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Mary, Jesus victimized by billboard vandals in South Broad Ripple
Posted: Dec 19, 2007 in Culture
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If you treat people like heathens, they'll most likely act like heathens. The no-doubt well-meaning folks of Mike's Express Carwash learned this lesson the hard way last week.
The owners of Mike's (one of whom, yes, is actually named Mike) recently bought some prime outdoor ad space on one of the billboards that loom over the intersection of College Avenue and 54th Street. Mike's used this space not to tell passersby about its excellent rust inhibitor or its signature Clear Coat treatment, but rather to remind us that Christ belongs in Christmas, and we would all be well advised to keep him there. With a stained-glass style illustration of the Virgin Mary cradling baby Jesus under the Christmas star, the billboard beamed out the phrase in large, sans-serif letters: "Keep Christ in CHRISTMAS."
Now anyone who drives or walks near that intersection knows those billboards have been a favorite target of local graffiti taggers for years. To put a preachy, evangelical billboard in this particular location is to all but guarantee that, within days if not hours, it will be wearing a splash of spray paint.
But no one could have predicted that the vandals, whoever they are, would handle the desecration of this Christ billboard with such artistic verve. Instead of the utterly unremarkable spattering of spray paint that typically afflicts billboards in this spot, the vandals approached the Christ billboard like seasoned street artists. Eschewing paint in favor of paper, they produced a large-scale depiction of a smiling skull face topped with a head of exquisitely Brylcreemed hair. Below, a "Father Knows Best" pipe jutted out of the skull's smiling teeth.
The vandals glued the slightly-evil-but-mostly-ridiculous (and hilarious) image to the billboard, completely obscuring the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.
A friend of mine snapped a picture of the vandalized billboard, which was removed within hours after the vandals struck. As the picture made the rounds via e-mail, my friends responded with universal appreciation. People wrote things like "Excellent," "You know I can't help but love it" and "It's like little Jesus and the Misfits had a baby."
My friends aren't milk-drinking churchgoers, but they aren't Bible-burners either. Mostly, they're fans of freedom, and that includes freedom from tacky, tasteless billboards promoting a particular religion in their neighborhood.
As for me personally, I don't condone vandalism, but I don't condone mass-marketed religious sentiments, either. Besides, everyone knows that in Indiana, God belongs in the church, on our license plates and in the Statehouse.
Car cleanliness is next to Godliness!
Billboards are psychological litter. I condone the vandalism of garbage like this 100%.
Benjamindy: You approve of this vandalism -- would you say it qualifies as art?
TAKA is the man!!! I think that, perhaps, you are reading a little more into this than is necessary. It's an excellent spot with high visibility... I think that was the motive behind choosing this particular billboard.
Benjamindy: You approve of this vandalism -- would you say it qualifies as art?
Sure, but "art" is always in the eye of the beholder, this isn't something that is definitive.
TAKA is the man!!! I think that, perhaps, you are reading a little more into ...
So you're telling me it's a coincidence that the Christian message had nothing whatsoever to do with the vandals' decision to hit it?
That's very hard to believe.
Like you mentioned, this billboard has been hotspot for graffiti in the past. Great visibility, (somewhat) easy access and high traffic all make this an irresistable target. (not to mention its on top of one of the few places in Indy that sells graff and streetart related publications) Im not saying that the message had nothing to do with the "vandals" motivations, but I dont think it was the sole reason for the placement on that billboard. I believe it would have shown up regardless.
I hear you, Indeed.
It detracts from the genius of the placement of this piece to assume the whole Jesus and Mary thing was merely a coincidence. At any rate, if they were planning to do it no matter what was on the billboard, they really lucked into the perfect situation when Mike's put the God ad up.
As far as I know this is the first altered billboard in Indy by means other than spraypaint. It's a milestone in Indianapolis street-art. Keep your eyes peeled because this makes everyone in the Indy street art community want to step their game up...
BTW, any idea on what Mike's had to say?
Mike's hasn't remarked on it as far as I know. But I imagine their mood after finding out about it fell somewhere between frustration and total outrage.
Was that a wheatpasting, by the way? That's what I was guessing, but I couldn't tell from the picture.
Yup
WOW what an amazing piece of.... dare i say "art"? :D
I think this is pathetic and cowardly -street art when it was originated was to tag blank canvasses...not deface something with a religious message in the middle of the night. Evil will always be overcome by good though. Call me a Jesus freak if you want. I wonder why so many people are irritated by Christ themes and Christ?
if you dont stand for something you will fall for anything!
dearest jesus freak,
1)I think your facts are a bit skewed on street art being on blank canvasses, hence the name "street" art.
2)i thought it was pretty brave being done in NOT the middle of the night, but at 7pm with a street full of onlookers. but your right it was cowardly and a bit pathetic, it should have been atleast 3 times that size.
Religion ruins everything. Also, using jesus/god to promote your business is ultra tacky.
Just went to check it out and looks like they fixed it.
That was fast.
[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2125/mikes0001dz1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
I think this is pathetic and cowardly to use Christ as a marketing tool for a car wash. Christ died and washed away my SINS with his blood, not the dirt on my CAR bro.
It started to peel off almost immediately - probably fell off after a couple days. My wife said it was barely attached on Thursday morning.
Any new photos???
Vandalizing someone else's stuff is a crime. You wouldn't want someone spraypainting the side of your house or your car.
Also...
Seems like lots of folks have fallen for the realtors' trick of calling this area South Broad Ripple to see if they could boost prices or make it seem more hip. They've been trying this since the '80s and since that time the hip end of the spectrum has been trying desperately to make the word SoBro catch on.
Very little about the area is like Broad Ripple. Not the houses, the businesses, or the population. Unless you want to keep adjusting your "it looks superficially like Broad Ripple" filter until it looks like you want.
Vandalizing someone else's stuff is a crime. You wouldn't want someone spraypainting the side of ...
Thanks, Dad.
Also, what do you want to call the area? Arsenal Park? No matter what you call it the 54th/52nd/49th & College intersections are great examples of what Indianapolis needs more of to connect neighborhoods and areas of town.
WOW what an amazing piece of.... dare i say "art"? :D
it's beautiful.
Haha, keep your eyes "PEEL-ed"
I can obviously see why someone religious would find this offensive...
However, using God/Jesus/Jehovah/Brahma/Vishnu/Zoroaster/Allah/Satan to sell your product is at the least tacky if not downright hypocritical.
Definitely art.
Vandalizing someone else's stuff is a crime. You wouldn't want someone spraypainting the side of ...
The reference of "South Broad Ripple" or "SoBro" is not simply a realtors' trick to boost prices or make it seem more hip. People in and around Indy have referre to the area as SoBro because it borders Broad Ripple to the South (total mindblower, I know!).
Unlike Broad Ripple, SoBro does offer affordable housing and is the friendliest, most diverse communities in the entire Metro area! We also have a fairly affordable tax rate, unlike those people on the other side of College who live in "Meridian Kessler", are forced to pay the higher taxes but without truly being located in Meridian Kessler Proper.
Cheers!
The reference of "South Broad Ripple" or "SoBro" is not simply a realtors' trick to ...
P.S.
At least we don't try to call ourselves "East Meridian Kessler"....What would that we shortened into, something like "EMerKess"?
SoBro/ South Broad Ripple? I THINK ITS CALLED INDIANAPOLIS DUMB ASS. LOL I LIKE SOBRO, EVEN RHYMES WITH ITS TRUE NAME "GHETTO".
Wait, you think that area is the "ghetto?" You're delusional!
SoBro/ South Broad Ripple? I THINK ITS CALLED INDIANAPOLIS DUMB ASS. LOL I LIKE SOBRO, ...
We know it is Indianapolis, friend. "SoBro" is in reference to the neighborhood/area of Indy.
SoBro (north of 46th street at least) is hardly a Ghetto. Most of my neighbors would disagree with you or at least ignore your juvenile comments since they possess a quality you obviously lack... Manners!
I will write Santa a letter on behalf of my new friend Zodone; maybe I can convince Santa to bring you a gift certificate to cover your tuition to a good Finishing School where you may learn how to be a proper lady.
Cheers!
I wish SoBro were called Soul Glow. Let your soul glow. Mike's carwash will make your car glow and your soul glow apparently.
It's very nice work. I'd call it art. I prefer this to the kids who feel the need to tag everything with their initials or gang insignias.
"I condone the vandalism of garbage like this 100%." Vandalism is a crime. Condoning crime can be a slippery slope.
"they really lucked into the perfect situation when Mike's put the God ad up." Doesn't this "perfect situation" really allude to a perfect crime because it was a Christion God message? That makes this a hate crime.
"...it was pretty brave..." People who commit hate crimes are now brave?
"it's beautiful." Hate crimes are beautiful?
"It's very nice work. I'd call it art." Are all hate crimes art, or just ones done by brave criminals who victimize individuals from one demographic who exercise their first amendment right?
Hate crime? Seriously? No one was victimized here.
Also, thanks for the law lesson, I didn't know vandalism was a crime. I'll make sure and write it down.
"No one was victimized here." Since that claim was stated in the title, perhaps you should convey that thought to the author.
"Also, thanks for the law lesson, I didn't know vandalism was a crime. I'll make sure and write it down." You're welcome.
Dead/Fictional people can't be victimized. It's my assumption that the author was not being literal in that sense.
Indeed (and obviously, I would think), I was not being literal with the post title. Anyone can see that neither the real Jesus or Mary were literally victimized.
Actually, I was alluding to the fact that there was/is a victim(s), the Mike's car wash people. They paid for a message on a space for a particular amount of time and had a reasonable assumption that their message would be on that space, unaltered, for that time. Here is a novel idea, if someone has a differing view that they would like to post on that space, contact the sign owner and pay for it.
The conversation on this thread is an interesting one in that it is more than just an exchange of ideas. It has also shown a surprising level of intolerance for the rights of others.
According to wikipedia, Essex could be right. It does mention property. But it might be the case that whoever did this dislikes the idea of using religion in advertisements. They're not necessarily someone hateful toward all Christians. Or maybe, as INdeed mentioned, they just wanted to add something to a graffiti hotspot.
Here's the wikipedia definition if you're curious:
Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.[1] Hate crimes differ from conventional crime because they are not directed simply at an individual, but are meant to cause fear and intimidation in an entire group or class of people.
Hate crime can take many forms. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters.
hmm my comment was erased.
TAKA: http://www.indy.com/posts/3566
That should explain it ... no malice (aside from our server software).
no problem, i was just commenting on Essex ignorant remarks.