Chicken fight settled without a scratch

Friday, March 31, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.

Las Vegas' Great Grilled Chicken Controversy appears to have been resolved amicably.

Early this month, Arts District artist Sydney Waithe was hot under the collar over a confrontation that occurred during First Friday, an event held the first Friday each month in which artists and vendors sell arts, food and crafts on the Arts District's blocked-off streets.

While Waithe was grilling nine pieces of chicken on his hibachi in his own yard, four city marshals showed up and told him to stop - memorably ordering Waithe, in the words of one eyewitness, to "back away from the chicken."

After much shouting, Waithe took his chicken indoors. (Can't wait to see "CSI" grab this one from the headlines; watch for the scene of yellow police tape outlining a half-cooked wing.)

First Friday organizers say the barbecue bust was spawned by Waithe's past propensity to sell or give away food and beverages to the public without the necessary permit.

But an angry Waithe, a wood sculptor who regards his chicken as a kind of performance art because he uses woodchips from his sculptures to cook it, complained that the incident was racially motivated. "Only in America, in Las Vegas, in Sin City, can a black man be made to take his chicken off the grill," he told the Sun.

Dubbing himself the "Rodney King of chicken," Waithe, all but daring officials to come after him and his chicken again, vowed to barbecue chicken at next week's First Friday.

The intervening weeks saw an outpouring of responses and side-taking, including a call, Waithe says, from "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

But the artist since has had a change of heart. In an open letter this week, Waithe said he will not force a showdown next week and apologized for having "played the race card."

And so April's First Friday apparently will come off with no ruffled feathers - and maybe no Leno as well.