Cincinnati PARK(ing) Day

Cincinati PARK(ing) Day was held on Friday...

"“Cincinnati PARK[ing] Day” to be held Sept. 19, 2008 in parking spaces around Cincinnati. This is a one-day, global event in which artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into public parks and alternative public spaces. Parking spaces show the fundamental elements of a good outdoor public space and may include seating, shade, and a place to watch people, exchange information, and view scenery. Each parking spot can be transformed into a park, playground, puppet show, or whatever you like."

A quick synopsis of how N_O_R_T_O_N's intervention went...

"three police cars and a bike cop showed up within 40 minutes of setting up. my location might have had something to do with it...i was on probably the busiest street in the city...Walnut between 4th and 5th adjacent to fountain square where they were scrambling to set up for octoberfest. the cops told me the radio dispatcher said there were "kids playing cornhole in the middle of the street" which naturally garnered a lot of attention. anyway, i was told i had to have a permit to be using a paid meter space for something other than storing a car which is complete bullshit. after they kicked me out i went to district 1 where they "couldn't find" a copy of the municipal code or parking ordiances for the city. this was also bullshit. how can they enforce the law when they don't even have a copy of it at their main station? wow. i was pissed. then i went to city hall,
where the law department told me the cops were the only ones who dealt with "permit issues" which is what they described my situation as. so i looked up the code, and nowhere does it specify that the ONLY use for a metered parking space is to store a vehicle. I'm pretty sure what i was doing was legal. anyway, they didn't give me a ticket because they couldn't figure out what to charge me with, then got nervous and told me to leave. the entire altercation was photographed thankfully. haven't seen the photos yet. heres a photo
of my park...it was pretty solid." [more...]