Saw nothing disorderly whatsoever. He has every right - as do you and I - to speak his mind in a calm manner as he was doing.

do you think they arrested him because some guy on a blog said he witnessed him being aggressive at some unknown point in time at a different location?

thats why they have video, please describe the aggresive arrestable behavior seen in the video of the incident in question.

agreed, his art or behavior didnt justify and arrest.

arresting or threatening anybody documenting a false arrest is becoming the status quo these dayss

Have you ever seen his conduct when being arrested?

I did once at the Metropolitan and he was aggressive towards the cop. If anyone acted the way he did, the cops would make an arrest.

Don't believe his hype!

This is SUCH a terrible thing. All those cops should lose their jobs. I can't believe the way cops just fall in line with outrageous orders. I mean person was doing NOTHING wrong! Cops are out of control!

And can you BELIEVE they threatened to arrest the camera guy just for standing there? Thankfully, it appears he was not arrested, and that that threat to arrest him was just a bluff.

"Artist" my ass. Making a public nuissance of himself and then crying victim when the inevitable cuffs arrive only makes this guy a con artist.

Nannystate, thankfully the Constitution makes it difficult for people like you to decide what "art" is. Though you may not agree with the KKK, it is protected speech/art.

Also, all you need to do is to present a copy of your tax ID # to the cops when they try to harass you for non taxing.

His behavior got him arrested, not his "art". But if you feel like suing the city for millions isn't reward enough for this horrible oppression, you're welcome to buy him out.

This isn't about artists or vending. It's about respect for the law. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe lacks respect for the law and is trying to make his own laws. Sorry, that's bad public policy. He knows what the law is and it doesn't suit him. I expect more from out city officials.

good question, but thats not what the parks dept arrested him for. is there a sales tax on original artworks sold in private sales? dont know.

who wants a refund or where has he stated that no refunds are allowed or required? not sure.

why does he live in nj and sue in nyc?

all those questions are irrelevant to the already established free speech rights to sell artwork in ANY park.

To answer your legitimate questions;

"is there a sales tax on original artworks sold in private sales?'

YES, definitely.

There is a 8.875$ Sales Tax on all retail sales. Period. Thus, Lederman & Co. are, number one, tax evaders and social parasites. That is, they benefit from our services, but do not pay to support it.

"who wants a refund?""where has he stated that no refunds are allowed or required?"

Anyone has the right to a refund. The refund policy must be prominently displayed, according to law. Lederman and Co. do not refund and do not display the refund policy as the law requires. Again, he is a violator of our consumer laws that are meant to protect us, and, again, a social parasite.

"why does he live in nj and sue in nyc?" Do you think his scam would work in NJ?

"his established free speech rights to sell artwork in ANY park."

Pray tell: define 'art'.

I'll save you the trouble. Will Rogers said, "art is anything you can get away with."

The shit these guys sell is crap. It is not art. It is trash. No galleries would sell this, so he sells to suckers on the street.

Anyone who buys paintings (not 'art') from a street peddler is the kind of person who would pay for pot but wind up getting oregano in Washington Square Park.

You, dear Potsmoker, surely understand that analogy.

troy & soho these questions have been asked and previously address by the courts and Lederman.

his crusade for artists isnt based on blog commenters grasp of the law, its already been decided in his favor by the courts.

Why doesn't Lederman and his cronies collect sales tax or give refunds, two basic Consumer Rights?

Or are these scammers the only ones who have rights?

The City is going about this in completely the wrong way. Lederman is a vendor (i.e., he sells stuff). Therefore he is required to collect state and local taxes and make tax filings. The city should simply check their records to see if he hasn't been paying. If he hasn't they should put him in jail for a long time. That would put an end to this and him.

Why should visual artists get all the fun? What makes them so special? Aren't there already thousands of galleries available to sell their work? And if visual artists can sell on the High Line why not booksellers? Or Starbucks? They sell CD's after all. And those are recorded by artists. What about their first amendment rights? Perhaps someone else will want to sell their photocopied calls to repent and find Jesus. And why not let handbag designers sell their wares? These creations require countless hours of creative work, after all. Jewelry too. And aren't Giants, Yankees and Jets caps and T-shirts part of this city's fine cultural mix? Soon the High Line could look like that other free open air bazaar of ideas and culture: Canal Street.

Thing I want to know, regardless of the legality, why does the Parks Dept not want them there? I'm not being naive, but seriously...doesn't it make it a more interesting high line to have them there? I don't get it.

It's extremely disgusting when we see our ppl going thru such stupid events!

STOP HARASSING ARTISTS!

WAKE UP!

We should be payed for when out w/ our displays, showing our souls put into interesting works, on a city looking so cold and artificial!

Any tourists from wherever part of this planet love us, talks are always friendly and sometimes exchanging information helpful to them, so what's your problem, not following the law and leaving us where we belong to, on any beautiful, peaceful NYC park!?

you asked is there any recourse.

not really, it doesnt have to be outrageous, violent or cause death. but many people get busted for petty things, or trumped up piled on charges that have nothing to do with the reality of the situation.

have something to say, 'disorderly conduct'

didnt do something fast enough?, 'resisting arrest'

fortunatley there are professionals who know how to deal with and react to issues involving freedom of speech, and lederman is an expert. he will keep getting $$$ until PEP walks by his stand like hes nothing more unusual than a squirrel in the park.

theres no recourse unless you fight, 99.99% of people plead guilty, accept an ACD or pay a fine, which is the same as GUILTY which scores prosecutors and the police points, except theres no eloquent Law&Order moement where he makes an impassioned speech to the jury deciding your fate, so theres no lawsuit possible.

plead guilty, no suit. simple.

thats why the drinking beer on the stoop guy and anybody else who has a good point takes it to court, once it goes to court then its legal. thats why the city dosmisses the charges they cant risk making public open container legal by challenging it in court.

What a great way for starving artists to make money.

why was the guy with the camera arrested?