F R I E N D S o f t h e B A R N E S F O U N D A T I O N
e-mail: ; www.barnesfriends.org; 610-667-0281
For Immediate Release
September 8, 2008
News Bulletin!
Vandalism Strikes Barnes Foundation Neighborhood with wholesale theft
of "Join the Fight to Save the Barnes" Signs
For information: Nancy Herman at 610-667-0281 or Evelyn Yaari at 610-864-6483;
e-mail:
(Merion Station, September 8, 2008) Residents of North Latch's Lane
in Merion awoke to find that throughout the neighborhood in the
vicinity of the Barnes Foundation, almost all of the "Join the Fight to Save the Barnes" signs had been vandalized. A resident who lives directly across the
street from the Barnes Foundation, Nancy Herman, made the discovery early today.
When Mrs. Herman saw that her own signs were missing, she
walked up and down the street to find that all but one sign had been
either removed from its holder and tossed into nearby bushes, laid
down on the grass, or simply stolen.
For several years, almost every home on North Latch's Lane
has had a least one sign proclaiming support for preserving the Barnes
Foundation in Merion. The signs, which have been seen as far away as
Chicago, Illinois, have become a ubiquitous reminder of the
controversy in the region over the plan to dismantle the Barnes
Foundation so that it can be used to shore up tourism in Philadelphia.
The vandalized lawn signs are produced and distributed by Friends of the Barnes Foundation.
The effort to move the Barnes is being funded by the Pew
Charitable Trusts, the Lenfest and Annenberg Foundations, and others
in a consortium of commercial, "philanthropic," and political
interests. In staunch opposition, the advocacy group Friends of the
Barnes Foundation promotes creative solutions that embrace the Barnes
Merion site as an indivisible site of national historic significance and world cultural heritage.
No clear evidence has been found to show who is responsible
for the Latch's Lane vandalism. Upon learning of the theft, a member
of the Friends of the Barnes Foundation, Evelyn Yaari, expressed the
hope that the timing was not in any way related to the presence in the
area of a great many art world dignitaries who attended a memorial
tribute to Anne d'Harnoncourt, the late Director of the Philadelphia
Museum of Art on Sunday evening.
For further information, http://www.barnesfriends.org ###
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
If you haven't already, please make sure that the thefts and vandalism are reported to local law enforcement so that a documentation trail can be started.
There may be other incidents of this happening, and having documentation is the first step in catching the culprits responsible.
- Login or register to post comments
permalinkThat would be pretty tacky behavior if it was some rich Barnes relocating art snobs who did this, but you really can't say. Could just be kids or someone who thinks those who exercise their constitutional rights by displaying such signs are rather making for visual clutter - and in that case there are a few Lower Merion commissioners you could put on the suspect list the way they have tried several times to sneak through unconstitutional sign ordinances until Politeia showed up at the township meetings where the vote was immediately cancelled (the existing sign ordinance has not been enforced for upwards of a year ever since Politeia pointed out it was unconstitutional).
As an interesting aside, Politeia is out of town this month and yet another version of a new sign ordinance is up for vote this month. Will be interesting to see if the commissioners, after all this time and all these drafts by the township lawyer that have cost Lower Merion taxpayers who knows how much money, can pass constitutional muster - or if it will just be another overly confusing and illegal attempt to get one by on the people?
And why can't these commissioners remember their oath to support, obey and defend the constitution? Does their solemn word of honor not mean anything to them?
- Login or register to post comments
permalinkCoyote Urine and PAM Spray. Makes for very messy sign stealing. Try it next time you put up signs.....it'll keep them on your lawns.
- Login or register to post comments
permalinkThanks for that cool tip! The vandalism on Latch's Lane is only the latest incident. I have had to replace FBF signs at the Bala Cynwyd Post Office about four times and someone keeps stealing the signs and I'm going to replace them today. I think I'll try PAM first. I wish there were a way to put up a camera to find the perpetrator. After all, I have the permission of the Postmaster to put the signs there. Maybe the FBI should get involved. Someone is systematically depriving Friends of the Barnes Foundation of the organization's civil rights.
- Login or register to post comments
permalinkIt's also election season, so people are just seeing signs stolen, period. Take photos of your signs as you put them up. It is doubtful that the FBI would be interested in this, you may wish to try dialing back the high drama....a simple call to LMPD will do.
It's not vandalism, by the way, because your signs are not being defaced where they stand. It's simple theft.
But in the end, you have bigger fish to fry then some freak poaching lawn signs.
- Login or register to post comments
permalinkYou all might also want to keep an eye out at the next township meeting for the new sign ordinance. I understand Mark Taylor and some others want people to be able to exercise their rights but why this has taken over six months and so many attempts to get right is beyond me.
I have heard Reed and Phillips speak up of a concern of “visual clutter”, but posting a political sign on your yard is one of the most basic and highly protected forms of free speech.
Certain commissioners seem to have no problem having a for-sale signs up for a year, but they want to limit political signs to 45 days. As I understand it, the law says all signs must be treated equally – and if anything political signs should be treated with more respect than for-sale signs. There was also a front page article on this in Main Line Life recently on how you can get the ACLU to sue and win for you over this issue.
- Login or register to post comments
permalink