Landmark 'M Go Blue' barn defaced with name of WikiLeaks founder
Someone spray-painted graffiti, including the name of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, on this landmark barn at Scio Church Road and Oak Valley Drive.
Lisa Carolin | For AnnArbor.com
“In all the years we’ve lived here, it’s the first time it’s been defaced,” said Katie Parker, who owns the bright red barn in Lodi Township with her husband Bill Parker. The familiar landmark sports the M Go Blue slogan spelled out in shingles on its roof.
Parker said the graffiti appears to have been written in gray-green spray paint. Mowers the couple hired discovered the vandalism today, but Parker said it could have happened any time within the past 3 days.
She said she doubted that the vandalism was connected to today's Michigan football game against Notre Dame, since the graffiti doesn't reference football.
The couple has owned the barn since 1992 and had its roof adorned with the familiar University of Michigan slogan either that year or the following one, said Katie Parker, a U-M graduate.
Starting last year, WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of cables from the U.S. State Department, prompting complaints from the Obama Administration that Assange was threatening national security and even risking the lives of some sources.
Parker said she and her husband contacted the Washtenaw County sheriff’s department and University of Michigan police to report the vandalism.
A closer view of the graffiti.
Lisa Carolin | For AnnArbor.com
Comments
AA
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 2:27 p.m.
Michigan Football is more important then Julian Asssange.
Dan
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.
Somebody also wrote "Julian Assange" twice in the crosswalk of Main and Pauline maybe as far back as a week ago. (north west side)
DeeDee
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 12:05 p.m.
Graffiti? In Ann Arbor??? Seriously? More non-news from AA.com - its very own news specialty.
beeswing
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 1:14 a.m.
Strange. I remember the owners being pretty politically vocal with their liberal use (liberal in a lowercase L kind of way, that is!) of towering Bush signs a few years back but hard to see a real connection in that.
beeswing
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 2:19 a.m.
Oh, forgot to add --- "just saying, Turd".
Turd Ferguson
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 1:21 a.m.
?
tom swift jr.
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 12:45 a.m.
Why would the U of M police be involved in this?
outdoor6709
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 11:14 a.m.
Because U of M people think they are the center of the universe.
Turd Ferguson
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 1:09 a.m.
Duh, because "M GO BLUE" is on the roof. smh
dading dont delete me bro
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.
so let's bring attention to it (what the graffitist is looking for?)
Alfie
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 1:12 a.m.
That's exactly what I thought. The article is a great publicity piece for this 'artist'. This story even includes a close-up of the grafitti!
Lovaduck
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 11:11 p.m.
I guess some people think that if THEY are concerned about something or other it's all right to deface others' property to make their point. And yet they'd scream like murder if someone did the same to them!
Terri
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 9:43 p.m.
Again I say: what in the world is wrong with people?
Soothslayer
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 10:10 p.m.
I couldn't agree more! That barn should be green and have STATE written across the roof. The nerve of some people... Ahh well Sparty will put Blue to shame again this year. It will all be over soon enough.
smokeblwr
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
Huh? Obscure and odd way to get a point across. Surprised one of his minions ventured away from their computer long enough to do something in "meat-space".