Last weekend, the Underbelly Project was revealed to the world, a massive illegal confluence of over a hundred street artists making art in an abandoned subway station in Brooklyn. But it was a tease, since the curators of the project wanted "a space in the world that collectors couldn’t contaminate. A space that couldn’t be bought." Along with that came a space that was very difficult for anyone else to find or see. But that hasn't stopped some people from trying...and failing.
Several people have reportedly been arrested while trying to get to the secret station, which many believe is under the S 4th St. station in Williamsburg. On Reddit, Davin900 says he and six friends were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing at the site (he claims to have seen the project last Sunday, and tried to go back with friends later). Another poster, Inordinatelyaverage, recounted his own experience:
Got arrested two nights ago for trying to enter...the shitty part is me and two of my friends didn't even get up to the actual platform. Three cops saw us,we were wearing keffiyehs around our faces because of all the dust, and started yelling " GET THE FUCK ON THE GROUND AND DON'T MOVE, THE FIRST PERSON TO MOVE GETS THEIR FUCKING HEADS BLOWN OFF." They take us to the station where all the cops proceed to mock us and call us Al-Quaida and then get sent to Brooklyn Central Holdings where I was questioned by some agency, presumably some type of Homeland Security type, to make sure that we were not a threat. Overall it was a shitty day. We got held for over 24 hours also, got out last night at 1am
We're contacting the NYPD to inquire whether there have been arrests. If you've had any similar experience trying to find, or successfully finding, the Underbelly Project, let us know at tips@gothamist.com.
