Performance Artist Pyro At It Again
The same "performance artist" who faces charges for one arson has been caught again in San Francisco - this time trying to burn down a cathedral in San Francisco. Paul Addis was caught after setting fire to the effigy that is normally burned at the Burning Man Festival - only he did it several days before it was supposed to be lit. This time he was caught on the steps of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
Paul Addis was taken into custody on the top steps of the cathedral around 11:40 p.m. Sunday with an ammunition belt of small explosives strapped around his waist, said San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina.
Police were tipped by a caller who said they overheard Addis talking about a plan to set fire to the church, Mannina said.
No fire was set and there was no damage to the Episcopal church, a French Gothic structure that sits atop the city's Nob Hill.
Addis was booked on five felony charges — attempted arson, possession of arson materials, possession of a destructive device, arson of a church, violation of a court order — and a misdemeanor for altering a firearm, according to the sheriff's department.
He remained in jail late Monday in lieu of $488,000 bail. A jail spokeswoman said she did not have any information on whether Addis had a lawyer.
Mannina said Addis is the same person who's facing arson charges in Nevada for allegedly setting fire to the Burning Man effigy in Nevada's Black Rock Desert days ahead of its scheduled burn.
In his booking photo, Addis was still wearing his red and black face paint from the desert event and sporting a wide smile, making the mug shot an instant Internet hit.
This guy has a real problem. This isn't art, it is a mental illness. He's a pyromaniac.
By Mwalimu Daudi, Monday, 29 October , 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Terrorism, arson and (possibly) attempted murder as … art? Sort of makes the picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine look tame by comparison. And he did try to torch a church, which will greatly please some who fancy themselves as our cultural betters.
In fact, if he can stay out of jail, a Ward Churchill professorship may await Paul Addis at a state university near you.