Shia LaBeouf's anti-Trump livestream is over because violence ruins everything
Well, at least we'll always have the time Shia LaBeouf punched a nazi.
LaBeouf resistance art project, HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US, is ending just three weeks into its intended four-year stretch.
The installation, kicked off brilliantly by Jaden Smith, began the day of Trump's inauguration. The basic idea was that concerned citizens would participate in a livestream for the entirety of his administration by repeating the phrase "he will not divide us." The whole thing took place just outside The Museum of Moving Images in Queens, New York, but due to increasing security concerns, the museum shut it down.
LaBeouf tweeted the following image:
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The museum defended their decision in a statement, explaining that "the installation become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent."
Indeed, LaBeouf's arrest was not an isolated incident, and the alt-right, of course, had no trouble finding ways to ruin what was intended to be a peaceful protest.
Read the Museum of Moving Images' statement in full below:
The Museum of the Moving Image has closed HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US, a participatory Internet streaming performance by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner. The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the Museum, its visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses. The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent.
While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action. Over the course of the installation, there have been dozens of threats of violence and numerous arrests, such that police felt compelled to be stationed outside the installation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We take our commitment to the safety of our 200,000 annual visitors and 50,000 school children attending programs at the Museum seriously, along with the safety and security of our staff and community.
We are proud to have launched this engaging and thought-provoking digital art installation which was experienced by millions of online viewers worldwide. Until public safety concerns overrode the intent of the installation, HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US generated an important conversation allowing interaction among people from many backgrounds and with different viewpoints. However, ending our engagement with the installation is the most prudent path forward to restore public safety to the Museum, its visitors, staff, and the community.
Topics Donald Trump Celebrities
Tricia Gilbride was a Reporter for Mashable Watercooler. Tricia focused on the intersection of celebrity culture and the Internet. Previously, she worked as a fashion writer and a social media manager. She also edits Women-Artists.org, a blog and annual print publication, and looks exactly like her cat.
