Artist Could Face 15 Years In Prison For Recording His Own Arrest

Chris Drew was finally ready to get arrested. An artist and activist, Drew had spent years protesting a Chicago ordinance that puts tight restrictions on where and how people can sell their art on the street. He was downtown, on State Street, selling silk-screened patches for $1 and defying the city to stop him.

He'd tried his act of civil disobedience three times before -- a First Amendment lawyer on hand to argue his case, a team of videographers ready to film the arrest -- but the police simply let it slide. When, on December 2, 2009, he finally succeeded in getting booked, Drew was ready for a few hours in lock-up on a misdemeanor, and a lengthy court battle. He was in no way prepared for what he would actually face.

The state charged Drew with a Class 1 felony, not for selling art on the street, but for violating the Illinois Eavesdropping Act by recording his own arrest. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

Haha. Guess he wasn't as clever as he thought.

There really is one born every minute

As a person concerned about the state of American legal system and its ever increasing appetite for convictions and their abuses, I have a gut feeling that this "anti-eavesdropping" law conviction is somewhat unconstitutional as soon as you enter a public building like a police station.

^^ I agree with you, Ginger. "Illinois Eavesdropping Act"? That sounds shady. I've got to ask my friend in Chicago about that one; she's a law clerk (she passed the bar but wants more experience before she becomes a lawyer).

One by one they take our freedoms, currency and rights away, while America blindly follows orders, too distracted by the next pointless super-phone they "need" or nonsensical reality television show that "everybody" is watching.