11/19/98
provided through OPENAIR-MARKET NET
A Manhattan Criminal Court Judge in Part AP1 dismissed 24 criminal cases against Robert Lederman today. Lederman is President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists' Response To Illegal State Tactics) a First Amendment advocacy group that has been a persistent thorn in Mayor Giuliani's side for the past five years. The judge also dismissed 14 cases against A.R.T.I.S.T. members Knut Masco, 11 cases against Jack Nesbitt and 3 cases against Wei Zhang. According to officers of the court Lederman had more outstanding criminal cases at one time than any defendant in New York State history.
All of the cases dismissed today involved lawful protests against Mayor Giuliani's policies, including his controversial Parks Department artist permit. In June of 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Mayor's appeal of a 2nd circuit Federal appeals court ruling granting street artists full First Amendment protection and declaring the City's license and permit policies unconstitutional [Lederman et al v City of New York/Bery et al v City of New York]. All of the artists whose cases were dismissed today are plaintiffs in a $300 million dollar Federal suit, Lederman et al v Giuliani filed in March of this year after the City ignored the Federal Court's decision and began arresting artists who refused to apply for a Parks Department permit.
Lederman, who has been arrested 34 times for his anti-Giuliani activities is best known for painting unflattering portraits of the Mayor as Hitler. He is still scheduled to stand trial for two arrests involving protests he organized against the Mayor and one arrest for posting a political leaflet on a lightpole during the 1997 Democratic Primary. Knut Masco is Lederman's co-defendant in that case.
Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists' Response To Illegal State Tactics) (718) 369-2111;
Email: ARTISTpres@aol.com; Homepage <http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html>