Have you seen the guy on Ballard Avenue? He comes EVERY Tuesday or Wednesday and rips every single poster down. Before he trashes them [not recycle, every time] he shreds them into little pieces. We all stop what we're doing at VAIN just to watch in awe at his intensity.

There are 2 companies that operate like ninjas putting up all those posters on poles in Cap. Hill and they are forever on a turf war. Who put who's poster over the others, blah, blah. At some point the city gets involved and makes them strip the poles and start over. Keeps the clutter down I guess. Anyway thats the rumours I've heard over the last several years.

I was helping a friend put posters up on friday evening and we were noticing that along pike at least, it seemed like all poster polls south of broadway that were not directly on an intersection had been shredded by some rabid man/beast/machine hybrid. ruthless violence!

I've been told before, when hanging posters on Capitol Hill, "Oh don't you know about the old guy who tears down all the posters?" Apparently someone(s?) makes it part of their regular routine to walk around and tear down posters.

And indeed, it's clear that poles that aren't established poster poles (mostly along Pike and Pine) are kept very clean somehow. Otherwise they would likely be covered.

But the established poster poles being under siege too is new news to me... perhaps the professional poster service people are just sabotaging each other again.

It's time to start gluing some posters up.

Sarah Joe : never seen the guy on Ballard Ave do it. Is there a reason? Does he work for some Ballard community group, or just some pissed off crazy?

@ John - based on the look in his eye as he tears them down, I'm guessing it's a personal agenda.

Yea, last time I did the flyering rounds in Cap Hill I watched as one of the Poster Giants tore down non-Giant posters in the Pike / Pine corridor. But this stripping them bare phenomenon sounds like it could be a different fellow/flock if ALL the posters were getting torn down.

Flyering is kinda stressful, especially when you check out your flyering work the next day to see someone stapled over you or your's torn down -- it's enough to make you freak out and strip poles bare. I'm not making excuses for temporary flyering insanity, but I could see some post-hipster going postal on the whole thing.

i aint pissed off crazy i just like them poles clean!