Mike Ferner, a former Toledo councilman and one-time mayoral candidate, was arrested yesterday with his brother for spray-painting anti-war slogans on overpasses along I-475/U.S. 23 in Maumee and Sylvania Township. . . .
The Ferners face at least two counts each of vandalism and one count each of possession of criminal tools — the can of fluorescent orange spray paint recovered in their pickup when it was pulled over by Sylvania Township police, troopers said. Both were being held last night in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $3,000 bond apiece pending arraignment in Maumee Municipal Court.
Mike Ferner has been an active critic of U.S. military action in Iraq and, in 2003, took part in a “peace tour” of that Mideast country. He has several previous convictions for civil disobedience related to war protests or other causes he has taken on.
Story here. Ferner is a member of Veterans for Peace and has written extensively for CounterPunch, antiwar.com, and other publications. He traveled to Iraq in Febryuary 2003 with the pacifist group Voices in the Wilderness.
FREE MIKE FERNER & his brother NOW!
This gave me a chuckle! I fully support politicians
taking graffiti into their own hands, corporate vandals, No.
Here’s another pro-peace graffiti intervention from the Jan. 3:
“Two peace activists who were jailed and fined for painting a giant anti-war slogan on Sydney’s iconic Opera House are going to court to seek the return of their paint can and brushes.
Will Saunders and David Burgess were sentenced to spend their weekends in jail for nine months for malicious damage.
They were also ordered to pay around £50,000 to clean up the damage. The pair raised the money by selling Opera House “No War” novelties
and now want to auction their paint can and brushes to raise money for humanitarian causes in Iraq.
But police say an auction would violate laws prohibiting convicts from profiting from their crimes.”
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=9542006
They painted the message on March 18, 2003 and are raising money specifically for the Mother and Child Hospital in Basra. They will appear in court this month.
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200303/r465_721.jpg