Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Michigan man fighting censorship

24. February 2005 • MarkDilley
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boobs
“Roseville artist Edward Stross, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 2 years probation, and a $500 fine for painting a mural of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Man,” which includes a bare breasted Eve, on the outside of his studio. Thanks to support from the Michigan Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, his sentence may be stayed pending an appeal. For now a portion of the mural deemed offensive has been covered.”

via Bombs and Shields

UPDATE, 10am, 24Feb: Lots of photography of Stross’ work, and an account of ongoing harassment by the city, is available at dETROITfUNK. (Link promoted from Hillary’s comment below.) – Murph.

UPDATE, 10:20am, 24Feb: image from the MetroTimes



  1. DF posted many pictures of Gonzo’s building yesterday. Officials in Roseville should be ashamed of themselves.

    http://www.detroitfunk.com/archives/2005/02/save_gonzo_1.html
       —Hillary    Feb. 24 '05 - 02:52PM    #
  2. This is pretty ridiculous. Even in the case that the mural could have been considered “inappropriate” for public display, I think a remedy of equity would be more appropriate – rather than fining or imprisonment, a requirement to “make it right” is what should have been handed down by the court.

    Considering that the mural is a riff on one of the most famous works of art in existance, though (and, regardless, is just breasts), I hardly think there’s a reasonable argument for inappropriateness. MetroTimes includes a picture of the offending portion of the mural, about which they say, “News Hits would feel like a boob for not showing you.”
       —Murph    Feb. 24 '05 - 03:13PM    #
  3. Oh no! Nipples! Can’t… resist… urge… to masturbate… in… public!
       —js    Feb. 24 '05 - 05:28PM    #
  4. what a laugh. the left practices nazi like censorship every day.

    Thank God the political Left and the ACLU has no power to choose a Pope or to dictate Church Doctrine.

    For those of us who believe in the Holy Bible, and the word of God. There is no such paragraph in the Bible which states that abortions, feeding tube removal, are okay to be legalized by a staff of men in Black Robes!! Instead, God’s word has been cast aside!

    It is time for us to work together to tell the Supreme Court to invalidate the pernicious and inhuman decision made 23 years ago with a replacement which recognizes the value and dignity of human life.

    We ahve seen the increase in sexual abuse, sexual violence , we ahve seen the courts and the mainstream media clearly manipulate the Nation and its people.

    I have worked in the media and also was close to a Board member of the ACLU. Many of these people hate Christians and Jews and in the case of Terri Schindler Schiavo actually wanted her to die because GW Bush wanted her to live.

    The abortion laws are as follow: Supreme Court Cases on Abortion: I. Roe V. Wade: January 22, 1973

    The key decision which marked the beginning of legalized abortion in this Nation. With a 7-to-2 majority, the Supreme Court gave women an unrestricted right to obtain an abortion on demand from a physician during the first three months of pregnancy.

    Approximately 4,500 babies are aborted a day. (EWTN) In the U.S. there were 1.53 million abortions performed in 1992. The state of New York alone had the highest rate of abortions at 46.2 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age. Nationally, the rate of abortion is about 25.9 women per 1,000. (Planned Parenthood)

    Much of the money for abortion clinics has actually come from former KKK members and other racist groups who
    took off the robes and pushed for legalized abortion and clinics in minority neighborhoods.

    Racism is a terrible insult to God. The Bible declares, “This royal law is found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ If you obey this law, you are doing right. But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law” (James 2:8,9).

    So why are white people aborting black babies? abortion is racism in its ugliest form. “Because of some very suave planning by abortion supporters and providers.

    “abortionists have eliminated more African-American children than the KKK ever lynched.” Says Rev. Johnny Hunt of the Life Education and Resource Network.

    According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, black women are more than three times as likely as white women to have an abortion.

    The Family Research Council says that African Americans represent 12 percent of the population but suffer 32 percent of the abortions in America.

    The Culture of Life Foundation & Institute adds that more than 1,400 black children are aborted every day. Since Roe v. Wade, that makes about 15 million African Americans removed from the population who can never make any contribution to their race or their country.

    According to Michigan Right to Life, of the 36 abortion clinics remaining in Michigan, Eleven abortion clinics are in Detroit, a black majority city. Of those eleven , nine are in African-American neighborhoods or have predominantly African-American customers.”

    Many Americans are unaware of what the partial birth abortion really is. There is not a great distinction between this procedure, and the procedure of infanticide.

    In fact supporters of the pro-life movement and many in the “pro-choice” movement would agree that infanticide is definitely wrong. There is no question that infanticide is murder.

    Nevertheless, what is the difference between a procedure which murders a baby one month before birth, from a procedure which seeks to murder a baby one month after birth.

    A women’s womb should not become a place of death, but of life. Just as the right to murder a human being outside the womb should never be legalized, neither should the right to end life in the womb be.

    Since this decision, over 35 million legal abortions have been performed in the U.S.
       —don iarussi mfa    Apr. 20 '05 - 01:46PM    #