C Drew - Street Artist Adventures

Greetings Supporters of Free Speech in its Fullness,

I want you! by Carlos Cortez

My weekly report is up on the Street Artist Adventures blog. Visit us to find out how we will present everyone’s art to the public. Volunteers are needed to pin together the patches with our Patch Art Project fliers (see dates/times below).
The topic of videotaping the police is important to us because we will need to prepare volunteers in wise ways of taping police and other authority figures. This letter by Mr. Lederman is a great essay that covers the required major issues as a start for this discussion. Those who intend to volunteer for us this summer giving out the patch-art should read it.

In his article Mr. Lederman mentions the NYC law – based on our First Amendment rights - that allows the public to photograph and video tape police on duty. Those lawyers who support our cause can help us by pointing out links to, or quoting equivalent Municipal code, or giving us state statutes that grant us the right to shoot video of police who are harassing us in the public way as we give out our art.

Videotaping the police: Is it legal?
by Robert Lederman
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/message/1504

Our immediate needs are clear. We need to print patches.

PRINTING VOLUNTEER PERIODS (1630 W. Wilson Ave)

Friday 3/27 5-8pm

Thursday 4/2 5-8pm

Friday 4/10 5-8pm

Tuesday 4/14 5-8pm

Plan on coming one of these evening to help us print the patches. We have already made many screens. Never pulled a squeegee before. Come and learn how and make Chicago more friendly to artists in the process. Sunday from 3-6pm are always volunteer hours. Come have some fun.

Click umcac@art-teez.org and put the word “volunteer” with the date you want to help in the subject line of the email and send to to us.

EDUCATE YOURSELF WITH THESE LINKS
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech.htm

*We made it in the Reader.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/ *Good site for artists’ rights overview *

http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Public_Spaces.cfm
which leads you to New York’s precedent setting case - Artists win.

*East Coast Case:* BERY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 97 F.3d 689 (2nd Cir. 1996)
http://www.ncac.org/art-law/op-bery.cfm
*West Coast Case:* Perry v. Los Angles Police Dept,, 121 F3d 1368 (9th Cir 1997)

http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtPerryappeal.html Artist wins.
*Nevada Case:* Steven White v. City of Sparks (Nevada) Artist wins.
In /White v. City of Sparks/, painter Steven White challenged the
constitutionality of a city ordinance that required him to obtain a permit
before selling his paintings in public parks.

http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/white-v-city-of-sparks-opinion.pdf
*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida - decided 2000. Since this time artists in St. Augustine have allowed the City to pass new restrictive laws without response and have lost some of their First Amendment rights. However, the court case Celli won is still a valid precedent for us to use as needed. Eternal vigilance is needed to maintain your speech rights because powerful interests are ever ready to pass new local laws that impact your rights. You need only read into the many messages of the second link below to learn how New York City artists have resisted the attempts to take their rights and, thereby, their livelihoods away. The same tricks may be used by our opposition.

Weinberg v. City of Chicago (when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Weinberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/

NYC Street Artist Freedom Videos
Check out these videos about how NYC artists won our rights in NYC see:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=artistpres

The Patch Art Project (PAP) is in progress.

Pilson Street Art-Action

Free Speech Artists' Movement

BREAKING NEWS

*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida -

decided 2000. Since this time artists in St. Augustine have allowed the City to pass new restrictive laws without response and have lost some of their First Amendment rights. However, the court case Celli won is still a valid precedent for us to use as needed. Eternal vigilance is needed to maintain your speech rights because powerful interests are ever ready to pass new local laws that impact your rights. You need only read into the many messages of the second link below to learn how New York City artists have resisted the attempts to take their rights and, thereby, their livelihoods away. The same tricks may be used by our opposition.

Wienberg v. City of Chicago (when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Wienberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/messages/1

News From the Free-Speech Front Lines

Free Speech Artists' Movement logo

Read Mr. Lederman’s analysis of the state of affairs in New York for artists selling on the street. This is a primer in what to expect in Chicago as we build our movement. What they are going through today with the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts – corporate dominated civic organizations pressing anti-independent-peddler laws) is what we will have to go through once we are strong enough to gain our rights. Educate yourself and learn more about your rights and how to fight for them by studying A.R.T.I.S.T., Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics, at the Yahoo group below. Stay tuned to this blog to follow the movement locally and nationally.

Read Robert’s rap below.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/message/1502

Background on NYC A.R.T.I.S.T. Group (Artists Response To Illegal State Tactics)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists

Screen Print Workshop for Artists Report

The weather was so cold and windy with snow that some who swore up and down they would come out – did not. Ha-ha-ha…. We had a great day, anyway. It is better to grow slow then fast. We are training our trainers at this time. Later, to have many people printing without ink flying everywhere or chaos with volunteers standing around we need to have many people with print experience who can help others contribute by printing patches. Each one teach one. The best way to learn is to teach.
Visit http://www.c-drew.com/blog to see photos of workshop and latest patch-art.

Help Needed: We need a volunteer to manage a Facebook page for the Free Speech Artists’ Movement. Just reply with “Facebook volunteer in the subject line.