Cop in Eric Garner's death not indicted

[angus]

I saw a really provocative art display today regarding the police.  With all the bad press the cops are getting lately it wasn't difficult to understand the piece, even for me.

We had a little fire alarm today at about 11:15 am.  I thought it was a drill, so I took my time exiting the building but I learned later that it was it was for real.  Apparently some freshman lab was doing a qualitative analysis experiment and one student thought that the best way to confirm that a particular sample of magnesium metal was indeed magnesium was to set it ablaze.  Actually, I agree with the student in principle.  Burning magnesium is a wonderful sight to behold.  Who needs a functioning retina, after all?

Anyway, I exited the building in the direction of my car, taking my things with me, on the outside chance that the building was actually in jeopardy.  On the way downstairs I mingled with a group of meteorologists and meteorology students from the fourth floor.  After arguing with a meteorologist over whether we were experiencing rain or drizzle--technically drizzle is defined by droplets with a diameter of less than 0.5 mm, which I learned today--I decided to wander over to the Art building, also known as Breidenstein Hall.  Why stand out in the rain (er, drizzle) like a chump, when I could saunter over to a neighboring building and enjoy their central heating? 

As luck would have it, a new student display was just going up.  It was in various stages of completion, so I probably didn't get the full effect, but it was fairly impressive and one piece really caught my attention.  It was entitled "Donate to your local police."  It featured a box, possibly cardboard, rectangular and tall, about one foot by one foot at the base and rising to a height of about four feet.  A small slit was cut in the top like a coinslot.  Over the box was draped a white sheet with bloodstains.  Of course it was reddish paint, but it was well done, with handprints and streaks resembling bloody marks.  Draped over that was a regulation U.S. Flag.  The flag covered the whole thing, so the first thing one sees from a distance is an American flag draped over a tall box, but when you get closer you see the bloodied sheet sticking out from it, and then you notice that it all covers a donation box.  The coinslot is very carefully cut through all layers:  flag, bloodstained sheet, and cardboard box.  Then one notices the title of the piece. 

It was all very evocative of cover-ups in the name of security and patriotism.  I haven't had an art appreciation class, but even a knuckle-dragging lowbrow like myself could appreciate this piece.  Brilliant.