When I first started putting signs on freeways I figured it’d take a couple weeks and maybe a hundred signs or so for people to, you know, get it. (“Hey, I could do that!”) Fifteen years and 7,344 signs later, someone did. ThorBites, introduced here, saw my signs on the freeways and started making signs of her own, utilizing the slide-between-rails-and-fencing technique shown above and the literally two second toaster-drop method shown below.
The reason this sign looks so battered is it’s been up for several weeks. Pasadena Freeway heading for downtown LA at roughly 95,000 cars per day (daylight hours.) Dropped between rails and fence: posting time - 2 seconds. I sympathize with but can’t condone the “No I.C.E.” sign. It’s on the outside of the fencing and I think both the message and an audience of 100,000 per day deserves a bit more attention to aesthetic detail.I can give you 100 Reasons to put signs on freeways, but you only need one not to. This woman in Sacramento had a great reason: fear of heights. But for some reason she overcame it and has now become hooked. Check it out:
x1-2-3 1ST AMENDMENT!EASY PEASY!! (I had to fix the "IS", slid a bit)@funder@PatrickRandall@ProudResister@Rosie@BillyBaldwinpic.twitter.com/s7PaY8tK7M
— Kate Porter, RVT (@yesimpeachnow) November 13, 2017Along with the overpass work (more on the way...) she’s been doing trees and poles along the boulevards and arterials. She’s an artist, and artists gotta art.
And here’s another good one from the mattress tagger of Los Angeles I introduced to you yesterday:
xFucking do something, Congress.DO SOMETHING. pic.twitter.com/kONCMYcXyH
— mattresstagging (@mattresstagging) October 3, 2017
What do we all have in common? 1) We’re all women, (except for me, although I was called “faggot” a lot in grade school.) and 2) We’re all in California where, let’s face it, things like Constitutionally protected rights are pretty much taken for granted. (Because literally they are.) To those of you living in the other 49 states thinking we have more rights or freedoms than you do, you’re wrong. Technically speaking, you have the same rights and protections as we do and are absolutely free to go to your nearest overpass and put up a flag or a political sign without any repercussions. Provided of course that sign said something like “Support Our Troops,” “Support Our President,” or the always-popular “Jesus Loves You.” This is one of those “unwritten laws” that can’t be written because it would be absolutely 100% unconstitutional, but doesn’t need to be written so long as it’s obeyed.
However, given that you pick the time and place, have close to 200,000 miles of freeways and highways to choose from, it shouldn’t be that hard to pull off. Operating in broad daylight with normal consideration to the presence of law enforcement I’ve put up over 7,000 signs and talked to cops maybe a dozen times total. Anyway, if you’re interested, it might be worth giving a call to your local ACLU. Seems a shame that we should have all the fun.