March 31, 1967, Cleveland Press

The Cleveland Civil Liberties Union (CLU) will consider offering further assistance to beatnik poet D. A. Levy, charged with acting in such a way as to tend to contribute to the delinquency of minors by reading poetry to them.

CLU attorney Bernard A. Berkman said his organization will discuss the Levy matter at a meting Wednesday.

Levy was arrested while already awaiting trial while under indictment for publishing and circulating obscene literature. The CLU has offered its assistance to his attorney, Johnathan Dworkin, as a result of that indictment.

At Levy’s arraignment in Juvenile Court yesterday, Dworkin charged Assistant County Prosecutor George J. Moscarino with harassing Levy.

"LEVY IS ALREADY under $2500 bond from Common Pleas Court," Dworkin said. "He probably will be unable to raise additional bond and will have to remain in jail."

"We don’t intend to answer such ridiculous charges," Moscarino snapped.

Moscarino said Levy’s second arrest followed Juvenile Court narcotics hearings in which minors testified that Levy had read and published poetry considered to be obscene.

"It isn’t so much the words he uses, it’s the way they are used and the fact that minors are involved," Moscarino said.

MEANWHILE, Levy supporters again flocked to his cause. A group of Western Reserve University law students drafted a letter protesting his arrest and tried to deliver it to a prosecutor today.

The only prosecutor they could find was Leo Spellacy and he refused to take it. So they left it with a secretary.

Another group prepared leaflets containing reprints of the Bill of Rights. They said they would give copies to rookie policemen.