After being held for 26 hours, Yes Men co-founder Andy Bichlbaum was released and all charges were dropped according to a press released issued by the activist group. He says the “judge just laughed,” but the “police had a less well-developed sense of humor.” Bichlbaum was arrested on Tuesday morning and charged with trespassing during a gathering of 21 Survivaballs on the East River who were planning to “take the UN by storm.” Although he admits that getting locked up was kind of a drag, he was more focused on the upside: PR!

My arrest meant major prime-time news coverage we wouldn’t have otherwise had…It all worked out great, and I remain grateful to the NYPD for having accidentally made our event successful beyond our wildest dreams.

Despite the fleeting praise, he did lodge a complaint against the arresting officer with the Civilian Complaint Review Board for filing a bullshit report:

I hope we can help expose the systemic and nefarious culture of lying within the NYPD, that has had the effect of criminalizing protest in New York City.

Photos by DrivenbyBoredom