What’s wrong with this picture? In Binghamton, 22 fiberglass hART of BC dinosaur sculptures spent barely two months on downtown streets before being removed to “protective custody” in Johnson City’s Oakdale Mall, due to theft and vandalism.  These are not  innocent pranks like the abduction of high school and college mascots.   This is criminal theft and wanton destruction,  just as  the Discovery Center’s Story Garden destruction was last year.
What kind of character does such behavior reveal? Disrespect for property, particularly the property of others. Disrespect for art and artists. Disrespect for iconic local pop culture with national recognition. Disrespect for the arts and educational organizations that are to benefit from the donations resulting from the eventual sale of these sculptures. Disrespect for a city trying very hard to redefine itself.
It would have been fun to walk through downtown, hART of BC map in hand, on a treasure hunt to find each of the dinos near its sponsor’s business. The dinos will be safer at the Mall, and that’s a very sad commentary indeed.
I wonder if the perpetrators realize the amount of damage to the hArt of BC dinosaurs makes their crime a felony- level offense. May they be caught and prosecuted appropriately.