Political protest hits a brick wall:Anti-Eminent Domain Ad Causes Stir

The L.A. Times reports:

ST. LOUIS -- When this city declared the aging Bohemian Hill neighborhood blighted and opened the door to the possibility of using eminent domain to redevelop it, social activist Jim Roos decided to protest in a big way.

He hired an artist to paint a two-story-high mural on the outside of a duplex, turning a late-1800s brick facade into a massive declaration of outrage easily spotted from the city's major arteries.

The mural, which says "End Eminent Domain Abuse" inside a red circle with a slash through it, has annoyed civic leaders and led to a legal battle.

The city is asking a federal judge to order Roos to get rid of the painting. The city's attorneys say it isn't art or constitutionally protected free speech but simply a sign that's too big.

Local codes restrict signs in the city's residential areas to 30 square feet in total size, said Matthew Moak, an associate city attorney. The mural is 24 feet across -- 15 times the maximum.

"I don't care what it says. . . . If it had been dogs playing pokeron the side of the building, it'd still be a problem," Moak said. "You cannot erect what amounts to a two-story piece of graffiti."

Roos -- who runs a company that manages rental units for low-income residents, including the Bohemian Hills duplex -- acknowledges that he didn't apply for a city permit before commissioning the mural. When he tried to get one after the fact, the city denied his application.

Roos believes it's the painting's message -- not its size -- that St. Louis lawmakers truly object to.

"If this were advertising McDonald's or beer or the Cardinals, there'd be no discussion or debate," said Roos.

"The city just can't stand that someone is protesting what they're doing in such a loud way."

You'll want to click on the link to see the picture.We hear at Newsalert are against zoning and billboard restrictions,and of course we don't believe in eminent domain(which is just theft).