For Immediate Release (3/11/98):
Three artists arrested during 15th Day of Metropolitan Museum of Art protest
provided through OPENAIR-MARKET NET
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 7 Lederman was handcuffed and arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct and Obstruction of Governmental Administration.
This is Lederman's 26th arrest for speech related activities 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. PH: (718) 369-2111 or (212) 561-0877; E-mail <ARTISTpres@aol.com>; Web site http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html; Postal address: 255 13th St. Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215
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