Chicago gallery founder says he was harassed by police: 'I went to jail for doing my job'
Community members are championing a new art gallery in Logan Square, but its first few months have been marred by legal troubles.
Since opening in April, SPACE.01 Gallery has received license violations on three occasions.
Now, a co-founder is also facing felony and misdemeanor charges of resisting or obstructing a police officer.
Trejon D'Angelo Williams said he created the gallery at 2334 N. Milwaukee Ave. to highlight marginalized artists, but he says he has been hindered due to harassment by Chicago police. He said police have been a constant presence at the venue, which showcases provocative art — most recently an exhibit about the war in Gaza and police violence.
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) said Chicago police told him they were not proactively checking on Williams, but responding to 911 calls when they visited Aug. 21. They claimed they arrested Williams after he shoved officers, which resulted in injuries, La Spata said.
The Chicago Police Department did not respond to the Sun-Times' request for comment.
"I did not shove police," said Williams, who is out of jail and due in court for a hearing Sept. 12. "I've been harassed and threatened by them for weeks, and they unlawfully arrested me."
Williams was also charged with two ordinance citations, stemming from an Aug. 17 visit to the gallery by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Department of Buildings and Chicago police.
The agencies reported a cover charge and a live DJ. The gallery was issued an administrative notice violation for “failure to display licenses, indoor smoking, unlicensed PPA (Public Place of Amusement), operating after a cease-and-desist notice, and license activity — failure to disclose,” according to a Department of Business Affairs spokesperson.
SPACE.01 Gallery has an art gallery license, but a Public Place of Amusement License is required to produce additional entertainment under specific conditions, including charging admission fee or capacity of 100 or more people.
Williams received similar violations on May 27 and June 22, but they were dismissed. Williams disputed the violations on Aug. 17, saying he has only ever asked for donations. He is due in court for a hearing on those citations in October.
“I'm aware that there are a lot of reasons that I could be targeted, whether it's the color of my skin or the artwork that we have up,” said Williams, 24, who is Black. “But it's not right. This shouldn't be happening. I went to jail for doing my job."
La Spata said he isn't aware of all of the details regarding SPACE.01 Gallery's citations but is interested in sitting down with Williams to better understand the business.
On Aug. 21, Williams and bystanders said about 10 police officers came to the gallery. Williams said he was not read his rights or initially told why he was being arrested.
“It just seems like the cops are going really hard after him,” said Dustin Drase, co-owner of Cole’s Bar on Milwaukee Avenue.
“It's been nice having the gallery there because they're just a bunch of kids making zines and paintings. It has been a really great, symbiotic relationship for us. They've all been really respectful. A lot of people who play in bands at Cole’s also go over to that art space and show their paintings or have zine releases. ... It'd just be such a shame if he got run out of there.”
Tracy Kostenbader and other tenants on Milwaukee Avenue echoed Drase's sentiment.
“Nobody else in the neighborhood has gotten harassed like this,” said Kostenbader, who owns the AnySquared arts organization. “It upsets me because he's a great guy who's doing really cool things .”
Kostenbader said she didn't hear any excessive noise from SPACE.01.
“Cole's has music, Cafe Mustache has music and [Williams] actually is not that noisy," she said. "He is less noisy than everyone else.”
Another resident, Alan O'Neal, agreed.
“Anyone complaining about the noise, they should be complaining every single weekend,” he said. "What do you have against a new neighbor here that's just doing something positive?”
O'Neal said Williams has brought "refreshing energy" to Logan Square.
“He’s a good person who brings a good vibe," he said.
Since Williams' arrest, gallery co-founders Hope Barkov and Aliah Robinson and others have been raising money for his legal fees and encouraging supporters to contact La Spata.
“I think he's bringing something really unique and powerful to the corridor,” La Spata said of Williams. “ The charges related to resisting arrest are going to require some honesty and some reparative process, but I don't think that takes away from what can be really beautiful that he's creating. We would love to be able to work with him on that.”