Community Corner
Shia LaBeouf's Anti-Trump Livestream Shut Down, Was 'Flashpoint Of Violence'
The exhibit became an "ongoing public safety hazard," the museum said.
QUEENS, NY — The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria has closed actor Shia LaBeouf's anti-Donald Trump livestreaming art project after it "created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard," the museum said in a statement Friday.
LaBeouf, who lives in a Long Island City apartment near the museum, was arrested at the exhibit's site last month after shoving another person there. Things got worse after that incident, the museum said.
"The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent," the museum's statement said.
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"While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action," the statement continued. "Over the course of the installation, there have been dozens of threats of violence and numerous arrests, such that police felt compelled to be stationed outside the installation 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
By 10 a.m. Friday, the livestream was no longer live on the project's website.
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The mission of the project was for people to stand in front of a camera outside of the museum — broadcasted live 24 hours a day — and repeat the words "He will not divide us," in reference to Trump's presidency.
It drew celebrities such as Jaden Smith to the museum, who gathered with other NYC and Queens residents to take part in the project.
As the museum said, things deteriorated quickly.
The camera went live at 9 a.m. on Jan. 20. Shortly after, LaBeouf was seen violently screaming into a Trump supporter's face, which drew massive attention to the project, especially from right-wing circles:
Shia Labeouf maniacally screams "he will not divide us!" in a Trump supporter's face...thereby becoming the physical embodiment of division. pic.twitter.com/vwCUn6acNL
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) January 22, 2017
LaBeouf was arrested on Jan. 26, six days after the exhibit's opening. Police did not say whether the man he shoved was pro- or anti-Trump.
After noise complaints from nearby residents, the NYPD's 114th Precinct set up a 24-hour patrol presence outside of the museum, according to the New York Post. And community leaders were vocal in their concerns.
“Why don’t they put the cam inside the museum? That has been raised by some individuals,” Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris said, according to the Post.
“The concern is the quality of life. There’s action going on during unacceptable hours. The museum needs to find a way to make the project better for everyone involved,” she said.
"We take our commitment to the safety of our 200,000 annual visitors and 50,000 school children attending programs at the Museum seriously, along with the safety and security of our staff and community," the museum's statement said.
"We are proud to have launched this engaging and thought-provoking digital art installation which was experienced by millions of online viewers worldwide. Until public safety concerns overrode the intent of the installation, HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US generated an important conversation allowing interaction among people from many backgrounds and with different viewpoints. However, ending our engagement with the installation is the most prudent path forward to restore public safety to the Museum, its visitors, staff, and the community."
Image: Jaden Smith at the exhibit; livestream screenshot
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