Be Someone and Merry Christmas
I met Louis Robert Luna last night and he is a cute kid for sure. He is just over three months old.
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The featured photo kind of says it all from today’s Houston Chronicle.
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Check out this story from ABC Channel 13 news:
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An artist who painted messages on the ‘Be Someone’ railroad bridge is speaking out after prosecutors dropped a felony graffiti charge.
The bridge is famous for its best-known graffiti – the ‘Be Someone’ sign, which first appeared in 2012 and has been painted over and repainted multiple times since.
In 2020, Chandrika Metivier began dangling from the bridge over the North Freeway to write messages like ‘No war, know peace’ and ‘Vote or die.’
“It was always only to raise the consciousness of humanity,” Metivier said.
Metivier left a total of five messages from September 2020 to January 2023. A month after painting “woman, life, freedom,” a felony graffiti charge was filed.
“It was sort of humiliating at first because I didn’t realize that they weren’t celebrating those messages as the city was celebrating some of the messages,” Metivier said.
The ‘Be Someone’ sign itself is widely considered iconic.
There’s even an online petition to make it a protected landmark.
But unlike Metivier, the artist never revealed his identity.
“I understand. I get it. It’s vandalism,” the artist told Eyewitness News in 2016.
Metivier was put in a pre-trial diversion program. After completing it this month, the graffiti charge was dismissed.
“I can understand why someone might want to silence a voice like mine,” Metivier said.
Union Pacific previously told Eyewitness News its issue with the graffiti wasn’t about the message. The company cited safety concerns, including the potential for falling paint cans.
The DA’s office told Eyewitness News in 2023 that Metivier’s self-outing may have made it easier to bring charges.
“It was a little too impactful, you know? Like my voice was a little too loud,” Metivier said, while ruling out future bridge paintings. “I wouldn’t touch that bridge if someone paid me to.”
If the H-Town Mayor had pardon powers, I would ask him to grant a full pardon to Chandrika.
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We will have the flat screen on this afternoon when Beyoncé handles the halftime performance at the Texans and Ravens game at NRG.
Stay safe today. Enjoy your family, friends, and the game.
Merry Christmas!
