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EMERYVILLE — Members of the self-described “activist art collective” Indecline vandalized a billboard overlooking Interstate 80 early Thursday, turning the slogan “We make junk disappear” from the company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to “We make Kids disappear – I.C.E.”
The group posted a video of the billboard transformation on social media and to its website.
In the video, three hooded, masked activists climbed onto the billboard located near the Courtyard by Marriott and transformed the message, which features a picture of a young child with his hands against his face, gasping in surprise.
The activists kept the photo and changed the text to slam the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for separating migrant children from their parents when caught entering the country illegally.
One member of the collective spoke anonymously to this newspaper and confirmed that Indecline was responsible for the act.
“Obviously it’s a hot topic right now and something we feel very strongly about,” the activist said.
The activist added that the practice of separating migrant children from their parents “extends beyond immigration and into a humanitarian issue, so we wanted to draw attention to that, empower the public and raise awareness on the topic itself.”
The activist said a few of the group’s members had passed the billboard earlier and immediately created a concept for its message.
“It only took a manner of hours to put it up,” the activist said. “It was ready made for a message like this.”
On its website, Indecline said its members focus on “social, ecological and economical injustices carried out by American and International governments, corporations and law enforcement agencies.”
Indecline members have targeted other billboards along the West Coast. The activist who spoke to this newspaper said the vandalism usually is cleaned up within a manner of hours.
Media reports estimate that more than 2,300 children have been been separated from their parents under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order intended to end the separation of families at the border by detaining parents and children together for an indefinite period.
In April, a billboard overlooking Highway 101 in San Jose flashed messages in support of Trump, including a message supporting his re-election in 2020.
