Zelig Kurland: Anti-cop Art Exhibit Stirs Protest

Hilary Swank, the Oscar-winning actress whose role in "Boys Don’t Cry" was highly lauded, was at the exhibit with her husband Chad Lowe when the projectile was hurled. The result was merely some filling on the shoes of the young couple, but the dessert did land square on the face of John Raymond, the intended target and curator of Gen Arts Summer Arts Festival.

Though the scene was comical enough, the protestors outside the exhibit were less than thrilled with the subject of the exhibit, called "Police Love." The paintings show police officers having sex with one another, beating minorities, and shooting blood from their hands. The paintings, of which there were 15, were expected to be purchased for about $300 each. It also appears that Kurland helped with the public relations for the exhibit by distributing phony protest fliers noting that "Pigs are People Too," and depicting a pig in a police officer’s hat. Other fliers were equally offensive to officers of the law.

While new policies enacted in the 1990s by Mayor Giuliani in New York City led to unprecedented drops in violent crimes, it appears that the policies may also have offended some of the city’s population, though probably not any significant portion of the electorate, as felons are not allowed to vote.