Artistic Expression

(Fox News) - A six-year-old Brooklyn girl is facing a $300 fine — for doing something almost all kids do at one time or another — drawing on her front step with chalk. The Brooklyn Paper reports a neighbor complained about Natalie Shea's artwork — and the city sent her parents a letter demanding that the "graffiti" be removed or else.

It turns out that a child's chalk drawing can be classified as graffiti under a 2005 law — but only if it is without the consent of the property owner — in this case the girl's parents. A spokesman with the New York police says if the chalk can be washed away — the drawings are not technically graffiti — but still could be classified as criminal mischief.