46 of these banners have been installed along the downtown streets in Yakima, a community in central Washington State. Yakima is a sun-drenched (in the summer at least, with freezing cold and snow in the winter) community with many nearby recreational and sporting opportunities with many rivers, lakes and hills surrounding the city.
People seeing the banners were confused about what they were promoting. What do you think? Continue reading this post only after you’ve made your decision.
[picture credit: GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic]
The results from an informal online poll by the Yakima Herald-Republic reveals 62% see firearms (either arms holding handguns or simply rifles/shotguns) in the banner. According to a story in the Herald-Republic the banners were intended
to evoke rays of sunlight or perhaps rivers, said Michael Morales, deputy director of Yakima’s community and economic development department.
Realize that Yakima is a hunting community and is struggling with crime problems involving gangs, drugs and guns. So when the design was previewed by merchants, why didn’t anyone see this then? One merchant is quoted in the article admitting that he didn’t see the similarity to guns in the pattern until they were hung on the poles.
A civil engineering firm from Seattle created the design.
My wife pointed this out to me this morning and we both wondered what they were thinking since, once the concept had been planted in our brains, there was no other way to view the design but as three guns.
UPDATE 1/9/2008: The Yakima Herald-Republic is reporting that City officials say the banners are staying up for now, citing there were only a handful of people who had contacted them to question the banners - never mind the local and national media attention. If you were driving through town and saw the banners, who would you call to object? Downtown image group? City Hall? I don’t know either and how many of us would even bother to make the call after returning home from a trip downtown. Yeah, not me either. Reminds me of the old retail store adage, for every one person who complains there are many many others who won’t complain and they won’t return. Methinks someone is being penny wise and pound foolish.
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