More troubling bike-related news from the RNC:
Bikes-Against-Bush creator Josh Kinberg got arrested yesterday afternoon while demonstrating his invention during an interview with Ron Reagan at MSNBC. As we have
previously reported, Kinberg's bike is set up to spray chalk protest messages on the sidewalk- the plan was for people to submit the messages via the
Bikes-Against-Bush website. During the arrest, Kinberg very politely demonstrated that the chalk messages could be washed off with water. While the first officer on the scene appeared to agree that wash-off graffiti did not constitute vandalism, a supervising officer did not, and Kinberg and his bike got thrown into a police van and spirited off to jail. Gothamist is fairly appalled at this turn of events: chalk based graffiti has been tolerated for many years in New York, as generations of school children can attest. Kinberg appears to have gone out of his way to avoid breaking the law, and despite the protests of the journalists and protestors, no explanation for the arrest was given by officers on the scene.
Thanks to Jason Kottke for spotting the story on NYC IndyMedia and for mounting the video of Josh's arrest on the Kottke.org server (use this Torrent file to avoid crashing Jason's server). Braintag reports that Josh got released this morning, but that his bike is out-of-commission until at least September 3rd, which means the Bikes-Against-Bush project has been ruined, at least during the convention. And it looks like the national media has taken notice: Josh is slated to be on Hardball tonight at 7pm- Gothamist will definitely be watching! [Related: a good wireless.WIN interview with Josh from May]
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He was in the jail cell with me (as was the leader of the 35th-and-Madison Starbucks unionization effort). Good to hear he got out.
Wow. Arresting him during the Interview? This could have been one hell of a PR Disaster for the NYPD. I'm surprised the Supervisor would do this while the Camera was rolling, especially for such a Low Key "Crime"...
Why didn't MSNBC mention it on the web site?
Glad to see the NYPD put a stop to this. Regardless of political ideology, it sets a dangerous precedent - commercial sidewalk spam, chalk or not - would surely be next.
As for evidence of him in the act, just see his website. That evidence should help prosecutors make their case against this misguided individual.
Think of the semiotics of this. On a bike and free speech. A device that undermines the economic model of the neocon and the temerity to speak one's mind while using it. Who is misguided?
Mr. Kinberg has now described me as "inadequate". The following is the message I sent to him after not hearing from him for three days. "Josh, I wish you had contacted me first before libeling me as "inadequate". You'd still be sitting in a far off precinct based on your conduct in the courtroom. You step mother's conduct was particularly inappropriate. I need my original papers back with my handwriting on them, that she grabbed from my hands. I'll speak with your father on Tuesday on proper conduct in courtrooms as well as how one changes attorneys in New York courts. Certainly not by posting something personally insulting to me when you have no idea of what you or your step mother are talking about. Please contact me at StanchLaw@aol.com immediately to discuss this. If any others wish to have more details please contact me as well. '
yo thats cool
bikpaint
I actually voted for Bush, but I think the guy's right and clever to boot. In the big picture it's just something the legistlature has to decide but it should be standard one way or the other and I don't see logically why it should be ok for kids and not ok for adults. But it's not something for officers on the street to decide on the fly. Though you can also see it getting out of hand if the city approved of it officially. Next thing you know they'll have to police the content of the grafitti (we don't allow curse words or pornography on television or billboards so it seems the same rules would apply to sidewalk chalk but enforcement would be next to impossible because it untraceable once finished unless the officer sits there and waits for the guy to finish his drawing).
Marvelous. Thanks, will spread this among my friends!
Marvelous. Thanks, will spread this among my friends!
Marvelous. Thanks, will spread this among my friends!