news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Police arrested a local man this morning who tried to prevent the city from removing five benches and rocks that had triggered complaints from some local residents.

Two Greensboro police officers arrested Brian Higgins shortly after 9 a.m. Friday when he refused to move from atop the lone remaining rock that was a piece of public art along the Downtown Greenway.

"Apparently I'm trespassing on city property," Higgins yelled shortly before he was arrested. A police captain confirmed that Higgins will face a trespassing charge when he is brought before a magistrate.

City crews arrived at 8 a.m. Friday to remove the artwork, five benches and five rocks arranged in a semicircle. The nonprofit Action Greensboro paid North Carolina artist Gary Gresko $5,000 to build the steel and African teak benches. It was the first public art along the 4.8-mile Greenway.

The artwork was behind the Urban Ministry shelter on West Lee Street and visible from South Eugene Street.

But residents of the nearby Warnersville community complained of public drunkenness and indecent behavior taking place on the benches. A camera was put up on a nearby light pole to help the city monitor what was going on and discourage illicit behavior.

In September, District 1 candidate Ben Holder presented City Council with a petition of 17 signatures from area residents asking the city to remove the benches. Thursday night, a majority of council members asked city leaders to do just that.

Higgins, who writes the Glenwood Observer blog, said he was getting coffee at 7:30 a.m. Friday and noticed a News & Record story about how the benches would be taken away.

He drove his wife to work in Randleman, swung by his house to pick up a bike lock and headed to the benches. He figured he would chain himself to one of the benches.

But by the time he arrived at about 8:30 a.m., city crews had loaded up all five benches and four of the five rocks.

So Higgins climbed up on the remaining rock, and the city workers called police.

"I only managed to save a piece of it," Higgins said shortly before police arrived.

Higgins said he was disappointed that only a few local residents and a City Council candidate — Higgins called them "a few squeaky wheels" — were able to deprive the community at large of a piece of public art.

"I think public art belongs to the whole community," Higgins said.

Higgins said he rode his bike past the benches daily as he took a section of the new Greenway from his home in Glenwood to his job at a downtown restaurant. Higgins said he has seen no problems around the benches.

Officers arrived at 9 a.m. and talked with Higgins, who sat atop of the 4-foot-high rock with his arms crossed. Ten minutes later his cell phone rang, and officers arrested him.

After Higgins was led to a nearby patrol car, two city workers used a front-end loader to put the remaining rock on a flatbed trailer.