For Immediate Release (5/27/98):
Mayor Giuliani leaves Commencement Speech at Cooper Union Art School While Artists Are Being Arrested Outside
provided through OPENAIR-MARKET NET
Mayor Giuliani today gave the commencement address to the graduating class of the Cooper Union Art, Architecture and Engineering School, ignoring a petition signed by a majority of the graduating class that asked him not to attend. The school, located at 3rd Avenue and St Marks Place in the East Village, was ringed by a special N.Y.P.D. Task Force in anticipation of a demonstration by members of A.R.T.I.S.T.
Police attempted to force a small group of artist/protesters displaying satirical portraits of Mayor Giuliani to set up inside a police barricade located one-and-a-half blocks from the school, a location that was almost completely out of sight or sound of the building. The artists, led by Robert Lederman, then attempted to locate the protest on the traffic island at St Marks Place between 3rd and 4th Avenues where a giant sculpture of a cube is located. Despite this location being almost a block from the school the protesters were surrounded by police who moved two paddy wagons into place. Lederman was then arrested by a police captain as he was being interviewed by channel 4, Fox, News Radio 88, WBAI and other reporters. Also arrested were Jack Nesbitt and a young female artist.
The remaining demonstrators were threatened with arrest and eventually forced to move an additional block into the police barricades. A few moments later the Mayor arrived as all pedestrian traffic was frozen within a block of the art school.
The artists were held at the 9th Precinct until after the Mayor spoke and were released after being charged with Disorderly Conduct. Eight portraits of the Mayor were held at the Precinct after Inspector Haggerty, Commander of Patrol, Borough Manhattan South called the Precinct and ordered the paintings held as "arrest evidence".
This marked Lederman's 33rd arrest for protesting against Mayor Giuliani's street artist arrest policy. Arrested more than 13 times in the past three months alone, the portraits Lederman has been painting have been repeatedly confiscated by high ranking police officials. None of the officers in the 9th Precinct could explain why paintings of the Mayor were being held as arrest evidence in relation to a charge of Disorderly Conduct.
Contact#: Robert Lederman (718) 369-2111; E-Mail:<ARTISTpres@aol.com>.
Andrew Miltenberg attorney for the artist plaintiffs in Lederman et al v Giuliani (212) 481-4242 or (212) 223-9008 To read the 2nd circuit decision granting street artists full First Amendment protection go to <http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html>
Mayor's Press Office 788-2958; 9th Precinct 212-477-7811; Inspector Haggerty 212 477-7436