Car parked IN Davis Square last night

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Did anyone else see the car parked in the middle of Davis Square Plaza last night? I think it was a commercial for some Ford hybrid, but it sure took up a lot of space in a crowded square for an advertisement. Here's what I wrote to Rebekah. I hope that if you saw the car and were disturbed by it, either for the space it took up or for the precedent of advertising in our public space, you will write to her too.

Hi Rebekah. There was a car in the middle of Davis Square last night, and not on the street. It was, as far as I can tell, an advertisement for Ford parked in the middle of our public space. I'm not sure what the story with it is, perhaps it was somehow related to the film festival at the Somerville Theater, but whatever the reason, I'm really disturbed by it. The last thing we need is a big advertisement smack in the middle of our central space. It's really out of character with the Square, and puts commercial interests ahead of those of residents and visitors, the pedestrians for whom the Square was specifically designed. The car took up a huge amount of prime space, right where the musicians typically play, on a beautiful night when the Square was already quite crowded. I don't know what kind of permits were required for last night's car commercial in the Square, but I very much hope that they are not issued again for advertising. If no permits were required, and anyone can park a car or other large commercial billboard in the middle of the Square, that needs to be fixed. If this kind of thing is planned again, community should be invited so that we can together decide the future direction of our public space.

Comments

[ron_newman]

It has something to do with Ford's sponsorship of the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and I've seen it during previous years' festivals as well.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Ford's sponsorship of the Independent Film Festival of Boston should be quite welcome, and the placement of one vehicle in the square for a day or a weekend is quite minor, presenting a danger to no one. The Independent Film Festival of Boston is non-profit and volunteer-run; it brings patrons to Davis Square businesses from all over the region, and helps highlight not only the Somerville Theater but also the city of Somerville.

I would assume that permitting was in place as the city is well aware of the activities of the Festival. The city added a police detail for crowd control last night and for the security of political, sports and cultural VIPs who came to Davis Square last night for the Festival, including Congressmen Delahunt, Ray Flynn, Luis Tiant, Fred Lynn, Peter Gammons, Peter Farrelly, and Chris Cooper.

A parked car is such a non-factor in this context.

[ron_newman]

Were those folks all here for the Luis Tiant movie?

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Yup: The Lost Son of Havana. It was really good. I think there's an encore showing tonight.

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

The IFF comes but once a year, and that's better than not at all, even if that means Ford gets to show off a car in the square.

I'd even go a bit further and say that if it means we don't have to cut city programs, and we can get a GOOD price for it, I'd even whore the space out up to once a month, with a cap on the practice at 2 or 3 years (by which point things should be looking up and we can afford to be snooty again).

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Here are some of the folks scheduled to show up today:

On Sunday April 26th, head back on over to the Somerville Theatre to see two of the best actors to have graced the silver screen over the last 40 years, Hal Holbrook (2008 Academy Award nominee for INTO THE WILD) and Barry Corbin (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, NORTHERN EXPOSURE) will be in attendance with director Scott Teems for his screening of THAT EVENING SUN. Do not miss your chance to see these two great actors in person

Of course, Hal is 84 years old, so it's always possible he may not make it.

[dominika-kretek.livejournal.com]

What annoyed me was that there was a car shaped like a phone parked in front of the Holland Street T entrance that rang all day long. The last ring I heard was at about 11:30pm.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I've had some trouble with a car in the Square shaped like a really, really bad folk singer. Not so much that I'd write a letter to anyone, though. It'd be impossible to do without sounding really entitled and spoiled, and people living in Allston, or Southie, or pretty much anywhere, would mock me.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

1) Define "huge amount". It's a mid-size sedan, not an SUV. I was there yesterday, outside volunteering for the fest, in fact, and the musicians had absolutely no trouble drawing a large audience. The footprint took up maybe, MAYBE, room for five people to stand around comfortably. The only way it was in the way was if you had to sprint across the Square.

2) Yes, it has to do with the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Ford is a major sponsor and has been parking a car there as part of their sponsorship for YEARS. It will only be there until Tuesday at the very latest; it'll probably be gone Monday morning.

3) The IFFB is a volunteer organization right up to the top. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, draws a salary out of this event or from any advertising associated with it. It all goes into hiring the theaters and getting the prints in.

4) Among the movies being screened, today at the Somerville Theater:

"Upstream Battle", about a Native American tribe fighting a power company for control of their ancestral river.

"Shouting Fire", a documentary about free speech.

"Trinidad", about the "sex-change capital of the world", Trinidad, CO.

"Shooting Beauty", a local documentary about photographers with cerebral palsy in Watertown.

You see, without the IFFB, some of these stories wouldn't get told, because there wouldn't be a venue for them. It's a major festival and getting in there often means the difference between getting more fest dates and the documentary being picked up, or rotting on a shelf, their stories untold.

[belladonna.livejournal.com]

Very well said.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

...and the car has been there for 5 days now (the run of the festival so far). if the menace of this car wasn't noticed or felt until the fourth night, then how much is it really affecting your life?
i spent some time in the square last night listening to the music, drinking some water, and i never once noticed the car being in anyone's way or taking up space that was wanted.

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

On top of that, when I answered it, it was a wrong number.

[dominika-kretek.livejournal.com]

Ha, that reminds me of the time I was living in Allston, and I came home at 11:30pm to find that Boston Edison was jackhammering the sidewalk outside my house. I think that is pretty much the ultimate noise incident. Not to mention the light banks they had so that they could see what they were doing. No sleep was had that night, I can tell you that.

But if they were working at all at that hour, it had to have been an emergency, so I prefer not sleeping to having my house blow up.

Anyway, I live right on the square, so I've put up with noise from all kinds of events in the square on weekends. It's just goes with the territory.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

If you don't like where I park, get the fuck off the sidewalk.

Yup. They also had an airplane seat

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

in the theater during a couple of them. I forgot what airline was advertising. Look, if they make the festival possible, what is the big freaking deal?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I don't know what kind of permits were required for last night's car commercial in the Square, but I very much hope that they are not issued again for advertising.

Oh, yes, God forbid the Somerville City Council should accommodate the corporate sponsors of distinctive artistic events! Who needs the Independent Film Festival in Davis Square, right?

Re: Yup. They also had an airplane seat

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, it's advertising. Advertising is bad.

[dashford.livejournal.com]

Well, no, not everyone. They have been using all five screens for the festival, so there were roughly 20 different films shown each day of the weekend. I saw a couple of music documentaries -- one on record collectors (repetitive) and one profiling Wanda Jackson ("The Female Elvis" -- wonderful).

The Tiant movie is an ESPN production and will be aired on the network starting in August (and no doubt will also have a local run at a theatre).

Re: Yup. They also had an airplane seat

[ron_newman]

JetBlue.

[ron_newman]

Yeah, but I meant the list of names in the comment above mine.

[ron_newman]

Just as i walked by the theatre 15 minutes ago, someone drove the Ford away. (Hopefully the owner taking it to the ICA, where Monday night's films are showing.)

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was produced by the Farrelly brothers. They do have a distribution deal with ESPN, however.

[ron_newman]

This one ?

I'm guessing that was a promotion for Automorphosis, which I unfortunately did not get to see.

[dominika-kretek.livejournal.com]

Yeeees.

I think I wouldn't have been so annoyed if it didn't sound like an alarm bell. All afternoon I was thinking "Where's the fire? Where's the fire?"

[ron_newman]

I saw the re-run yesterday and enjoyed it.