[act-ma] 2/22 Court Solidarity Needed Unexpected legal turn for performance artist Milan Kohout --

[Charlie Welch]

FOR IMMEDIATE IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Political Performance Art on Trial
February 18, 2008 [next trial date: February 22, 2008]
Performance artist on trial: Milan Kohout: milan at vzavenue.net, 
617-439-8643, 617-319-7246 (cell)

*
**Milan**** Kohout**

performance artist on trial
*for his*
“Nooses On Sale”

*February 22, 2008
“pretrial conference hearing” at 9 am

McCormack Building
Room 403
One Ashburton Place
Boston

(Boston, MA) Political performance artist *Milan Kohout*, a member of 
the Mobius Artists Group, is embroiled in a legal incident that is the 
unintended consequence of a 6 minute performance that took place in 
November, 2007, in downtown Boston.

Kohout's performance, entitled “*Nooses On Sale*,” took place outside of 
Bank of America's Boston headquarters. The performance was Kohout’s 
response to the mortgage bank industry’s orchestration of the falling 
stock market, mortgage fraud, and foreclosures. Kohout stood in front of 
the bank with a collection of nooses and the sign “Nooses On Sale.”

Within minutes of taking his position in front of the bank, police 
arrived and cited him for not having a peddler's license. Two months 
later Kohout received a summons to appear in court and he is now facing 
criminal charges for his actions.

The result of Kohout’s “Nooses On Sale” has taken an unexpected legal 
turn due to a trivial (and antiquated) law, Transient Vendor Unlicensed 
c101:008, that could indeed be enforced. What initially was a peaceful 
commentary on the nation’s mortgage crisis has now become a freedom of 
speech casualty of the judicial system.

Over the course of two hearings, Kohout has been unfairly treated in 
court by police officers and by the two presiding judges who have 
continued the case for reasons far beyond the merits of the charge of 
Transient Vendor Unlicensed c101:008. It appears that the judges are 
using their own personal bias in order to stretch the truth far beyond 
the facts of the case.

A “pretrial conference hearing” will occur this coming Friday, February 
22^nd , at 9 am. It will be held in the McCormack Building, Room 403, 
One Ashburton Place, Boston.

For further information, please contact Milan Kohout: 
milan at vzavenue.net, 617-439-8643, 617-319-7246 (cell). His website, 
http://mobius.org/mobius_artists.php?id=milan, gives a detailed 
accounting of the incident and its snowballing aftermath.

This announcement is by no means a performance art joke. Reporters to 
the courtroom are welcome.



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--submitted by marycurtinproductions [on behalf of Milan Kohout]
c/o Mary Curtin
PO Box 290703, Charlestown, MA 02129
617-241-9664, 617-470-5867 (cell), marycurtin at comcast.net
"dedicated to staging insightful entertainment, particularly in 
non-traditional venues"
www.marycurtinproductions.com