A Vandal Wrote This
4.25.6
While driving south on Interstate 225, one can spot an interesting piece of vandalism. It's a piece of graffiti on an exit sign, just before the highway ends. The sign itself is perched high above the passing lane of this fairly busy freeway. Whether the perpetrator had climbed up to this height or hopped down from the nearby overpass, I cannot tell. Either way, it must have been a particularly dangerous tag.
Not only were there inherent physical risks, but the potential to be caught must have been pretty high as well. I can't really think of a time of day when traffic would be light enough that this could be completed without any motorists passing by.
The constant flow of commuters is probably part of the reason the city has never changed the sign or removed the graffiti. It's remained there for at least a year...probably more. It's almost like a landmark now. I'm so used to seeing it, that it no longer seems out of place...
The level of difficulty involved and the long term impact of the crime are both notable in and of themselves. The thing I find most interesting about it, however, is the sheer brilliance of what was written:
It's so simple. It's so obvious. It's a poignant truth that not one person in this world can deny.
The sheer cleverness of the statement makes me giggle each time I see it. Unfortunately, as the construction in the area completes, the sign will most likely be replaced. When that day comes, I will mourn the loss of a grand piece of artwork.
I wonder if I can buy it from them and hang it in my living room?
I'm reminded now of the single greatest vandalism I've ever seen:
It was October of 2001. I was driving south on US-1, heading towards Key West for Fantasy Fest. As I barreled through a curve, I happened to look to my left. There it was: Coral Shores High School. The school's name was spelled out on the wall in gigantic letters. There was...something missing, though. At some point, someone had removed a "C" and an "S" from this usually inoffensive phrase, which left the school proudly proclaiming itself:
ORAL HORES HIGH SCHOOL
I quickly slammed on my brakes in order to get a longer look. I wish I had pictures, but the school was right before the bridge, and I unfortunately didn't have time to turn around at the next island. I really do have to applaud the pranksters responsible for this clever play on words, though. Of course, someone had attempted to replace the missing letters by scrawling them back on with bright green spray paint. Their color choice, however, may have been a bad one, because somehow it only succeeded in drawing more attention to the fact that this school was indeed filled with ORAL HORES.
