Photo credit: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock
On January 20, 2017 (Inauguration Day), Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf launched his very own art project called “He Will Not Divide Us.” The project consisted of a live stream video camera located right outside the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. The public was encouraged to participate in the project by repeating the words, “he will not divide us” into the camera. “He” is meant to refer to Donald Trump.
It was supposed to be an act of solidarity, a way for the community to support one another throughout the Trump presidency. But unfortunately, it only ended up making the political divide worse. Things got so bad that the Museum of the Moving Image has officially shut the project down as of Friday, February 10.
“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,” the museum wrote in a statement.
One of the most notable incidents occurred on Jan. 22, when LaBeouf got into a verbal altercation with a white supremacist on live stream footage. Nobody was hurt and no police charges were filed.
However, just a few days later, LaBeouf got into yet another altercation. This time, things got physical. An unidentified man in sunglasses posed with LaBeouf on live camera before asserting “Hitler did nothing wrong.” Almost immediately after he made the statement, LaBeouf shoved the man.
On Jan. 26, LaBeouf was arrested for a separate incident involving him pulling a scarf off of a 25-year-old man. During this scuffle, LaBeouf allegedly scratched the man’s face, which resulted in a minor assault charge. This particular incident was not caught on camera.
In just the few short weeks since the project was launched, several incidents have taken place, most of which involve white supremacists. The museum made the right call by shutting down the project before things got too out of hand.