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Man arrested for using chalk....

I love it when regular every day people essentially engage in PR stunts.

I like the ingenuity they usually show and I also think it can be extremely effective at making a point, especially if it's related to pointing out hypocrisy.

Alex Schaefer was recently arrested for 'chalking' in front of a Chase bank.


I just found this highly fascinating in that chalk does no damage, you simply wash it off.  Yet the police arrested and fined him.

The bankers on the other hand, who have caused a world-wide recession and who were behind:

  • the predatory loans in the sub-prime mortgage crisis
  • robo-signing mortgage without ensuring the borrowers were credit worthy
  • selling 'junk' debt as though it was triple-A debt
  • creating a derivative ponzi scheme that could literally destroy the global economy,
  • manipulating Libor 
  • gambling with money they didn't have and then required tax payers to take on their debt (which is what a bail out is)

They did all those things (all of which require some level of illegal activity) and not a single person went to jail or was even charged with a crime.

Yet heaven forbid you use chalk on the side walk as a peaceful form of protest, THOSE people we need to lock up ASAP.

Alex made his point and from a PR perspective I think this was a great idea that was successfully executed.


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