Friday, March 20, 2009

Bates et al vs. City of St.Augustine

Can A Crooked Lamp Cast An Honest Shadow?
On 3-19 Melbourne attorney Michael Kahn representing the City of St. Augustine submitted to U.S. District Court a reply to the artists request for a restraining order on enforcement of 22-6 prohibiting artists from displaying and selling artwork on public property within downtown St. Augustine.
Remember this....... the 10 active artists in Art In The Market are your neighbors, teachers, bookeepers, homeowners, professionals,taxpayers etc. They are just like you.
The City has consistently attempted to marginalize and demonize us as undesireables and troublemakers. Those of you who visit us and enjoy our artworks know fullwell that
this "evidence "against us is untrue. Read the accusations here.

5 comments:

  1. I was downtown the other day, and saw the disrepair that the slave market, statues, etc. are in. Our buildings are falling apart. We have no money for restoration of the history that brings the life blood of tourism to this town, yet the city sees fit to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fights. Does anyone have a problem with this?

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  2. The city administration has failed to produce when it comes to their responsibilities in caring for buildings, monuments, infrastructure and scores of other possessions, which has caused a much greater eyesore than any boxes they accuse someone else of leaving around. Just recently has the city started cleaning and restoring small projects but the citizens have been putting up with it for years. The more they go after artists, the more they look like fools. The city should be absorbed by the county and all tax payers will benefit from fairer governmental practices instead of cronyism.

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  3. It is outrageous that the city portrays the talented street artists as bums and n'eer do wells. My neighbor is a retired advertising man who creates beautiful paintings of shrimp boats on wood. He is prevented by law to be out in the Plaza. He is a fine man

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  4. Obviously Michael Kahn has NEVER been in attendance to when it was ONLY visual artists in the park(Plaza DE LA Constitution). The artists are pleasant, good company and a breath of fresh air after escaping the gauntlet of TOURIST crap on St. George st and the congestion along that strip.... aaagh..... you know- The vulgar teenagers... gawking tourists with dripping Ice cREAM,... who zig zag and stop on a dime w/out any concern to folks around them, overflowing garbage cans, screaming motorcycles along Hypolita St, half sober musicians playing the same old Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, and very ill homeless people squatting or passed out in every nook and cranny and loitering about the slave market ALL DAY.. YUCK>>>>while green eyed flies swarm about. Are you BLIND Mr. Kahn? Is this really the so called AMBIENCE your client is overpaying YOU to preserve?? SEE YA IN COURT!

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  5. it cant be! THAT is the cities argument, that the artists are ruffians and undesireables that curse at the public and block sidewalks. What kind of sales technique is that?

    never ever ever have i witnessed or heard of such a thing! Performers maybe, bead stringers maybe. Painters.......not at all

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