Ecko says he will sue N.Y. mayor

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Fashion designer and video game creator Marc Ecko says he will sue New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for blocking his graffiti block party.

Ecko said the suit would be filed in federal court soon, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

The mayor's Community Assistance Unit revoked Ecko's permit for the Aug. 24 event after finding out it would feature graffiti artists creating murals on replicas of subway cars.

"One man's art is another man's trash," Ecko, a former graffiti artist, told the newspaper.

Ecko has said while he doesn't support criminal activity, he doesn't support censorship either. His lawyer, Daniel Perez, said the graffiti is constitutionally protected free speech.

The party was to support Ecko's new graffiti video game, "Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure."