by JASON GONDZIOLA

A year-long legal battle drew to a close for local street artist Peter Gibson last Tuesday, Jan. 17. Better known as Roadsworth, Gibson and his prolific stenciling enjoyed a three-year reign in the Plateau until he was caught red-handed in late November 2004. Minutes prior to a hearing at the municipal courthouse last week, the 32-year-old Montrealer was offered a deal: a conditional discharge—meaning no criminal record—and a massive reduction in the number of mischief charges, from 53 to five. Gibson will serve 18 months probation during which he must remain on good behaviour and avoid public use of stencils or spraycans without the city’s approval. He’ll also have to pay a $250 fine and serve 40 hours of artistically-oriented community service in the Plateau.

It’s not bad, considering just over a year ago Montreal cops were warning that Gibson could pay fines up to $265,000.

“It’s better than I could have hoped for,” says Gibson. “I think things would have been a lot uglier if people hadn’t written letters to the mayor. The public still has power.”

Initially, the city wanted extra money for cleanup, but most of the stencils Gibson was responsible for had long since faded from sight. The city’s position was further weakened by the fact that Gibson was given permission by Montreal’s Public Art Commissioner Francine Lord to do an artistic bike-path in the old port last summer.

“It obviously underscored the fact that what he was doing was not a criminal act,” says Jean-Philippe Desmarais, Gibson’s attorney. “People didn’t have a moral objection to it.”

But city hall maintains that any links between Gibson’s approved work and illegal stenciling are dubious. “There is no connection,” says Amélie Régis, a spokesperson for the city. “The city has certain laws and they must be respected.”

So why not fight it? Gibson admits that the thought had crossed his mind.

“It was kind of a moment of truth,” recalls Gibson. “I was wondering whether I was selling out by agreeing to these terms or if I should be engaging in some kind of crusade to ensure that future generations of stencil artists could continue stenciling the streets unmolested.”

Because they had already put so much time and effort into the case, Desmarais says the city would have undoubtedly appealed any victory. For Gibson, the prospect of duking it out with city officials for another three years was enough to convince him to take the deal. “I just didn’t have the heart to really engage in this kind of crusade,” he says. “I really didn’t feel like I was selling out in any way.”

Gibson says he’s not sure how he’s going to spend his 40 hours of service, but he has a few ideas. “Maybe I’ll make some more bike paths, if they’re into it,” he says. “Real ones, ones that actually work.”

In the meantime, Gibson is trading in his concrete canvas for more traditional artistic fare. He and fellow street artist Francisco Garcia will be having a show at Blizzarts (3956A St-Laurent) this Thursday, January 26. He is also the subject of an upcoming documentary by local filmmaker Alan Kohl.