Michael
Grab, a Boulder artist who goes by the name Gravity Glue, said that police
threatened to ticket or jail him for creating stacked river rock sculptures
that the community has been enjoying for years.
In
a Monday Facebook post, Grab explained that a Boulder police officer had
informed him that there would be stiff penalties for continuing his art.
“For
the past 7 years i have been creating this art in and around Boulder, Colorado,
USA. nearly every day!” he wrote. “[J]ust this weekend, one police officer has
decided that balancing rocks in Boulder, Colorado is now illegal, obscurely
referencing two city codes [5-4-8 and 5-4-2] about ‘destruction of public
property’ in relation to rocks.”
“So
now the police have belligerently taken it upon themselves to write tickets
and/or arrest ANYONE balancing rocks in Boulder, CO. and specifically
threatened to ticket me and/or arrest me if they catch me in the future,” the
artist lamented. “[I] encourage as many people as possible (especially locals)
to contact the city council here in Boulder and voice your support for this
long standing tradition in Boulder. [I]t is something that an overwhelming
portion of the community supports.”
Grab
said that he would be forced to leave Boulder if the city council did not step
in to clarify the city ordinances.
Rooster
Magazine wondered why Boulder police felt the need
to focus on “Draconian rock art witch hunt” instead of higher-than-average
rates of rape and theft.
“Why
is any of this important? Because if we ban every bizzaro Boulder character
that causes a stir (see: nude gardening woman), we’re left with nothing more
than a college town with a Target that’s about to become Google’s new
headquarters,” the magazine noted. “At a time like this, we need less kid
gloves in the form of overzealous legislation, and more attention paid to
retaining the city’s core personality. And if you don’t like that, f*cking move
to Westminster.”
“Keep
Boulder weird, and keep Gravity Glue making weird ass rock art.”
In
the end, the call to action worked. Grab said that the city attorney personally
called to let him know that rock stacking was not illegal in Boulder.
“UPDATE:
holy shit! maybe the support was more than i anticipated!!” he exclaimed.
“[J]ust got a call from the city attorney personally here in Boulder telling me
that he has ordered the police to NOT cite rock balancing under the city codes
[I] mentioned below!!!”
“THANK
YOU everyone for the overwhelming support!!!! [T]hey must have gotten lots of
calls!! haha :))”
Watch
a video below of Gravity Glue doing his thing.
This post was originally published here: Boulder
Cops Declare ‘Rock Stacking’ A Jailable Offense To Stop Local Artist Who Spent
7 Years Creating Sculptures
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