Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn, NY: (Jun-07-07) A group of Brooklyn College art students filed a First Amendment, civil rights violations lawsuit against city commissioner Julius Spiegel for ordering the removal of what he deemed "inappropriate" artwork from a war memorial in May 2006. The order incited free-speech activists and spurred on the filing of the First Amendment lawsuit. The suit stemmed from a students' exhibition that was organized in the World War II Memorial in Cadman Plaza Park. The exhibition showcased several art objects, including a sculpture of a hand holding a penis and a painting describing a homosexual encounter between the artist and Dick Cheney. Spiegel contended that he was acting on behalf of veterans, who would supposedly have been offended by artwork on display.

In a settlement reached, the city paid the students' $40,000 legal bill and gave each of the 19 litigants $750. In addition, Parks Department Borough Commissioner Spiegel apologized to the Brooklyn College art students who spent long hours and considerable effort in creating their artwork and in mounting their exhibition at the Brooklyn Memorial site. [BROOKLYN PAPER: ART SHOW BAN]

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Published on Jun-9-07