Poster Boy, a street artist that made a name for himself by wittily cutting up and rearranging common subway posters still on display within the subway, is currently serving 11 months at Riker’s Island on a felony charge of criminal mischief.

After failing to appear in court last week, Henry Matyjewicz aka Poster Boy, Brooklyn Judge Michael Gary slapped Poster Boy with the sentence that leaves many fans and followers outraged.

Henry Matyjewicz aka Poster Boy

In support of the artist, various groups have done their part to protest, including one Facebook group entitled Free POSTER BOY!

“I just hung up the phone with Poster Boy’s lawyer, Kerry Gotlib, a few minutes ago,” group moderator Adri Cowan says in an update, “who said that PB was granted bail from an appeals judge this past Friday and is just waiting for paperwork to go through – and that he’ll be out on bail within the next few days!”

You can join the Free POSTER BOY! group here.

According to the New York Times:

“Poster Boy, whose real name is Henry Matyjewicz, was arrested last year and ultimately charged with both a misdemeanor and a felony, the latter for destroying property — i.e., posters — collectively worth over $250. He took a plea deal that required him to perform 210 hours of community service, after which the felony would be vacated. Since then, however, he has been arrested twice, once for vandalism and once for improperly using a student Metrocard.

“The prosecutor argued that Mr. Matyjewicz, 28, was no longer entitled to the plea deal because of his subsequent arrests, but Brooklyn Judge Michael Gary issued a decision last Thursday that the plea would stand. Unfortunately, Mr. Matyjewicz didn’t show up in court that day; his lawyer, Kerry Gotlib, said he got the date confused. When he went on Friday—to apologize, Mr. Gotlib said—Judge Gary had him arrested and sent to Riker’s. On Monday Judge Gary issued a one-year sentence, minus one month for the completed community service. Mr. Gotlib said that he planned to appeal.”

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