Statue That Cast Edward Snowden As A Hero Removed And Held By New York Police

[Purveyor]

New York: For one morning, a statue of Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor and whistleblower variously regarded as a dissident hero and national traitor, stood high atop a hill in New York City.

Hours later, the unauthorised sculpture was shrouded in plastic, removed by the city's Parks and Recreation Department as the media and locals watched on, before being transported to the local police precinct.
New York City Parks workers work to remove a covered large molded bust of Edward Snowden at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn.

New York City Parks workers work to remove a covered large molded bust of Edward Snowden at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. Photo: Reuters

But two of the artists behind the sculpture, who spoke to Fairfax Media on condition of anonymity, hope that its presence, however fleeting, will help spark conversation about Snowden, surveillance and the American ideals they say he was fighting for.

"We were both dismayed that Snowden and the ideals that his actions represent haven't gotten more traction in mainstream media," one of the artists said.

"It's not just Snowden, it's Bradley [now Chelsea] Manning and every other whistleblower whose fighting for the ideals this nation was founded upon. Snowden is an easy representation to use, so we used his visual."



more...

http://www.smh.com.au/world/statue-that-cast-edward-snowden-as-a-hero-removed-and-held-by-new-york-police-20150407-1mfjyl.html

[2naSalit]

1. That's a good likeness...

too bad. It sure looks better than that scary thing that was supposed to be Lucy Arnaz.

[JDPriestly]

2. K&R for the sheer pettiness of removing it.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. Cleaning a desecrated war memorial is petty?

Even if you personally don't think of Snowden as a traitor, I hope you'll acknowledge that the majority of those whom the memorial is intended to honour probably would have done, and would have been grossly insulted.

[JDPriestly]

6. If they thought for themselves they would understand that Snowden's conduct was as brave

as anyone's.

[randome]

12. I thought Progressives tried to be tolerant of others' opinions.

As I said in a thread last night, the 'conversation' that Snowden wanted to occur has come and gone. He just didn't like the result. I suppose you don't, either.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[JDPriestly]

19. We should all be tolerant of the opinins of others. Those who took down the statute were

not tolerant of those who approve of Snowden. And yes I approve of Snowden's outing of the NSA's violations of several provisions in the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution.

As I understand it, Obama promised to remedy the most egregious of those violations and require warrants based on probable cause as required by the Fourth Amendment in order to obtain the contents and information about our private electronic transmissions including e-mails and telephone calls. If I am wrong, then Obama is wrong, wrong, wrong and in violation of the Constitution.

[dolphinsandtuna]

13. hero, not traitor

"Prison Ship Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, which commemorates the lives of American prisoners who died on British ships during the Revolutionary War. "

In the early days of this country, people paid a lot more attention to liberty and the effect of corrupt government actions. If we're in the business of trying to support our views by claiming others who can't speak for themselves would support them, I think I have an equal degree of reason in saying they'd think he also was a hero.

[elias49]

3. Kick

[Rex]

4. What charges are they holding it on?

[jberryhill]

7. Statutory Pillory

[Rex]

16. The cops probably got tired of seeing Snowden put on a pedestal.

No doubt metro rode their high horses in to bring Snowden down. I hear he didn't udder a single word to the cops.

[Savannahmann]

8. Did it resist arrest?

I only ask because it seems like everyone that the NYPD says hello to is charged with Resisting Arrest.

[randome]

14. It refused to lie down and put its hands behind its neck.

It kept mumbling "Vladimir? Laura? Where are you? Why is everything so dark?"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[boston bean]

9. Can they get the artist that did this bust to re-do the Lucy one? nt

[randome]

10. Didn't see that one coming. :sarcasm:

Snowden would have benefited if he'd been stoned much earlier in life.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[dolphinsandtuna]

11. I like that statue

What an excellent idea.

[jberryhill]

17. Spray Painting it on the Vietnam War Memorial would be even excellenter, eh?

[brooklynite]

20. All you need to do is get someone to place in their own private yard.

People could visit it on pilgrimages...

[Bluenorthwest]

15. The artists thought too small. Anyone know the true story of the Wall St Bull statue?

It was also placed by the artist unknown to the city and not permitted. It was also removed by NYPD and impounded. Public sentiment returned it to the street, and while I have not updated on the story for years, the piece has always been a problem for NY, as the city does not own it, it is very famous now, and so forth.
It's an interesting story, and one that springs to mind with this piece. A very nice likeness of Snowden, beats the hell out of that Jamestown Lucy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull

[stevenleser]

18. I'll make sure the NYPD knows that I volunteer for sledgehammer duty...

[brooklynite]

21. I assume the people who want the statue returned have no objection...

...to the Rush Limbaugh bust in the Missouri Capitol? You wouldn't be making exceptions just because you like one and not the other?