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PosterBoy Sentenced to 210 Hours of Community Service
The New York Post has recently reported that PosterBoy has plead guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief. As Will Sherman of Animal NY points out, PosterBoy's dedication to raising awareness about outdoor advertising's strong control of our shared public spaces should be reflected in the 210 hours of community service he has been sentenced to. The severity of the sentence obviously reflects the city's dedication to commercial use of public space over public critique and free expression. If the city has an interest in addressing the complaints of its citizens regarding the proliferation of outdoor advertising, often illegal according to city laws, it would be wise to use PosterBoy's clear passion and dedication to this issue for our collective advantage. In this way this unjust sentence might help ease the rift between activists and concerned citizens attempting to aid the city in its pursuit of a public space which encourages both a healthy community and an open dialogue between the public and the the city's commercial interests. VIA The New York PostBy ALEX GINSBERG The subway vandal known as Poster Boy -- a daring cut-up who sliced apart subway ads to create his own art -- yesterday agreed to a plea deal to perform 210 hours of community service. [More Here] Labels: New York, New York Post, Poster Boy, public advertising, subway
NY Post-Painters in Brush With Law
VIA The New York Post
By AMBER SUTHERLAND and LEONARD GREENE Posted: 4:03 AM, October 26, 2009 Five people were arrested yesterday for defacing billboards in an effort to replace ads with art. The five were among dozens armed with paint and brushes who spread out over lower Manhattan and whitewashed billboards to "reclaim" public space as part of a protest organized by the Public Ad Campaign. Three of the artists were charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti. The other two were still being processed last night. Adda Birnir, 24, and her boyfriend were painting flowers on a whitewashed billboard on Mulberry Street when cops hauled them off. "They were being completely peaceful," said Birnir's father, Bjorn, 56, who was visiting from California. About 80 members attacked advertisements throughout Manhattan with white paint and roller brushes, and filled the new blank canvasses with their own creations. Jordan Seiler, director of the Public Ad Campaign, said his group identified about 5,000 illegal billboards in the city. "New York is a beautiful, wonderful city," Seiler said "When you fill it with commercial messages, you turn it into a commercial space rather than a public space." Representatives from National Promotions and Advertising, which posts many of the ads, were monitoring the protest, and, in some cases, called police. A spokesman for the organization could not be reached for comment. In April, a similar protest resulted in four arrests. Kaylina Holman, 18, a high-school senior from Brooklyn, managed to paint green and orange abstract shapes on an Eldridge Street billboard without getting arrested. "I don't think the public needs to constantly have corporate agendas shoved down their throats," Holman said. Jonathan Askin, a Public Ad Campaign lawyer, said there is a double standard when it comes to billboards and art. "The city has lost several millions of dollars by not combating unlawfully posted commercial billboards," Askin said. "The enforcement is arbitrary." Labels: activism, ad takeovers, New York, New York Post, news articles, NPA outdoor, NYSAT, public art, PublicAdCampaign, street art
Sign companies claim billboard fines are crippling the ad industry
If there's one thing the post is good at, it's running everyone through the same grinder. They railed PosterBoy when they caught wind of his antics, and it seems they aren't pulling any punches with our city council either. It is abundantly clear that the residents of this city want outdoor advertising signage brought under control. When our elected officials take money from the outdoor advertising industry and then speak on their behalf, they are not only ignoring their constituents but breaking the law. Adam Lisberg DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF Monday, March 2nd 2009, 7:54 PM New York's crackdown on oversized billboards is hurting the ad industry, as sign companies say inspectors are hitting them with huge fines for minor infractions. "Here is an industry that is synonymous with New York, and it employs a lot of people, but it seems the city is targeting it," said City Councilman Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn). "The fines given to one single billboard can go over $100,000, but the fines issued in the East Side crane collapses were a fraction of that," he noted. "It's like the world turned upside down." The crackdown began in 2006 after the City Council, reacting to community pressure, passed tough new restrictions on billboards next to major roads and on outsized ads covering entire building walls. "It's there to address a real problem," said Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Queens), who pushed those laws through. "We put together a huge coalition to make this happen." Each violation can cost up to $25,000, and each sign can trigger multiple violations - which city officials said is necessary to deter signs that generate enormous profits. "They would nitpick on every little thing to come up with eight different violations," said Michael Eisenberg, spokesman for OTR Media Group, one of the city's major billboard companies. "This is the same Buildings Department that should be cracking down on unsafe buildings." Billboard companies have sued to block the new rules, and city officials have been reluctant to discuss the dispute while the case is in the courts. When the Buildings Department targeted large outdoor signs in 2007, it said 20% of building owners voluntarily removed signs when told they were illegal. Agency spokesman Tony Sclafani defended the crackdown. "Illegal signs can pose a danger to the public if not safely installed," Sclafani said. "The safety of New Yorkers is the department's top priority.
Follow up Article By SALLY GOLDENBERG A city councilman running for public advocate took campaign contributions from billboard companies just days after publicly demanding looser regulations on the industry, The Post has learned. Councilman Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn), one of six public-advocate candidates this year, took in $8,000 from billboard companies a few days after he called on the city to ease the reins at a City Hall press conference, campaign records show. During the January conference, de Blasio criticized the city for what he called an "unreasonable crackdown" on outdoor-advertising companies. At the time, he said the Department of Buildings "overzealously targets outdoor advertisers and grossly overpenalizes them for nonharmful violations, while serving comparatively smaller fines for numerous potentially life-threatening violations." "I am proud to support local businesses," de Blasio said yesterday through spokeswoman Gwen Rocco. Labels: Bill de Blasio, city government, illegal advertising, New York, New York Post, news articles
Two sides to Every Coin-part 1
Here is the official NY Post account of PosterBoy's arrest. If you're one of the subway system's most-wanted - but anonymous - vandals, it may be a good idea to keep your mouth shut. A guerrilla "artist" known as "Poster Boy," who cuts up and rearranges subway advertisements into designs of his own, was busted after an undercover officer overheard him bragging to a girl about his exploits at a party, sources said. Henry Matyjewicz, 27, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, was arrested Friday at an art show at a SoHo loft that featured his work and was hosted by a group called Sly Art vs. Robot City. Transit police had gotten a tip that Matyjewicz would be at the party, advertised as "The Friends We Love Festival," and sent the undercover officer, the sources said. Poster Boy's work has caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to ad campaigns, and he has long been a thorn in New York City Transit's side. But not knowing what he looked like, the officer was able to nab him only after he overheard the artist/vandal bragging to the girl, the sources said. He was charged with counts of criminal mischief, graffiti and possessing a tool to make graffiti. He was also held on a warrant for shoplifting in Manhattan last August, court records show. Matyjewicz was held on $750 bail. No one answered the door at his Brooklyn apartment last night or at the loft where the party was held. Matyjewicz had recently made efforts to become part of the mainstream art scene. In a recent interview with the Web site Gothamist, the former art-school student boasted he was so well known for his work that "I have Vandal Squad officers hounding me for autographs." Labels: New York Post, news articles, NYPD, Poster Boy
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