Artist Speech fight turns into fight for Journalists and Bloggers right to gather info

Artist, C Drew, went to the Loop on December 2nd to test the peddlers license law. For over three years he has written and talked about testing this law by breaking it so that the Federal Courts can have their say on its constitutionality. He was arrested while other artists videotaped and photographed the event. If all had gone as expected, Mr. Drew would have been picked up on a misdemeanor, charged with peddling without a license in a prohibited district and spent four hours in a police station. He did not know Illinois uses one of “Americas Dumbest Laws”.
( http://www.bored.com/crazylaws ) to keep dissidents in check.

In 1994 Illinois amended its Eavesdropping Law to make it broader. Over time it has joined “Americas Dumbest Laws” because you can be charged with a felony for tape recording yourself in public if another person is taped in conversation with you without their consent. On December 9th a judge in Cook County dropped the misdemeanor charges Drew was arrested for and found probable cause for the first class Felony Eavesdropping charges the police and State's Attorney have leveled against him for audio-recording his own arrest in public. On December 30 he was arraigned and will appear in court again at 26th and California on January 29th, 2010.

Mr. Drew, who began fighting the peddlers license to establish artists' rights to sell their art in public is now also fighting for Illinois citizen's right to protect themselves from police abuse and for the right of journalists and bloggers to gather information about their public servants in action in public while they are at work serving us. Mr. Drew seeks to educate the public about their rights in Chicago using the humble art-patch. Chicago artists are submitting designs for the Free Speech Artists' Movement (Free SAM) for Free SAM to screen print on cloth patches. The Art Patch Project will continue collecting, printing and giving away art patches in public until artists have their full speech rights in Chicago.

The public knows very little about the Eavesdropping Law in Illinois which, when it is applied for taping police in public, is usually applied to squash public scrutiny of these public servants or to silence social critics like Mr. Drew. His followers are sure to make use of the comments collecting on his blog at c-drew.com to address serious constitutional questions concerning the peddlers license and the eavesdropping law by combining comments with the art patches in public exhibits to come.

More artists should be seen in public in Chicago. Mr Drew invites supporters to meet him in front of Macy's between Randolph and Washington 12-6pm. after his court appearance (1/29/2010) to LEGALLY give art away in an Art Patch Project art action. Mr. Drew's response to this intimidating first class felony charge is to “Give the art away!”

Artist fights for Journalists and Bloggers Right to Gather Info