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Activist Post
It would seem incredible, fantastical and arbitrary that someone in North America would have to convince law enforcement that they are not in fact Banksy.
Banksy - the only name known for the unidentified but famous street artist - is British. He was in the States for a month on an art tour in 2013. Incognito, he sold his artwork cheaply and is alleged to have left "exhibits" around New York before returning to his homeland.
American engineer Richard Pfeiffer, age 33, swears up and down that he is not in fact the provocative elusive artist.
Unfortunately for him he would have major difficulty proving it to the cops who must have been watching/listening to him and his fiancee while they imbibed at an East Village coffee shop last summer. It was after admiring a "smiley" on the wall that he thought might be a Banksy piece that they had their "Gotcha!" moment and arrested him outside Third Rail Coffee shop.
According to NY Post who discuss in detail his upcoming lawsuit for false arrest, the man tried to show them how he couldn't have possibly had done the wall marking. He smudged it showing the art was old and not newly sketched. They found his marker (he is an engineer) - he demonstrated that it wasn't the same kind and had a significantly different tip. All to no avail.
The traumatized man missed a week's wages and is still reeling from it. He is suing for false arrest for an undisclosed amount.
Of course, they already know all of that. They were acting sociopathic and wanted to see him sweat and squirm. Never mistake this behavior for incompetence, although intelligence quotient is not a part of the hiring process.
As everyone knows, criminals always come back to the scene of the crime and admire themselves while speaking in a third person narrative. It's a good thing he didn't say "what an interesting smiley...I wonder if it's a me " or he might be in the state pen, as that would be a sure confession.
The question no one is asking - "Why would being Bansky be a crime??"
Well, he's elusive so he must be nabbed by steroidal badge wearers.
But other than that - someone drew on a wall in New York and that is unacceptable!
During the 2013 Banksy tour Mayor Bloomberg expressed his adamant disapproval of the artist's chosen canvas. This was taken to be an order to police to be on the watch out. Indeed, police activity was heightened during that time and one of the art days was allegedly cancelled due to police activity. Perhaps they don't appreciate the messages in the artwork like the one above. Pfeiffer's arrest supports the idea of New York officers looking out for such disobedience even long after Banksy returned to the UK.
Ironically, the provocative artwork considered to be vandalism - although it has been known to pull in six figures - was vandalized by vandals. The NYPD can rest easy now that the the U.S. has provided such a hostile environment for such high crimes.
How could anyone foresee or control the outcome of an arrest like that? It really is possible to be arrested for any reason - even amusing whims.