Some guy identifying himself as James Otis woke up early today and went down to 6801 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles. He set up some construction signs, took out a pickaxe, and absolutely obliterated Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame star. He had the whole thing filmed and by the time the police arrived, he was gone.
Here’s his explanation:
The man, who told Deadline his name was Jamie Otis, said he was trying to extract the star to auction it off and raise funds for the women who have come forward to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them over the decades.
Of course, the “embedded terrazzo and brass star” was broken to bits, but the disk in the middle popped out and could make for an auctionable souvenir. I think the problem is that it’s stolen property.
I don’t know who “owns” the sidewalk along the Walk of Fame, but it’s a crime against someone to take a pickaxe to the property whether it’s publicly or privately owned. So, unless “James Otis” is a fake name, this guy doesn’t seem to have been too smart.
This star was already taking semi-regular abuse.
Trump’s star has had its share of attention since he announced his White House bid in 2005, including a reverse swastika spray-painted over it in January, and a mute sign painted over it in June. Later in the summer, an L.A. artist erected a small razor-wire-topped wall around the star, a knock on Trump’s plans to build a wall on the Mexico border.
Now, unlike Vladimir Lenin and Saddam Hussein, Donald Trump doesn’t have any statues to tear down. He has casinos and hotels, and he’s taking his own name off of them now that he’s toxified his brand. This star was the only monument he had that he didn’t erect (or lease) himself. From that standpoint, I imagine this was a good way of hurting him the way he’s hurt so many people over his life and during this campaign. James Otis doesn’t have to sell his purloined bronze disk to accomplish some measure of vigilante justice here.
Still, it’s a little disturbing to see how Trump’s behavior is inspiring bad behavior on all sides now.