Municipal Audacity and Tripping Hazards

The above eyesore is the result of city money/time/resources being wasted on the messy removal of some cherished sidewalk art in front of the Goethe Institute on King West.

Spacing reported its removal earlier this week, and as I've walked past the scene every Saturday for the past 4 years, I was eager to see for myself what had replaced it... surely it was just a casualty of sidewalk resurfacing or construction!

Then today I came upon this ugly hacked up area on the sidewalk (Att: Ladies (and Queens): avoid at all costs, if you like those heels) and stood in shock at the time and effort that crews put into removing something dear to our community.

A few years ago, I recall an arrest or legal action of some kind against the artist... the local businesses however, particularly the Goethe Institute, came to his defense and the trouble passed. His work, years in the making, was allowed to live on. Now, once the issue had died right down, a swift and vengeful move by the city.

How petty.

The excuse? It was a 'trip hazard'. Who are we kidding? Again, if you need to compare, visit Spacing for the before photo, then note the picture above again. Ri-di-cu-lous.

Bravo to the Toronto Star for writing a decent piece on the artist, Daniel, and the shameful city, in yesterday's paper.