On February 10, Shia LaBeouf was forced to shut down “He Will Not Divide Us,” his controversial anti-Trump installation outside of The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY, because it was deemed “a flashpoint for violence” and a threat to public safety after targeting from right-wing groups. This past Saturday, LaBeouf and his co-creators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner reopened the piece, which features a 24/7 live stream and usually people chanting “he will not divide us,” outside the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque. Apparently it has been shut down again.
Following an incident on Monday in which the camera and surrounding area were spray-painted over with the phrase “Reject False Idols,” LaBeouf tweeted early this morning that gun shots has been heard near the exhibit, prompting him to cut the stream:
We have taken the stream down after shots were reported in the area. The safety of everybody participating in our project is paramount.
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) February 23, 2017
There’s no word yet on whether there was a specific altercation related to the installment involved, but some Twitter users and angry neighbors have reported that guns were recently flashed on the stream, and that a shooting took place nearby.
The gunfire was some blocks away from cam. Safety first #hewillnotdivideus
— Harald Wurlitzer (@LexInterna) February 23, 2017
@LexInterna Two other people have showed guns on the stream – their deliberate choice of location has backfired on them. #hewillnotdivideus
— Peasie_Söderlund (@Peasie1965) February 23, 2017
#hewillnotdivideus #hwndu
NO ONE can say ppl were not getting warned, BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS! @thecampaignbook @MauricioPaints @NastjaRonkko pic.twitter.com/cP06RY4rgS— KirkwoodJams (@kjammer17) February 23, 2017
If anything, the recurring incidents around “He Will Not Divide Us” has proven to be divisive as hell.
