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NYPD Releases Snowden Statue from Police Custody

The artists behind the statue were given tickets for illegally installing it in a Brooklyn park.

We got it now! The Snowden Statue is released from NYPD's custody. Coming to SEVEN at The Boiler. pic.twitter.com/D5lQr0OYLt
— magdasawon (@magdasawon) May 6, 2015

The statue of the National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden that was illegally installed in a Brooklyn park in April has been released from NYPD custody after nearly a month of negotiations.

"Snowden has been busted out––the statue at least, not the person," Ronald Kuby, an attorney for the artists told Motherboard.

The artists, who are still choosing to remain anonymous, originally installed the statue in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn in the early hours of April 6. The four-foot tall, 100-pound installation had not been approved by the city and was promptly taken down and confiscated by authorities. It remained in the basement of the 88th precinct while police investigated the artists behind it.

Ultimately, two of the artists received summons from the Environmental Control Board for the civil offense of being in the park after hours. They each received a standard fine of $50, which they have agreed to pay. Kuby said he was not surprised that the administration returned the statue.

"We have a progressive administration in New York that has a real commitment to the arts––not just the arts of the upper class but the entire scope of the vibrant artistic world, so I was pleased we were able to get it back without litigation," Kuby said.

The Snowden statue will be displayed at an art exhibition highlighting issues of surveillance, patriotism and freedom in Brooklyn starting on May 8. It's unclear where the statue will be housed once the exhibit is over, but the artists are applying to have it displayed legally in a New York City park through the Art in the Parks initiative, a program that installs temporary artwork in parks throughout the city.