Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist
A film by Nancy Bechtol
SAT 15 AUG | 2015 | 7PM
“Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist”
Indie Feature Documentary film (99 min) ©2013 Release 2014
Music courtesy of Hey Now Records. Behind the Sun. Andy Alton and David Mansfield.
Street artist and defender of the First Amendment, Chris Drew, gave his life and dedicated his energies to overturning Chicago Peddler’s Licence restrictions. Remarkably, his challenge involved facing a Class One Felony Eavesdropping charge in 2008 for audio recording his own arrest. If convicted he would have faced four to fifteen years in prison. But he won this case and overturned the Illinois Eavesdropping Law with pro-bono attorneys Weinberg and Kutnick. THIS true story took place in Chicago and was captured in the indie film “Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist,” by Nancy Bechtol.
Nancy Bechtol is a photojournalist and Associate Bureau Chief of the Chicago American Press Association (APA). Her photography and video documentation of social, political, art, cultural events, and street scenes include Occupy Chicago, NATO, Chuy Campaign, Mayor Daley farewell tour, Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge, President Obama’s 50th birthday at the Aragon, Inauguration of Mayor Rahm, and the Documentation of Chris Drew from 2009-2012 during his challenge, arrest and legal struggle as a street artist.
