Street artist Fairey arrested in LA on Detroit warrant

He was commissioned to paint a huge, 18-storey mural in Detroit last month but police say he used his down time to plaster buildings with posters.The warrant accuses him of two counts of malicious destruction of property.

Shepard Fairey, known for painting the iconic President Obama “Hope” posted, is wanted on a felony warrant in Detroit for malicious destruction of property. Over this period, a number of his trademark “Obey” logos and murals’ appeared in the downtown area.

After it was determined that he would not be extradited, he was released from the jail.

Matt Eaton, a partner at the Library Street Collective, the downtown gallery that is now hosting a Fairey exhibition and also worked with Bedrock and Meridian Health to bring Fairey to town, said he was disappointed that Detroit police targeted the artist. Baker declined to tell the Detroit News if he would be seeking a jail sentence in this particular case, but noted that they have arrested 13 people for graffiti this year and some have gone to jail.

Director of Fairey’s Obey Giant Art firm, Victoria Yamish, wrote in an email to the Detroit News that the artist, who once described the Detroit police’s attempt to arrest him as “hilarious,” is “not available and has no comment at this time”. Rebecca McKay. One is a wall on Woodward; the other is an underpass at East Grand Boulevard at Interstate 75. Fairey could face five years in prison. “Most of the arrests aren’t for serious stuff”, he said.

“Our recommendations are tailored to the offender and other circumstances, but we are not hesitating to recommend jail time, and we have some offenders going to jail”, he told the paper.

Attorneys in the city’s Law Department have been designated as Special Wayne County Prosecutors to handle cases involving graffiti and other blight violations, Baker said. The girls entered a plea deal to serve 60 hours of community service, including removing graffiti from buildings, and $2,000 in restitution.

Although in 2014, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said officials within his administration went too far as part of a new anti-graffiti campaign by issuing tickets to building owners who had murals they commissioned or approved on their walls.