Police shut down artist’s ‘Assassination’ show

[tkdgirl]

Updated, 12:28 p.m. | This morning, a Boston-born performance artist, Yazmany Arboleda, tried to set up a provocative art exhibition in a vacant storefront on West 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan with the title, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/The Assassination of Barack Obama,” in neatly stenciled letters on the plate glass windows at street level.

By 9:30 a.m., New York City police detectives and Secret Service agents had shut down the exhibition, and building workers quickly covered over the inflammatory title with large sheets of brown paper and blue masking tape. The gallery is across the street from the southern entrance to The New York Times building.
The police officers declined to answer any questions, and at first would not permit reporters to speak with Mr. Arboleda, who was wearing a black T-shirt and making cellphone calls from inside the makeshift gallery.
Later, Mr. Arboleda, who is 27, said in an interview: “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.”
Mr. Arboleda said the exhibition was to open on Thursday and run all day.
The interview was abruptly ended as Mr. Arboleda was led off to the Midtown South police precinct for what he called an interrogation.
Reached by telephone this morning, Eric Joza, the building manager for the building at 264 West 40th Street, between Eighth and Seventh Avenues, said: “I had no idea what he was going to do. All I knew is that he was an artist and was going to use the store for two days: today and tomorrow.” There are offices above the storefront.
Mr. Joza would not identify the building’s owner, and he would not disclose the terms of the lease or the previous occupant of the storefront, beyond saying that the storefront had been vacant.
Mr. Arboleda has even set up elaborate Web sites, one for Mrs. Clinton and one for Mr. Obama.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m., Mr. Arboleda called reporters to let them know that he had been released.



Police Shut Down Artists Assassination Show - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog


Censorship, plain and simple. Didn't see any jack booted thugs shutting down any of the Bush assassination art shows or movies.

[Grimmlok]

so like.. what was he doing besides having a stencil

[Sweetie]

That's our tax dollars at work.

[witchcurlgirl]

I get your point tkdgirl....

when the left has things censored i always hear 'California Uber Alles' in my head.....

I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles
And never frowns
Soon I will be president...

Carter Power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
Your kids will meditate in school!

California Uber Alles
California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California
Uber Alles California

Zen fascists will control you
100% natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face

Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back you say
Mellow out or you will pay
Mellow out or you will pay!

Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede/denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece

Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes here's a pretty flower.

DIE on organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown


The links are funny...the obama one with the big cock on the wall is hilarious, as is the pantsuits for clinton

[Sasha]

“It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.”

Then it was wrong to shut it down. If the art had been advocating the literal assassination of the candidates, they might have a leg to stand on, but not in this context.

[Grimmlok]

wtf, what does this have to do with left/right?

[Sasha]

when the left has things censored i always hear 'California Uber Alles' in my head.....

Errr, you do know the POLICE under a Republican mayor shut down this exhibit, right? Never heard the police described as "the left".

[tkdgirl]

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

I get your point tkdgirl....

when the left has things censored i always hear 'California Uber Alles' in my head.....

I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles
And never frowns
Soon I will be president...

Carter Power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
Your kids will meditate in school!

California Uber Alles
California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California
Uber Alles California

Zen fascists will control you
100% natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face

Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back you say
Mellow out or you will pay
Mellow out or you will pay!

Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede/denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece

Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes here's a pretty flower.

DIE on organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown


The links are funny...the obama one with the big cock on the wall is hilarious, as is the pantsuits for clinton

LOL! I'm all for the first amendment and political speech, but some consistency would be nice.

[witchcurlgirl]

Originally Posted by Sasha

Errr, you do know the POLICE under a Republican mayor shut down this exhibit, right? Never heard the police described as "the left".

Errr, yeah...I live in NY (which does not have a republican mayor)...In fact the scene of this is about 6 blocks from my office

My point about left/right is that here in NY we have lots of Anti-Bush/Cheney things all over the city.

Posters, billboards, murals painted on walls.....it's ok when the right is portrayed as murdered or evil (like the bush's with the forehead bullet holes that are in my subway station)....but apparently you can't do it against figures on the left.


BTW, if you think Bloomie's a repub, you must live under a rock. He was a lifelong Dem that switched his party when he couldn't get nominated. Then he left the Republican party in June 2007, and officially became an INDEPENDENT

[Grimmlok]

I say let it stay, some people are just too uptight

[tkdgirl]

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

BTW, if you think Bloomie's a repub, you must live under a rock. He was a lifelong Dem that switched his party when he couldn't get nominated. Then he left the Republican party in June 2007, and officially became an INDEPENDENT

Damn time someone said it too! RINOs are not Republicans (Republicans in name only).

[Grimmlok]

We'll trade you one RINO for one DINO.. you can have LIEberman

[tkdgirl]

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

We'll trade you one RINO for one DINO.. you can have LIEberman

Heh, they're kinda the same! LOL.

[witchcurlgirl]

separated at birth?

[ManxMouse]

I always wondered why Bloomberg talks like the cowardly lion. Dude has got to be gay, right?