Plays With Needles: power of pink

The Boston Tea Party has nothing on Baltimore.

We know how to protest unwanted taxes... But the subject this time wasn't taxes on tea or stamps or whisky...

This time the tax was on a pink flamingo.

Sculpted from bedsheets and wire, the flamingo has hung outside of Cafe Hon in the Baltimore Neighborhood of Hampden for the past seven years...and has never had to pay a tax for the privilege...

Until this year.

Evidently the city of Baltimore can assess a minor privilege fee on business owners who have items outside their businesses that encroach onto the sidewalks, such as tables and benches. But the tax can also include anything hanging over the sidewalk...such as awnings, light fixtures, signage and even... a pink flamingo.

So, when the owner of Cafe Hon, Denise Whiting, received a taxation bill for the pink flamingo for $800 (evidently the fee is calculated based on square footage of the item), she chose to take down the pink perched bird rather than pay the fee.

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

And the loss of this pink paragon of the Hampden community outraged the city! And her fight had just begun...she printed out flyers...

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

Enlisted the support of her community, and attracted the attention of the 98 Rock radio station.

These actions fueled the spark of protest which resulted in a group of irate orniphiles flying to the aid of their fellow feathered friend.

The outraged mob landed on the lawn in front of City Hall and refused to move until the issue was addressed.

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

Many well-known Baltimore celebrities showed up, including the reigning 2009 Baltimore's Best Hon, Charlene Osborne, seen here with Baltimore's mayor Sheila Dixon.

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

The outcome resulted in the annual tax being sliced in half to $400 by changing the calculation of the square footage of the flamingo from a rectangle to a triangle...AND, an extra coup, the mayor agreed to place a billboard along I-83 which runs into Baltimore attracting tourists to the neighborhood of Hampden.

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

And Hampden is worth the visit. It's home to Cafe Hon, sporting our newly-taxed, pink bird, and it's the only place in town where we've eaten with Elvis.

It's most famous for the Hon Fest which is held every June, a uniquely "Bawlmer" festival celebrating the working women of Baltimore and the unique familiarity with which they refer to everyone as "Hon"... It's hard for me to describe in short order so I send all those interested in knowing more to this link here.

The Festival originally started as just a contest behind Cafe Hon's restaurant to select Baltimore's Best Hon has now grown into a national phenomenon.

Photo via The Baltimore Sun

So should you come to Baltimore, Hampden is a "must see". It's an eclectic, artistic community with many unique stores, vintage shoppes, and interesting places to eat.