The 2013 New Hampshire Liberty Forum was host to a special presentation which has not, until now, been publicly broadcast. New York City street artist Essam was facing 56 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny possession of stolen property, and weapons possession. Last November, all felony charges previously filed by the state’s attorney were dropped, and some were reduced to misdemeanors. Word broke March 6 that all remaining charges against the dissident artist were dropped regarding State v Essam Attia.
In this presentation, the audience hears directly from the source how a guerrilla art project was planned and executed throughout New York, the motivations behind the pieces, and the potential penalties for the subversive signage. Release of video from the talk has been delayed pending resolution of the criminal case, as there is incriminating information provided which defense attorneys understandably would oppose providing directly to the prosecution. One motivation for the state’s decision to cease prosecution of the case may have been to avoid the constitutional questions raised as to when street art intersects with protected speech. An article from AnimalNewYork.com chronicles the most recent update and has been following the story from its breaking.
