Shia LaBeouf's 'He Will Not Divide Us' Exhibit Shuts Down
Shia LaBeouf had a tough day.
The actor's "He Will Not Divide Us" exhibit—which is really just a webcam set up outside of the Museum of the Moving Image in New York—has been shut down as of Feb. 10, 2017. LaBeouf, 30, had previously vowed to keep the exhibit open for Donald Trump's entire presidency. The website where the exhibit streamed, hewillnotdivide.us, posted a message reading, "The museum has abandoned us."
The museum told the New York Post in a statement that the decision wasn't an artistic or a political one, but one made for the safety of its visitors. "The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the museum, its visitors, its staff, local residents and businesses," the statement said. "While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested at the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action."
The arrested artist the statement refers to is likely LaBeouf. As Nicki Swift previously reported, the Transformers star was arrested on Jan. 26, 2017 and faced charges of assault and harassment for a dust-up he had with a protester who allegedly used anti-Semitic language. TMZ reported that police regularly began patrolling the area due to conflicts and complaints.
The local community board agreed with the museum's decision. "Why don't they put the cam inside the museum? That has been raised by some individuals," Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris told the New York Post. "The concern is the quality of life. There's action going on during unacceptable hours. The museum needs to find a way to make the project better for everyone involved." Some of the "action" has been violent, while some has just been a nuisance, with multiple allegations about noise and the smell of marijuana.
The exhibit's demise was only the first headache for the Fury (2016) star for the day. That afternoon, a man claiming to be Jesus showed up at LaBeouf's Los Angeles home, TMZ reported, and offered to "save him." LaBeouf declined the offer and asked the man to leave, which he did. To be safe, LaBeouf called police after the incident. Though he declined to press charges, police reportedly suggested LaBeouf obtain a restraining order. In video obtained by TMZ, the alleged evangelist said LaBeouf was "poopin' and crappin' on Christ."