Disabled Las Vegas street artist settles with police for $150K
Las Vegas Review Journal
May 8, 2021
“It was beyond frustrating — it was demoralizing, it was degrading, it was dehumanizing,” Taylor said when recalling how Metropolitan Police Department officers gave him citations while he performed “live art” in front of the Bellagio fountains.
Taylor has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a disease that limits the use of his arms and legs. When he performed, he drew with a pencil, pen or marker in his mouth, according to the 2019 lawsuit filed in federal court.
On April 26, Metro’s fiscals affairs committee approved a $150,000 settlement in the lawsuit.
“We can hope that by having to pay, that Metro and the sheriff will understand that they need to once and for all get the message from the federal courts that they have to respect people’s First Amendment rights on the sidewalks along the Las Vegas Strip,” Taylor’s attorney, Maggie McLetchie, told the Review-Journal on Friday.
Metro did not respond to a request for comment.
Police can’t cite disabled Las Vegas street artist, judge rules
Las Vegas Review Journal
November 11, 2019
Larime Taylor filed a lawsuit in June 2019 and U.S District Court judge James C. Mahan granted Taylor a Temporary Restraining Order against LVMPD in November 2019.
The Independents: Larime Taylor from Michael La Breche on Vimeo.
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