Protesters tear down Home Depot wall installation at Latino music festival

A controversial interactive art installation by Home Depot sparked outrage from festival patrons at Ruido Fest this past weekend, as anti-Trump protesters tore down the structure which was shaped like a giant wall.

Taking place in Chicago, Ruido Fest is an all Latino alt-rock music festival in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood. The festivities turned into political outrage as protesters took offense to the giant wall structure Home Depot installed as an art installation. It was supposed to allow the festival’s attendees to mount decorative tiles, which ended up looking like white bricks.

Considering the United States’ political climate under the Trump administration, with the infamous wall on the US-Mexico border set to begin construction in September, it’s easy to see how the Latino crowd would take offense to the wall installation.

Artist and community organizer Amara Betty Martin told Remezcla the details of how the protest began: “I explained to him the climate that we’re living in and that this is an all-Latino festival… this art project—even though it seemed innocent—it was psychologically sending another message to the community”.

When Amara received no response from festival organizers, she took matters into her own hands and gathered the community to take action. The wall was dismantled, but a physical altercation between festival security and protesters ensued.

The Home Depot booth was removed from the festival the following day and a representative from the company made a statement: “We were participating in the festival to show our support for the community, so this was an unfortunate misunderstanding. The project was intended to show attendees how easy it is to lay tile for bathrooms, backsplashes, and other applications”.

View select videos of the protest below.