Metro rips out Phantom Planter’s flowers at Dupont Circle station

Washington Post ^ | 7-7-13 | Robert McCartney

[afraidfortherepublic]

It turns out I underestimated Metro bureaucrats’ capacity for folly.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the transit system would look silly if it let perish 1,000 flowers planted secretly at the Dupont Circle station by local garden artist Henry Docter, the self-described Phantom Planter.

I feared that Metro would merely neglect the flowers. Instead, last Sunday, it sent workmen to yank them out.

[ZinGirl]

and if he slips and falls....who do you think he would sue?

look...I give loads of credit to the guy. I'm sure he's a nice guy. But we all can't just go out and do whatever we want to because we think it's "nice". This is why we have laws....so we don't govern ourselves on feelings.

Also...my husband is an avid gardener. He would consider 1,000 morning glories as "terrorism". :P

[afraidfortherepublic]

Who needs to tend Morning Glories? Actually this sems like a good place for them. They take little care.

[2banana]

It all comes down to the public unions don’t like the competition

[SaxxonWoods]

I think it would be funny if people kept planting things there.

Over and over.

Of course, that would mean drones would be called in...

[Hoodat]

Great movie!

[SampleMan]

This is a prime example of power for power's sake.

The city felt a deep need to ensure that all of the citizenry understood that the government is their master, NOT their servant. This is the type of action that you expect in NK or Cuba, where this type a altruism is seen as nonconformity and nonconformity is seen as a threat.

[tanknetter]

Of course doing nothing would have cost nothing, but then who cares when you’re spending someone else’s money.

Well, doing nothing would actually have cost something down the road. If you look at the picture above of the guy on the escalator next to the plants he donated, you'll see that several of them are already starting to spread out from their little square beds.

Eventually they'd spread to the point where they'd need maintenance to keep in check. Otherwise they'd spread into the escalator, possibly causing all sorts of damage. As someone who suffered through multiple years of non-functional Hell arising from Metro's cost-saving measures when buying new (and really crappy) escalators, I'd rather have Metro putting it's money into required maintenance/upkeep/replacement rather than having to pour it into elective stuff. Walking up the Dupont Circle escalators (which aren't even all that long) during afternoon rush, right into the Sun in 98 degree, high humidity heat will do that :)

[Venturer]

My Uncle once said that my Aunt bought a 15 cent package of Morning Glory’s and destroyed his whole farm.

They climb the corn stalks choke out the beans and destroy Combines, and cover everything. They are not conducive to farming.

[krunkygirl]

You are so right, ZG...a momentary
lapse...’cause I love pretty, public places.

i try to guard against “liberalism creep”.

thanks for keeping me in check (ps...i work with a bunch of very sincere, young liberals...it’s a struggle, sometimes, to keep a balance.
speak up/speak out or keep the peace?)

Kg/nancy

[Mrs. Don-o]

First, the transit authority said they'd respond to the preferences of the local community--- but they didn't. It was "up yours" to the locals.

Second, they spent a sh*tload of money which is in extremely short supply, NOT to clean the human sewage out of the bottoms of all the stairwells, NOT to clear out the tons of paper and discarded-food trash, NOT to erase the gang tags and the filthy obscene graffiti, but to destroy a project which was popular, harmless, and beautiful. They have really idiotic priorities.

Third, the authorities expose the public to risk every day with their dirty and pooly-maintained metro stops. If I were inclined to lawsuits, I'd sue them for exposing me to E. coli.

Fourth, I don't think the Phantom Gardener was using the Convolvulus genus. More likely the Ipomoea. These are actually valuable around public sites. Because of their tolerance for poor, dry soils and their maintenance-free habit of flourishing, they are excellent vines for creating summer shade on building walls, thus keeping the building cooler and reducing heating and cooling costs.

Fifth, I don't think you an assume the planter is a sue-the-city kind of guy. To avoid liability, the bureaucrats could have insisted that he sign a "hold harmless" agreement which would protect them from lawsuit, and everybody would have been a winner.

Now everybody's a loser. Good grief, what a display of duh.

[SampleMan]

Perhaps we should wait and see if spontaneous public beautification projects become a real problem. I don't think there is a big threat of people spending 100s or 1000s of dollars of their own money and their own time to "deface" public spaces with flowering plants.

I notice that the government isn’t nearly as concerned about cleaning up gang symbols, graffiti “art”, and trash.

I think I’m correct about their priorities in this matter. What if everyone planted flowers in barren public areas? I suppose we would have better looking public areas. Its not like he removed anything to do this.

[ZinGirl]

LOL....I was just going to FRmail you to apologize for my snarkiness. I’m not “usually” like that. Can I blame the heat? Thank you for taking it OK. (I posted upthread that my husband HATES morning glory and would consider 1,000 as an act of terrorism. :P)

[ZinGirl]

I know. I get it. Maybe i’m even jealous that he had the gonads to do it. However...if he slips, will he sue DC? This is the society we live in now. The fact that most people think this is a lovely idea he had....what if it was some weirdo who was planting Venus fly traps or poisonous something? “nice” is very subjective.

[ZinGirl]

I will totally second your "display of duh". :)

However, you can NEVER assume someone is the "I won't sue" type. There ain't no such animal. (There is the "they probably WON'T sue" type...but never say never. My dear friend is probably in the process of suing someone, potentially thanks to a lawyer...and I still can't get my head around it. She is one who I would definitely have put in the NEVER column)

[krunkygirl]

You’ve got me laughing!

kg/nancy

[CrazyIvan]

That’s nothing. I have had to literally crawl inside a corn combine and hack the vines out.

[blackdog]

What movie is that?

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[tfecw]

Third, the authorities expose the public to risk every day with their dirty and pooly-maintained metro stops. If I were inclined to lawsuits, I'd sue them for exposing me to E. coli.

That's more than a bit dramatic. The DC metro is pretty clean, esp when compared to other systems, notably NYC.

[TsonicTsunami08]

Is English your first language?