A few hours before Mi Sabor Cafe on Broadway in Bushwick was slated to host a welcome home party for Brooklyn comedian, artist and convicted criminal, William Banks, the almost 1,300 Partiful RSVPs received a text blast:

“hi we need extra security to keep the police out tonight. to get inside Mi Sabor Cafe you will need to say out loud the password. Venmo $10 @williambanks_ for the password to the party.” 

Banks, who recently posted a viral video escaping a Connecticut prison where he was serving an 8-month prison sentence for stealing Israeli lawn signs during a Free Palestine protest in the Nutmeg State, returned to New York to live life on the lam. “Come and get me @nypd,” he taunted in a recent post.

I paid my tithe via a Venmo transaction and received a comment “the password is ‘i believe in God’” When we got to the restaurant and nightclub around 10:00 PM, three young men stood ahead of us. The security guard asked for the password, “I have to piss,” one says, “free Palestine,” says another. 

Once I humbled myself as a servant of an almighty being, I entered the space that serves as a family-style Dominican restaurant during the day turned Bushwick Boiler room at night with an elevated DJ stand overlooking the dance floor. This “VIP” section was filled with Banks’ closest friends and fans dancing to DJ sets by Coffee Black, Wan Go, and 454. Among the post-Brat crowd was his new love, Maddy Van Buren, go-go dancing in a plunging black dress, an X marked on her hand for the bartenders. 

“Isn’t it great to see a young man in love?” a person leaned into me to ask while the couple danced together to the cheers of the crowd.

“Everybody here had to declare that they believe in God in order to get in,” William Banks said to a crowd, half scoffing and half having a moment of communion. “This is the only non-atheist party in Brooklyn tonight!” he declared over a group of believers.

Banks spent his short stint in prison proselytizing for the Kingdom of God, converting atheists and participating in interfaith discussions. “William has been an educator since the age of three,” Will Duncan who hosted the party announced before introducing William to the crowd. 

Among the throng of fans, friends, lovers and family I was able to ask Banks how it felt being out of prison. “It feels great, I’ve already had a lot of near death experiences in my life before, so this is just another one. I’m grateful to be alive and I’m grateful to be here.”

Banks, ever the provocateur, isn’t just celebrating his return—he’s capitalizing on it. He is an avid supporter of the Free Palestine movement and recently used his viral videos to create and then short a crypto coin called MOSES (in prison Banks was called ‘White Moses’ by his fellow inmates).

“Investors poured money into the project, causing its market cap to skyrocket to $257,000 in under an hour. Then, just as fast, William dumped his holdings, tanking the price and leaving investors with nothing,” Mitrade recently reported. You can also buy a T-Shirt with Banks’ mugshot on his website with 50% of the proceeds going to aid in Gaza. 

Along with the throngs of devotees at Mi Sabor Cafe, Bushwick and grime square welcome back a beloved artist and character to the great tapestry of the neighborhood. And, remember Banks is still on the lam and if you see him no snitching. Free Palestine ❤️🖤💚