I came across this gem in Annarbor.com: “Builder of ‘obscene snowman’ isn’t upset police told him to destroy it.” Here’s the meat of the story (so to speak):
Police responded to (Mike) Scoffins’ North Summit Street home about 3:31 p.m. Tuesday after someone called to report an “obscene snowman,” a police incident log said.
Scoffins said the woman complained the 6-foot-tall sculpture was offensive and some “kids were asking about it,” so she had to explain it.
A police officer told Scoffins he had to destroy it, which he did as the officer watched, he said. Shortly after, another person showed up in a city of Ypsilanti vehicle to ensure it was destroyed, he said.
Here’s a link to a picture of it. I will admit that the boys do get a certain amount of “style points” for realism, but I also think that is in part to the angle and lighting of the photo.
Scoffins apparently was happy to oblige in letting his sculpture go limp, but I’ve got to say that this strikes me as problematic since I’m pretty sure that a snow phallus does not rise to the level of “obscenity” as described by the Supreme Court. I don’t think I would have been quite so cheerful and cooperating. Of course, I probably wouldn’t have been making an erect penis in my front yard either.
Good thing the kid didn’t point to the Water Tower, huh?
BTW, the comments on annarbor.com are pretty funny too, and already, the AnnArbor.com editors, notorious for over-censoring their comment areas, are in form here.
