The Remains of a Street Art Arrest

We have heard from a few people that an unverified street artist was arrested while putting up art at De La Barracuda last Friday night.

He was reportedly frisked, hand cuffed, and arrested for putting up street art.

This is apparently the brush of the artist that was left leaning on the electrical box out front. We snapped a pic of it the next morning, but didn't realize the context until last night.

Sucks to hear that an artist got nabbed. And, it might be petty and trivial, but we do think its funny that the cops left the pasting brush behind. By leaving it behind, it suggests that the brush isn't criminal to have on the streets. Or, they were simply littering. The irony is rich how street artists are attempting to make the streets look better, and the cops are the ones littering and junking up the streets with the very arrests they are making.

One person has said it was Decoco that got arrested, but don't know that for certain yet. We know Decoco follows the blog--did they get you?

The Remains of a Street Art Arrest

We have heard from a few people that an unverified street artist was arrested while putting up art at De La Barracuda last Friday night.

He was reportedly frisked, hand cuffed, and arrested for putting up street art.

This is apparently the brush of the artist that was left leaning on the electrical box out front. We snapped a pic of it the next morning, but didn't realize the context until last night.

Sucks to hear that an artist got nabbed. And, it might be petty and trivial, but we do think its funny that the cops left the pasting brush behind. By leaving it behind, it suggests that the brush isn't criminal to have on the streets. Or, they were simply littering. The irony is rich how street artists are attempting to make the streets look better, and the cops are the ones littering and junking up the streets with the very arrests they are making.

One person has said it was Decoco that got arrested, but don't know that for certain yet. We know Decoco follows the blog--did they get you?

Street Art Causes Bomb Scare

The LAPD shut down a busy Metro station and brought in the bomb squad to diffuse a piece of street art yesterday.

The 'device' as it is being called, was a piece of street art by Free Humanity from his 'Forbidden Fruit'. It featured an apple (a real, edible, apple--not a shiny plastic one or any sort of 'bomb-looking' item), with a grenade top affixed to the stem. It was left hanging by a string in a tree in downtown Los Angeles.

It had been hanging there in the sun for over a week, so we can assume it was probably somewhat shriveled at the time, but still, most definitely, an apple. When yesterday, an ex-marine walked by and saw it in the tree and alerted the authorities. And that's when things got out of hand. Instead of identifying it for what it was, an apple, the LAPD responded as if it were a real threat, sent in a bomb squad and and shut down the nearby Metro. According to the local news report, they thought the 'device' might explode when pulled from the string.

While we appreciate the LAPD doing all they can to keep people safe, it seems that common sense should play some sort of a role in what the LAPD deems a legitimate threat. And if a decorated apple is a threat, what next?

And the way the local news has covered this story is also pretty ridiculous and slanted. Throughout the newscast, they refer to it as a 'device' or 'item', and the only time an apple is even mentioned is about the guy who spotted it when they say 'at first, he thought it was an apple'. They even go on to say that the 'item' was detonated to see how the incendiary device, if any, worked, and left it open ended as if there were any such device. Of course, no such device was found. But that, or mentioning that the suspicious item was only an apple after all, were never even mentioned in the newscast. Its poor reporting, purposefully oriented to steer the viewer towards thinking the item was something that it was not.

This whole scene is very similar what happened a few years ago in Boston, when the Boston Police overreacted to some street LED marketing for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, calling it a potential terrorist plot.

Some people mentioned on the blog that they didn't understand what this piece was about. But now, it seems this story has given the piece context, and this fruit, truly is forbidden~

Street Art Causes Bomb Scare

The LAPD shut down a busy Metro station and brought in the bomb squad to diffuse a piece of street art yesterday.

The 'device' as it is being called, was a piece of street art by Free Humanity from his 'Forbidden Fruit'. It featured an apple (a real, edible, apple--not a shiny plastic one or any sort of 'bomb-looking' item), with a grenade top affixed to the stem. It was left hanging by a string in a tree in downtown Los Angeles.

It had been hanging there in the sun for over a week, so we can assume it was probably somewhat shriveled at the time, but still, most definitely, an apple. When yesterday, an ex-marine walked by and saw it in the tree and alerted the authorities. And that's when things got out of hand. Instead of identifying it for what it was, an apple, the LAPD responded as if it were a real threat, sent in a bomb squad and and shut down the nearby Metro. According to the local news report, they thought the 'device' might explode when pulled from the string.

While we appreciate the LAPD doing all they can to keep people safe, it seems that common sense should play some sort of a role in what the LAPD deems a legitimate threat. And if a decorated apple is a threat, what next?

And the way the local news has covered this story is also pretty ridiculous and slanted. Throughout the newscast, they refer to it as a 'device' or 'item', and the only time an apple is even mentioned is about the guy who spotted it when they say 'at first, he thought it was an apple'. They even go on to say that the 'item' was detonated to see how the incendiary device, if any, worked, and left it open ended as if there were any such device. Of course, no such device was found. But that, or mentioning that the suspicious item was only an apple after all, were never even mentioned in the newscast. Its poor reporting, purposefully oriented to steer the viewer towards thinking the item was something that it was not.

This whole scene is very similar what happened a few years ago in Boston, when the Boston Police overreacted to some street LED marketing for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, calling it a potential terrorist plot.

Some people mentioned on the blog that they didn't understand what this piece was about. But now, it seems this story has given the piece context, and this fruit, truly is forbidden~

The Real Reason Revok Was Arrested

The trumped up charges against Revok have reeked of suspicion ever since his arrest. From nabbing Revok in the first place for a parole violation and not a new crime, to the exorbitant $320,000 bail, to be sentenced to half a year in jail a day after the arrest, the whole thing seemed like there was something bigger going on.

The LAPD were clearly looking for someone to make an example of doing graffiti outside MOCA. But when they hadn't made an arrest on the streets after the first week, they wanted a high profile name to take down. There was probably a short list of high profile arrests, so short, there was probably only one name on it--Revok.

We think that the real reason that the LAPD went after Revok so viciously and in such an aggressive manner is because Revok has fought back against police brutality by posting stories of police abuse on his website, like this one describing how the cop (pictured above) had eventually been fired for raping a woman while on duty, but no charges have been pressed against him. And the woman was further abused by the system. After she had 'called 911 for help, when police arrived she was victimized repeatedly – sexually assaulted, mistreated by backup officers and then jailed on trumped-up charges when she refused to remain silent'. Since the mainstream media rarely touches real stories like this anymore and doesn't do investigative journalism, Revok dared to give the story some light. And because of his doing this, all indications seem to suggest that his arrest was not because of the violation, it was personal.

And now Revok has been abused by the system.

Regardless of how people feel about graffiti or vandalism, everyone should be alarmed about the way that this case has been handled, and the way in which Revok's rights to due process have been trampled. Being a graffiti writer, society might label Revok as a 'criminal', but it is clear from the way that this has been handled that the real bad guys are the ones who put him behind bars.

You can still show your support for Revok by helping raise money for his legal defense fund over on 1xRUN.

The Real Reason Revok Was Arrested

The trumped up charges against Revok have reeked of suspicion ever since his arrest. From nabbing Revok in the first place for a parole violation and not a new crime, to the exorbitant $320,000 bail, to be sentenced to half a year in jail a day after the arrest, the whole thing seemed like there was something bigger going on.

The LAPD were clearly looking for someone to make an example of doing graffiti outside MOCA. But when they hadn't made an arrest on the streets after the first week, they wanted a high profile name to take down. There was probably a short list of high profile arrests, so short, there was probably only one name on it--Revok.

We think that the real reason that the LAPD went after Revok so viciously and in such an aggressive manner is because Revok has fought back against police brutality by posting stories of police abuse on his website, like this one describing how the cop (pictured above) had eventually been fired for raping a woman while on duty, but no charges have been pressed against him. And the woman was further abused by the system. After she had 'called 911 for help, when police arrived she was victimized repeatedly – sexually assaulted, mistreated by backup officers and then jailed on trumped-up charges when she refused to remain silent'. Since the mainstream media rarely touches real stories like this anymore and doesn't do investigative journalism, Revok dared to give the story some light. And because of his doing this, all indications seem to suggest that his arrest was not because of the violation, it was personal.

And now Revok has been abused by the system.

Regardless of how people feel about graffiti or vandalism, everyone should be alarmed about the way that this case has been handled, and the way in which Revok's rights to due process have been trampled. Being a graffiti writer, society might label Revok as a 'criminal', but it is clear from the way that this has been handled that the real bad guys are the ones who put him behind bars.

You can still show your support for Revok by helping raise money for his legal defense fund over on 1xRUN.

Revok Sentenced to 180 Days in Jail

Every accused criminal has the right to a speedy trial, but when a case is pushed through the court system less than a day after the arrest, it seems that the process is more suspect than the suspect.

The LA Times is reporting that Revok has already been sentenced by a judge to 180 days in jail. This entire case seems fishy, and the real crime seems to be the abusive, authoritative, and heavy handed method that the LAPD has employed with Revok.

Revok was arrested by a special LAPD vandal squad at LAX. Revok was taken into custody and had the insane bail amount set at $320,000. To put that in perspective, OJ's bail was set at $250,000 and a child molester gets $100,000. Furthermore, Revok wasn't even charged with a new crime. All he was charged with, and found guilty of, was violating the terms of his parole. But as soon as he was arrested, the LAPD issued a press release touting a 'high profile' graffiti arrest.

The biggest crime in this saga has been the way that the LAPD has handled this case. At best, the LAPD shows an overaggressive appetite to pursue art 'criminals'. And at worst, it is an Orwellian example of an abusive government, reminiscent of the KGB or Nazi Germany.

No doubt that this most recent arrest is going to make Revok's name ring out bigger and louder than ever. And he is going to reap the rewards of this arrest once he gets out of jail. But it sucks that it had to happen--and the way it happened, and our thoughts and wishes are with Revok during his 180 day stint in jail.

Revok Sentenced to 180 Days in Jail

Every accused criminal has the right to a speedy trial, but when a case is pushed through the court system less than a day after the arrest, it seems that the process is more suspect than the suspect.

The LA Times is reporting that Revok has already been sentenced by a judge to 180 days in jail. This entire case seems fishy, and the real crime seems to be the abusive, authoritative, and heavy handed method that the LAPD has employed with Revok.

Revok was arrested by a special LAPD vandal squad at LAX. Revok was taken into custody and had the insane bail amount set at $320,000. To put that in perspective, OJ's bail was set at $250,000 and a child molester gets $100,000. Furthermore, Revok wasn't even charged with a new crime. All he was charged with, and found guilty of, was violating the terms of his parole. But as soon as he was arrested, the LAPD issued a press release touting a 'high profile' graffiti arrest.

The biggest crime in this saga has been the way that the LAPD has handled this case. At best, the LAPD shows an overaggressive appetite to pursue art 'criminals'. And at worst, it is an Orwellian example of an abusive government, reminiscent of the KGB or Nazi Germany.

No doubt that this most recent arrest is going to make Revok's name ring out bigger and louder than ever. And he is going to reap the rewards of this arrest once he gets out of jail. But it sucks that it had to happen--and the way it happened, and our thoughts and wishes are with Revok during his 180 day stint in jail.

This is Daniel Lahoda

Not everyone is thrilled with MELROSEandFAIRFAX's comprehensive and up-to-the-minute coverage of Banksy's and JR's street art in Los Angeles. Click the jump for more

This is Daniel Lahoda. He runs Jetset Graffiti and Free Art Walls and Lahoda Fine Arts. He is also the subject of this Crime Alert warning issued by the LAPD.

The Crime Alert warning about Daniel describes "allegations of art ordered and paid for but never delivered. . . taking art on consignment and diverting the art and money obtained for his own use. . . allegations of false advertising, unfair business practices, selling unauthorized prints, and exorbitant delays in shipping art to purchasers."

We first heard of Daniel from something completely unrelated to street art. A personal hobby of ours is collecting designer vinyl art pieces, and we read numerous horror stories on the Kidrobot Forums that mentioned Daniel as they talked about being scammed by Art Asylum Boston. We do not believe Daniel and Art Asylum Boston had relationship, rather, Daniel had earned such a name for himself and his business practices that people were saying, "Sounds like another Daniel Lahoda." And this is the first place we heard Daniel's name.

Like we say, we already knew of Daniel's name before we had ever heard of Jetset Graffiti or LA Free Walls, so when we found out that he was the one in charge of these programs, we were wary. We knew that we would never give this guy money, but we enjoyed the art we were seeing and thought that we could be mutually beneficial to each other. So we sent Daniel a nice email last week to introduce ourselves. Daniel responded with a brief but polite email that he would add us to their media contact list.

So we were completely blown away when we received a big email a few days later that essentially said, "'Not trying to be a dick' (his own words), but really, FUCK YOU! (our interpretation)" He accused us of ethics violations and 'poaching' , and added a whole slew of general, unfounded insults.

Daniel ranted and raved, but his main beef is that we post the JR stuff the same day it happens, getting the first jump instead of waiting for the official press release. He refers to JR's art walls as his 'content', but as we told him in our email back to him "Look, we run the blog for the love of the art. As a blog, our goal is to get the most information out most quickly, and if people send us pictures we are not going to sit around waiting for an official announcement. Sure, you might own the content of the wall, but you do not have any licensing rights on any of the photos people take of those walls in a public space.  We are going to keep posting our first jump pics, even if they are not as professional as you would like."

Needless to say, Daniel was not pleased with our response, and he sent us two more scathing emails that are not fit to print, and threw a bunch of big artists names at us like we should be intimidated.

Look, Daniel, we know you know a lot of big names in the game, the only question is why do people would continue to work with you?

For us, this is not about any personal beef. Insults are like water off a duck's back. But when we experienced the true side of Daniel, we felt we had to publish this as a public service announcement, so the LA street art community can know Daniel's history.

And this isn't the first 'career' in which Daniel has been accused of shady dealings. Criminal complaints have chased him from job to job. Previously in his storied career, had been accused of fraud relating to some Phish posters and through the BMW forums. Also, his former business, Lahoda Fine Arts, has an 'F' rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Daniel feels we don't give him enough credit, and as far as crediting the right people, we always try to. We love street art. And we also love football. And the corporate sponsors might get paid to call it the 'Vizio Rose Bowl', or whatever it changes to from year to year, but to us and the rest of the of the people who love to watch the game, its simply 'The Rose Bowl'. And when we see street art, we love it in the same spirit that we love watching the Rose Bowl--we love it for what it is.

The truth is, Daniel tells us he sponsors things, but we don't know what to believe from him. He is bent out of shape that M&F has reported the rumors that it was X who took Banksy around to the billboards. It was just a tease based on the fact that X gets up at so many high spots in LA. But Daniel is furious about this and keeps suggesting that he was the one who has taken Banksy around town. We don't believe this for a second. The only relationship we can find with Daniel and Banksy is on the Banksy Forums where there is yet another thread talking about people getting scammed by him. (Note: to put this out there, the only other rumor we have heard and it does sound credible is that it might have been Rime who painted the characters on Banksy's 'Livin the Dream' billboard. This, we could believe.)

Also the pupose of this feature is not slader or libel. Fortunately, we were raised in a family of lawyers and both a brother and a father (Harvard and Yale, respectively) hold law degrees and work in the legal field. They have advised us that it is not slander or libel if it is true. And we are just reporting the truth of what people have said. Daniel has threatened other online publications for publishing the less than flattering information about him. We are a blog dedicated to the art community, and simply trying to make the art community aware of the LAPD Crime Alert Warning, and also help them in their search to find information. We are passing this information along to LA's street art community, and if anyone has a legal concern with it, contact the LAPD.

So there it is. This is Daniel Lahoda of LA Free Walls and Jetset Graffiti. He wanted more credit, and we are happy to give it to him.

But, getting accused of unethical behavior by Daniel is like the pot calling the tupperware black. We have never had a crime alert posted about us, or been accused of fraud. It sounds like the biggest crime that we have been accused of is posting the street art of LA quickest, and if that's the case, then consider us guilty!

So keep sending us your pictures, and we pledge to keep posting the freshest, up to the minute street art from Los Angeles.

Thanks to everyone who has sent us pics, and keep sending them in!