Civil Rights Attorney Weinberg defended Chris Drew
Mark Weinberg, ’88, Featured in Free Speech Documentary
law.uchicago.edu
Civil rights specialist Mark Weinberg, ’88, defended artist Chris Drew pro bono after he was charged with a felony violation of Illinois’ Eavesdropping Law. Now Weinberg is featured in a documentary about the artist. From the press release:
Chris Drew, who passed away 2012, was the long-time Executive Director of The Uptown Multi-Cultural Arts Center (UM-CAC) located in the American Indian Center.In 2009, Chris asked [filmmaker Nancy Bechtol] (with 2 friends) to accompany him and document his attempt to get arrested for peddling art patches with messages of social awareness and artistic ideas to challenge Chicago’s Peddler’s Ordinance.
Chris was arrested for selling art patches for $1, (peddling) but since he had a personal tape recorder, charges changed to a felony violation of Illinois’ Eavesdropping Law by Illinois State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, which carried 4-15 years in jail if convicted. In 2009 this law was generally unknown. Two pro bono Attorneys defended him. First, Mark Weinberg challenged on the free speech constitutional ground; then Joshua Kutnick, criminal defense, defended, and won in the courtroom of Judge Sachs, on the felony charges in 2012.
See/hear Weinberg on the |Chris Drew Legacy Interviews| on YouTube.
• “Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist” The film- will have its Chicago premiere on November 14 at the Logan Theater.
http://thelogantheatre.com/index.php/movies/coming-soon?view=showdetail&id=568
FREE SPEECH & Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness 
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