Oh snap! Artist Ellis G has filed a notice of claim, letting the city know he plans to file a $5 million lawsuit for false arrest, unlawful imprisonment and pain and suffering. Last October the NYPD arrested artist Ellis G for drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, the kind that washes away with water. Despite the fact his drawings weren’t illegal, he was held in jail for 17 hours before the graffiti charges were dropped.

Gallagher says his $5 million complaint is not about the money—he knows it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to squeeze much out of the city—but about the principle. “I want peace of mind—no fear of arrest or harassment, freedom of expression, knowing that I can go to sleep at night doing what I do without fear of being incarcerated,” he says. “I think [the NYPD] should reassess their priorities and not waste taxpayer dollars on policing people for chalking sidewalks.” Which is apparently something they’ve been doing quite a bit of over the years.

Photo by C-Monster on Flickr.