Photo: When the City Says Your Boat Needs a Fence

The city of Seaside, California, ordered a man to cover the boat parked in his driveway. He offered a lesson in malicious compliance.

"I'll do what they want, but I'm not going to do it their way," Etienne Constable told The Washington Post after the city of Seaside, California, ordered him to build a fence to cover the boat parked in his driveway. In July 2023, Constable received a letter from the city, saying the municipal code requires that boats be hidden by a 6-foot fence. Threatened with a citation and fine, Constable enlisted the help of his neighbor, muralist and graphic artist Hanif Wondir, to paint the fence to look exactly like the space it was built to cover up.

Comments

[Chipper Chunked Chile Con Congress (ex NCW)]

OK, that's pretty funny.

[Minadin]

Now he's in violation of the signage ordinance . . .

[CE]

But he might qualify for a tax credit for public art?

[skeptical scientist]

This is expression, so it's protected from malicious bureaucrats.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Nice.

[SRG2]

Brilliant!

[Fist of Etiquette]

As much as I hate seeing them get traffic, shouldn't there be a link to the WaPo article.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Is that where the WaPo reporter castigates the citizen for challenging the state?

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Very cool.

[Uncle Jay]

Note to the Seaside, CA city fathers; Get a life.
Please.

[GroundTruth]

If you live in a waterfront town, you need to get comfortable with people having boats (and other marine gear) in their yards. (Likewise if you live in a rural area, be aware that people may have various animals and use chainsaws, among other things inappropriate to city life.)

[Brandybuck]

I live in an urban suburb in the heart of Silicon Valley. My neighbor's rooster wakes me up every morning. Reminds me of growing up in the boonies where the neighbors roosters would wake me up in the morning.

[mad.casual]

If you actually grew up in the boonies, your neighbor's roosters wouldn't wake you up in the morning.

[AT]

Clever.

[Brandybuck]

See, this is why I like California. The government sucks big green donkey dick, but the people still flip the bird to government nannies on occasion.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Um, that's blue donkey dick.

[Dillinger]

that's fucking beautiful.

[mad.casual]

I give it a B+. Points deducted for a gratuitous lack of risquè nose art.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Constable is my hero today.

[ducksalad]

The most surprising thing here is Reason using a non-stock photograph of something actually in the story.

[Moderation4ever]

Great, nothing more can be said.

[Get To Da Chippah]

Nice work. Alternatively he could have built the fence out of plexiglass.

[Bipedal Humanoid]

I like this Dude.

[Nocauses]

If I had his name, I’d write him in for President.