Donald Trump has been a man of firsts. Never mind, that those firsts have been the result of churning chaos in the White House, a stick-and-carrot approach to foreign policy, and an ego that outweighs the man who carries it. Yet, this time, the change was beyond POTUS’ control.
People have protested various stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but nothing happened. This time, however, the city decided to break with its 40-year history. It decided to approve a proposal removing Trump’s star.
There were a variety of reasons for the city to approve the proposal. Vandals have defaced the country’s commander-in-chief’s star, which was very expensive to repair. In addition, the city’s council said that demonstrations around the man sitting in the Oval Office’s star have become a problem.
The Hollywood Chamber tweeted:
‘When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California State landmark. People can make a difference by voting & not destroying public property.’
The West Hollywood City Council said prior to the vote, ABC News reported:
‘Similar to how certain members of the entertainment community have been removed from the Academy of Motion Pictures, due to their actions toward women, reflecting a stance on their values by the Academy, this is an opportunity for decision-makers to take a stand on their values in support of women and against disturbing treatment of women.’
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce released a statement after the most recent vandalism of Trump’s star on July 25, saying it hoped people “would project their anger in more positive ways.”
https://youtu.be/DDmQtZfpUsw
The CEO of Hollywood’s Chamber of Commerce, Leron Gubler decided to leave Bill Cosby’s star intact in 2015:
‘Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk.’
The five members on the city council passed the proposal unanimously. The next step will be formal letters to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles (LA) City Council, and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. The final decision rests with the Chamber.
Two members of the West Hollywood council, Lindsey Horvath and John D’Amico brought the proposal to remove Trump’s star forth. They noted that the Donald’s low regard for women and his odd views on climate change as reasons to remove the star. In addition, they cited Trump tearing children from the arms of asylum seekers and leaving the Paris Climate Agreement.
The city gave Trump his star in 2007 for his Miss Universe Pageant work. He was a joint owner of the Miss Universe Organization for almost 20 years. Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants fell under the umbrella of his organization.
The most recent vandal, Austin Mikel Clay, 24, allegedly destroyed Trump’s star with a pickax. Clay was charged with one count of felony vandalism and could receive up to three years in jail for his crime.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
