On July 24, 2008 22 year old Daniel Montano was sentenced to an egregious 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison for writing graffiti. At that time, he had already been incarcerated for 6 months awaiting trial. Sentences of this magnitude are entirely unheard of in graffiti cases.
Danny's case became a media spectacle here in Pittsburgh, our very own OJ trial minus the multi-million dollar lawyers. It became obvious that the entire situation was just an act of political maneuvering by our local government, an attempt for politicians to play the "tough on crime" game with years of our friend's life at stake. In our city, a neo-nazi who killed an unarmed woman served less time than a young man is presently facing for a graffiti conviction.
Much of the work that Danny has been accused of is in the East End of the city, an area currently undergoing a process of gentrification. Subsequently, certain city politicians were seen on TV crying and moaning about the possibility of lost business investments as a result of paint on a wall. "Oh for God's sake won't somebody think of the money?"
Local liberal-ass city councilman William Peduto couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. Too old to be a hipster and too incompetent to be the mayor, he attempted to carve out a social niche through the public vilification of Danny. He begged the judicial system to punish Danny to the most unfathomable extent of the law.
This site is a modest attempt to provide information about our friend Danny, the struggle to secure his freedom, and the reactionary criminalization of youth.
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