Today, a man vandalized Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a form of protest. A second unknown individual filmed James Lambert Otis while trying to remove it with a sledgehammer and a pick-axe. In the summer, the star got also targeted.
Hollywood media industry website Deadline.com, also known as Deadline Hollywood, posted the video. LAPD spokeswoman Liliana Preciado at the site said they expect to arrest the man for vandalism. Otis intended to remove the star but couldn’t. Instead, he destroyed Trump’s name and the Television receiver emblem.
The LAPD answered a call at 6 a.m. reporting the sidewalk defacement. Officer Sal Ramirez was the first to arrive at the scene. There, he found a sledgehammer, a pick, a construction hard hat and a reflective construction vest.
James Lambert Otis could face a hefty fine and even jail time for his acts
Ramirez said the perpetrator would face felony vandalism charges. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce group, which runs the Walk of Fame, confirmed they would press charges. Otis could be looking at up to three years in jail and a fine of more than $10,000. Additionally, the LAPD estimated reparations could cost around $2,500.
Otis identified himself to Los Angeles-based City News Service as the man responsible for damaging the installation. The man said he wanted to take out the star auction it off to benefit women who have accused Trump of sexually harassed them. He added that he has family members who were victims of sexual assault.
American businessman Donald Trump, currently the Republican candidate for president, has been accused of sexual assault or sexual harassment by fourteen women since the 1980s. Trump has denied the allegations. A 2005 recording in which he brags about kissing and groping women has not helped his case, though.
Not the first time for Trump’s star nor the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded Donald Trump with the sidewalk star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. He received it in recognition for his contribution to television as host of the NBC reality show The Apprentice.
Trump’s star has suffered vandalism a few times. Most notably, a street artist built a small border wall around the star during Trump’s presidential campaign. He did so in protest of the wall Trump has vowed to erect along the U.S. border with Mexico once he wins the election.
Acts of vandalism happen on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on a regular basis. Like Otis, other people have tried to steal a star, and some of them have been successful. In 2000, the stars of James Stewart and Kirk Douglas disappeared. Police later recovered them.
Five years later, Gregory Peck’s star got stolen. Even though it got replaced almost immediately, the police never recovered the original nor caught the perpetrators. Interestingly enough, one of Gene Autry’s five stars also disappeared forever.
Autry is the only honoree with stars in all five categories: motion pictures, broadcast television, audio recording or music, broadcast radio, and theater or live performance. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce represents them with five emblems: a Classic film camera, a Television receiver, a Phonograph record, a Radio microphone, and a Comedy or tragedy mask.
Source: Deadline