for speech related
activites since Mayor Giuliani took office. During
the course of the Met protest Lederman has been
arrested 4 times, charged with 12 different crimes
and received 5 summonses for unlicensed vending
and for using a piece of tape to post a N.Y. Times
editorial critical of the Parks Department and
Mayor Giuliani on Parks property.

Photos of art confiscations and artist arrests are
available for publication.

For more information contact: A.R.T.I.S.T.
(Artists  Response To Illegal State Tactics)
(718) 369-2111 E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html
Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern (212)
360-1305, Thomas Rozinski, General Counsel
Parks Department  (212) 360-1314, William
Leurs, President Metropolitan Museum of Art
(212) 570-3900, Ashton Hawkins, Legal Counsel
Metropolitan Museum of Art (212) 570-3936,
Central Park Conservancy (212) 315-0385 Also
see: NY Times 3/2/98 B1; NY Times Editorial
3/4/98; Newsday 3/2/98 A7; Village Voice
2/24/98 pg 57; Newsday 2/26/98 A8; NY Times
6/3/97 B2; Manhattan Spirit editorial 3/5/98
 Keep Parks Free From Censorship