Lydiaemily Gets Busted - And Takes A Stand

Recently, Los Angeles based political street artist Lydiaemily got busted by the cops for illegally putting up posters.

She was advised by her lawyers that she could try to fight the charges, as long as she would say that she did not put up the other posters. But that she refused to deny that she had put up the other posters. Instead of contesting the charges, Lydiaemily admitted to the acts of 'vandalism' and struck an agreement with the city. The felonies were dropped to misdemeanors and she was found guilty. As part of the sentence she has been placed on probation and is also not allowed to sell any of her street pieces for 3 years.

It might seem crazy to a lot of people that Lydiaemily would not fight the charges, but she really feels strongly that what she is doing really means something, not just to her, but to all the supporters and especially the ones affected by the tyrants she depicts in her art. She believes in the messages in her art, and so, she couldn't disavow the very messages that she was putting out there. Whether folks would do the same as her or not is a personal decision, but it is admirable that Lydiaemily has taken a stand and been loyal to the messages in her art, even at a cost to her personally.

M&F learned about all this when we had a chance to sit in and listen to Lydiaemily being interviewed by John Wellington Ennis for an upcoming movie about political abuses of power, with a tie in to street art, produced by John's company Pay2Play. It was a really entertaining interview, and we also learned how Lydiaemily comes from a family with a history of standing up for social causes, and her mother was jailed many times--sometimes even for months, for protesting racial injustices in the South. Lydiaemily admires her mother and believes that her actions helped contribute the end of segregation, and it is admirable that she, like her mother, is willing to take the punishment to stand up for what she believes in.

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