Sell Artwork? = GO TO JAIL FOR 15 YEARS!

The Nazi enforcers of the Illinois Police Force recently arrested a man for peddling artwork in a restricted zone. This of course required the violent arrest of the man who was hurting no one.

If police simply let people sell artwork where ever they pleased, the world would devolve into chaos as hippie machine gun wielding art dealers engaged in violent gang warfare for control of street corners.

Of course, illegally selling art in a restricted zone is bad, but this is a nothing compared to the heinous crime of recording a Nazi officer’s voice without his consent while being arrested for selling art in a restricted zone. For this crime, the man is now facing 15 years in prison.

VPR reports:

As a group of kids drummed on buckets on Chicago’s State Street late last December, Chris Drew stood nearby. On the crowded sidewalk, Drew was dressed for attention, wearing a blazing red poncho covered with art patches that he was selling for a dollar each.

Drew is a free-speech advocate; his State Street appearance was part of an ongoing protest against a Chicago law restricting where artists can sell their wares. A Chicago police officer noticed Drew in the off-limits area, and told him to move along.

Drew was hoping to get arrested to test the city’s law; he got his wish. Prosecutors charged him with two misdemeanors. He was not expecting what came next. After police found a small recording device in his belongings, Drew was charged with a felony for violating the Illinois eavesdropping law, which requires all involved to consent to any audio recording.

“And shortly after, they put a bond of $20,000 on me for selling art for a dollar on State Street and audiotaping my own arrest,” Drew says.

The misdemeanor charges were dropped, but the felony charge remains — and with it, a possible four- to 15-year prison term.

Listen to this utterly epic Orwellian response by the Police Union:

Mark Donahue, the head of the Chicago Police Union, says the officers simply enforced the law. And changing the law, he says, could hamper police work, and cause some officers to hesitate on the job.

“You don’t want that hesitation,” he says. “You want them to act on their instincts, and their training as well.”

If officers think they’re being recorded, Donahue says, “they think there’s an extra Big Brother over their shoulder that will judge them 10 minutes, 10 days, 10 years down the line, on the action or utterances they’re making today.”

HAHAHAHAHAHAH

The cops are worried about citizens acting as “Big Brother?” - WTF?

We truly live in an ass-backward upside-down insane asylum.

Lol, we can't have invincible LEOs fearing repercussions for their actions now can we, that would mean they would have to actually consider the morality of their actions which of course wouldn't do..

Gotta be careful not to stereotype all LEO here but this shows that their working environment is one which has been set up to give them power without responsibility. Spiderman knows this is BAD, why don't they?

S+F. I always love your posts btw, a little on the extreme side and sometimes you miss the mark but a good slap in the face does wonders to show people the faults of our society!

Although I agree with a law against evesdropping as a good thing (thinking the reverse here), I think it is open to abuse as this case shows.
Police should always expect they are being recorded when on the clock...they are public servents and accountable while working by the public.

The no evesdropping should only apply to the public sector, not a cop on the job, or a politician doing their offical business...the law needs to be amended..

As far as the content of the tape, I don't know what was on it so I can't make an opinion one way or another..also, this should not be a felony either way...thats harsh. 15 potential years is above and beyond the crime. (btw, he wont get 15 years...he won't even get 6 months, but thats beside the point.)

If you are going to stick your head in the lion's mouth, don't be suprised when it gets bit off. He was given a chance to leave, but, he chose not to and decided to challenge the law. Let's see where it goes in Court, before any judgement is made.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I think the story speaks for itself; however, I'd change the thread title to "Record a public arrest = Go to jail for 15 years".

Leave your cameras and recorders at home folks, or get 15 years in the slammer!

No eavesdropping should only apply in personal spaces such as sneaking into somebody's house and bugging it. Or bugging a rest room or dressing room or locker room. When you are in a public place you should expect that your actions can be recorded. I will bet that there are security cameras in this city recording citizens every move that do not fall under the eavesdropping law. If big brother can record the citizens, then the citizens should be able to reciprocate.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
Although I agree with a law against evesdropping as a good thing (thinking the reverse here), I think it is open to abuse as this case shows.
Police should always expect they are being recorded when on the clock...they are public servents and accountable while working by the public.

The no evesdropping should only apply to the public sector, not a cop on the job, or a politician doing their offical business...the law needs to be amended..

As far as the content of the tape, I don't know what was on it so I can't make an opinion one way or another..also, this should not be a felony either way...thats harsh. 15 potential years is above and beyond the crime. (btw, he wont get 15 years...he won't even get 6 months, but thats beside the point.)

There is a very simple rule that can be applied to "wiretapping" cases.

It's called the "expectation of privacy" - I also agree that people should be allowed to record public employees in the course of their duties no matter what.

IMHO 1 day is a totally unacceptable injustice, let alone 6 months.

Of course, if I was on the jury, it's automatic innocent on all counts no matter what the guy was doing.

INNOCENT

Then I would stand up in the jury box and tell the prosecutor to take that verdict and shove it up his ass sideways, after which I would chew out the judge for wasting my time, which of course would land me in prison myself, but it would be worth it.

Originally posted by redmage
Leave your cameras and recorders at home folks, or get 15 years in the slammer!

Absolutely not, I even started a thread sometime back calling for the opposite...

the point here is, keep it in the open..openly film them..hold the mic up..dont sneak shots and voice...let them know flat out everything they do will wind up on youtube if they go freaky..put them in their place as representatives of a public funded office, not some mercenary.

"he wanted to test the law"
so he was made an example of- get the picture now art boy?
drumming on buckets- disturbing the peace.
the police were likely called by local store owners -who pay rent.
when the cops show up-shows over.
move along little carnival..

One last reply to this thread.

OPs, you really need to stop misrepresenting the information in your titles...the artwork is not what is making them look at 15 years...

This is akin to someone being pulled over for speeding and the officer noticed a dead body in the back seat...no, the person isn't looking at life in prison for speeding...that was just what started the process. It cheapens the thread to have to shovel out the BS to figure out the story...clearly your going to get attention by putting misleading titles, but is that what you want to be known for? the distortion of facts guy...

It only cheapens your overall point when you resort to that.

reply to post by SaturnFX


No, the artwork was what caused him to be facing 15 years of prison time.

If there was no ban on selling artwork, the cop wouldn't have arrested him.

If the cop didn't arrest him, he never would have found the recording device.

The two are intrinsically related to each other.

He would not be facing 15 years of prison time if selling artwork wasn't banned.

This is indisputable.

4 to 15 years honestly? Thats is the dumbest thing Ive heard today. So taxpayers will be footing the bill for at least 4 if convicted?

I carry a voice recorder with me in my car usually, it's for my own use. Always wondered how I should treat it should I be pulled over. It's like I should inform the officer I have one immediately to avoid confusion (I'm not trying to set precedent in a supreme court case here). It really sounds like this guy was trying to make a problem. Hopefully in court he will be given some very light sentencing. It is very often that the maximum possible sentence is high (It was 15 years possible in the famous flight attendant case recently in the news) but they will end up with minor problems. Who knows, but that's really not smart to try to record something in secret when you know they will check your pockets etc. All the youtube vids of people recording the cops, they tell them they are being recorded. You really have to have never been stopped by the cops to try something like that. They are going to search you. You may say I'm just selling out to the cops but if you are going to make your stand against authority, trying to hide anything in your pockets after getting detained is NOT the way to go rofl.

reply to post by Novise


So you think he should do time for having a tape recorder in his pocket.

Got ya.

reply to post by mnemeth1


It actually sounds like he was trying to record them without them knowing. Police, city official, or not.. that can be a legal issue, at the least it can be a civil suit. It is often a major issue in college, where some professors say it's ok to record them or not. That at least gets the ball rolling. Is it that foreign of an idea that recording people without their knowing or consent can be a problem?

Do you not practice common sense around law enforcement? Slow down a little when you see one shooting radar? No I'm sure you just gun it whenever you see a police car, just to set an example to the populace that they should not follow any laws or try to stay "out of trouble."

All along I keep hearing of miscarriages of justice and then court cases and long term prison sentences. Everyone has to organize and sign round table agreements with each other. They have to stand together, a bad arrest should have a crowd of 50 000 surrounding the police station and all turning themselves in for the same crime, hundreds of thousands around court buildings and not leave, only more joining if they attack the citizens.

We have to stand up for each other and end NWO.

reply to post by mnemeth1


And yet we find out that it is OK for school officials to record kids masterbating at home from their school supplied laptop computers. Insane world indeed.

I swear sooner (rather than later) the citenzry is going to get pissed enough to demand change. I can't wait till this day happens myself.

Originally posted by Novise
reply to post by mnemeth1

 

It actually sounds like he was trying to record them without them knowing.

That tends to happen when you have a tape recorder in your pocket.

I see you feel this is worthy of prison time.

Originally posted by Nutter
reply to post by mnemeth1

 

And yet we find out that it is OK for school officials to record kids masterbating at home from their school supplied laptop computers. Insane world indeed.

I swear sooner (rather than later) the citenzry is going to get pissed enough to demand change. I can't wait till this day happens myself.

What's even more insane is that I can post stories like this on ATS and have an endless list of people defending the governments actions - as if the guy actually did something worthy of punishment at tax payers expense.

double standards and the law is a itch