Paul Addis

Paul Addis (1970-2012) was a San Francisco attorney, playwright, and performance artist. Known in San Francisco for performing his own original plays, Addis gained broader notoriety in 2007 after setting fire to the 'Burning Man' effigy at the Burning Man festival in protest several days before the event's organizers had planned to burn it. He was arrested and jailed in Nevada for the act. Addis was the subject of an interview and profile in Wired Magazine in 2007.
A former intellectual property attorney, Addis quit law around 2000 to pursue a career as an artist. A prolific performance artist, Addis broadcast a public affairs program on San Francisco radio station Radio Valencia and wrote and performed a number of plays, including works based on the film Blade Runner. Addis's last solo play, "Dystopian Veneer," was previewed in SF Weekly in 2010 and on the web site Laughing Squid
In 2007, Addis set fire to the iconic 'Burning Man' effigy, citing concerns with the direction the festival was taking. Burning Man organizers pressed charges against Addis, who was convicted and sentenced to up to four years in prison, as well as being banned from Burning Man.
While awaiting trial, Addis was arrested in Seattle on a weapons charge. Soon after, he was arrested again in San Francisco near Grace Cathedral with a backpack full of fireworks. He denied that he planned to destroy or otherwise harm Grace Cathedral. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor fireworks possession and was sentenced to attend counseling.
Addis, who had struggled with mental illness for years, jumped in front of a train at the Embarcadero BART station in San Francisco on October 27, 2012 and was killed. San Francisco city Supervisor John Avalos adjourned that week's San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting in the memory of Addis.

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