During the 1990s, an artist was irritated and bothered that many residential neighborhoods in America have "too much" fencing separating the properties. She thought that the fences were unfriendly and ugly, and reminded her of jail cells.
She put the word out across America that she was looking for a city to pay her, with tax dollars, of course, to construct an ugly, insulting outdoor jail on city-owned property, most likely a park.
For mysterious reasons, the Carlsbad City Council was happy to pay her the money she wanted, via the politically correct phrase "public art," as if anybody wants any level of Government to make artistic and/or musical choices on behalf of citizen-taxpayers.
As soon as the ugly jail cell was completed within a small park at the beach, the purchaser-taxpayers complained loudly and non-stop, making extensive use of the phrase "Remove the Bars," a protest movement which succeeded.
Unfortunately, at least in California, that artist had to be paid even more money for her consent to have her artwork removed.
This story is published October 2022 because candidates for Carlsbad City Council have calmly answered questions about Public Art, with none of them saying that "this is not a legitimate function of government, and not a legitimate taxpayer expense." It is so regrettable when worthwhile history is forgotten or ignored, especially when an entire city is forced to pay to be insulted.
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