January 17, 2002

8:15 AM

man protests prison construction by burying busesThis is one of the more original methods of protest I've seen. The "artist", an excavator by trade who is trying to protest what he sees as an unlawful zoning change that will lower the value of his property, says his inspiration came from Cadillac Ranch. Will his protest be successful? Do you think this was an appropriate way to catch the attention of the local authorities? I, for one, think this was clever.
posted by purplecow (10 comments total)

This man is a genius. I wish I had a spare school bus lying around my apartment to donate. Maybe the Partridge Family will donate their bus.
posted by Werd7 at 8:38 AM on January 17, 2002

Good job!

I'm a little confused by this, however:

...until local and state officials agree to a zoning change that would classify his property as industrial, not residential. Then he could sell his house and move.

Why can't he sell his house and move as it stands currently?
posted by Fat Elvis at 8:54 AM on January 17, 2002

umm... 'cause who would buy a house directly across from a prison? On the other hand, if it's zoned for commercial use, he could probably sell it to a business for a price which would be good for him as well as a bargain for the business. Just a guess, really.
posted by starvingartist at 9:05 AM on January 17, 2002

MO MORE PIZZA PORN PRISONS!
posted by thirteen at 9:25 AM on January 17, 2002

This is close to my house.
[this is good]
posted by SpecialK at 9:46 AM on January 17, 2002

OK, pardon me if I'm a bit dense today, but the point of planting buses is what exactly? Splain it to me please! Why buses?
posted by AstroGuy at 1:07 PM on January 17, 2002

Well, if nothing else, it got him the attention of the New York Times.
posted by crunchland at 1:17 PM on January 17, 2002

Why busses? 'Cause they're bigger than a breadbox. Big enough, in fact, that they're really really hard to ignore.
posted by ilsa at 1:47 PM on January 17, 2002

Genius? The statements from this guy convince me that he needs councelling.

"I couldn't eat, I could barely sleep," Mr. Eaton said. "I went to a doctor, and I've been munching on Zoloft tablets ever since."

I for one say let the moron continue burying buses...I can't believe that they can't fine him for code violations for BS like that anyway.
posted by RevGreg at 4:00 PM on January 17, 2002

The Oregon land use system is geared toward protecting resource lands by keeping urban development within certain bounds. If this guy's land is outside of the urban growth boundary, a shift to industrial use may be a very, very difficult endeavor. Even inside the boundary, changing zoning willy-nilly is not something to be taken lightly. There are larger issues to be considered.

I don't live too far away, perhaps I'll check it out. I do fail to see how upended schoolbuses make much of a point.
posted by yourpalbill at 1:28 AM on January 18, 2002