Snowball Firing Squad for Baylor: An Arty Challenge

By now nobody’s missed the “D.C. Detective Pulls a Gun at a Snowball Fight” escalation at 14^th and U Street during the 2009 Snowpocalypse. Watch the best “Braveheart” snowball vid here. And this one provides distance and scope. Of course, if this were ten years ago – and I was here ten years ago – shots would have been fired both ways for the indignity. As it is, nobody is quite sure of Detective Baylor’s fate, whether he’ll lose his shield entirely, his job, or just get a slap on the fanny. My old friend Andrew Bennett, who I bumped into while Christmas shopping on U Street this afternoon, was just about to throw his first snowball that day when somebody yelled “GUN!”

“The guy left his Hummer’s door wide open and wasn’t paying attention,” Bennett laughed. “When they figured out he was just some jerk waving his gun around everyone started filling the Hummer up with snow!”

Not all the police on the scene where idiots. This beat cop was clearly doing his best to cool things down, so to speak. Nonetheless, top cops like Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham aren’t happy with Baylor’s lack of composure or intelligence. Already his shield and gun have been taken pending an internal investigation. Should Baylor lose his job? No question, but I have a waaaay better idea. If he doesn’t lose his shield, Baylor should be put up against a firing squad of 100 snowballers until his Hummer-sized pride learns a little humility.

So, I’m calling for a bit of guerrilla street art here. Anyone out there ready to stage Baylor’s snowball firing squad in photo or high def video? Send it in and we’ll post the best ones on Pink Line Project and, of course, Vimeo.*

Send your submissions here: info@pinklineproject.com.

*Photog Credits:

Sharon Wu on the photo.

Robert Rosenburgh on the snowball.