On January 3rd, 2008 our studio was raided and all of our portfolios and flash were illegally taken along with some framed art on the walls of our artists’ stations. Now the State of Utah is using these materials to charged Shandi with 4 second degree felonies of distributing “materials harmful to a minor” and if she is found guilty she could be sent to prison for up to 20 years and fined well over $20,000.

There is nothing pornographic in our tattoo studio, just the usual tattoo and piercing photos and some flash. These items have always been monitored, mostly because people would steal from them. We allow minors who bring their parents to receive some piercings. The ones who wandered in alone would be asked to leave.

More about Shandi – See Her Myspace Page

See some of the art in question

If they find her guilty it will mean that the photographs of tattoos and piercings and flash that the police took from us will be considered pornographic. The courts in the United States use precedence to decide their outcomes. Once a judgment is made in the courts in any state it can be used to decide other similar cases in every state.

If the state of Utah wins in this case, our situation can happen to you. At any time your local government gets their self righteous panties in a pinch they can go after your tattoo shop. This judgment could also apply to Tattoo magazines.

Art is not absolutely covered by the American Constitution as freedom of speech. If you don’t believe me check out this website Art On Trial

Because the extreme religious right in America feel threatened by tattoos and the freedom of expression they afford everyday people this issue was bound to come up sooner or later. There are already places in the US where tattoo artists have to register as “sex workers” and shops have to be located in “adult entertainment” districts.

This is wrong. Tattooing is a wholesome & sometimes spiritual practice.

Shandi’s defense is going to cost at least $6000.00 and that is without bail (god forbid) or if it gets so far as to go to a jury trial which will cost $1200 a day. We plan to fight this for as long as it takes. We will not settle for anything less than innocent, as tattoo and piercing pictures are NOT pornographic!

We have collected $300 in donations at the shop towards this case (thank you to those who have already contributed) and I am personally putting $1700 in the pot to make the $2000 retainer this week so Shandi can feel better about having secured her attorney.

But that leaves $4000 or more not covered. Utah is not a great market for tattoos and we barely break even month to month. We can't fight this alone and so for the first time ever we are asking for help.

Bankrupting us would make the fascist pigs that are doing this happy, as our being forced to close is a win for them, even if she isn’t convicted. We are asking that everyone who reads this message to contribute just $1. $1 to save a beautiful nice person from being sent to prison and being labeled a pornographer for the rest of her life… $1 to protect tattoo artists rights to display photos of their work and flash without government censorship... $1 to fight the fascist police department that is trying to close down the number one studio in Utah County.

I am sending this to the all the people I know online and posting it on every tattoo bulletin board I can find. Please keep watching our blog at http://locokazoo.com for updates.

For more information or to donate, go to http://happyvalleytattoo.blogspot.com

If you can’t afford to donate $1, please pass this on to others who can.

If you have the time to, please write the New York Times (executive-editor@nytimes.com) & The Washington Post (executive.editor@washingtonost.com) and your local newspaper Editors about this situation.

It is hard to get them to take notice all by ourselves, but if other tattoo artists and fans complain then it might make a big difference.

Thank you for your time,

Kita Kazoo
Happy Valley Tattoo & Piercing
275 E. State St.
American Fork, Utah 84003
801-756-6642
www.tat2me.com