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# Guerrilla Artist Warns Detroiters to Brace Themselves
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/guerrilla-artist-warns-detroiters-to-brace-themselves/
- Published: 2013-07-30T18:48:25.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:34:55.000Z
- Description: Jerry Vile's guerrilla addition to Detroit's "Monument to Joe Louis" (aka The Fist) is his tongue-in-cheek way of preparing the citizens of his beloved city to brace themselves …
- Author: Hrag Vartanian
- Tags: Opinion, Detroit, Street Art, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 06:59 (2012, 2013, part 2)

![sdfads](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/07/article_landing_jerrymain_640.jpg)

Jerry Vile with his addition to “Monument to Joe Louis” (photo by Deadline Detroit, and used with permission)

An artist who asked to be identified as Jerry Vile obviously has a sense of humor, so his guerrilla addition to Detroit’s “[Monument to Joe Louis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument%5Fto%5FJoe%5FLouis?ref=hyperallergic.com)” (aka The Fist) is his tongue-in-cheek way of preparing the citizens of his beloved city to brace themselves for the … *er* … punch of bankruptcy.

The artists told Bill McGraw of [Deadline Detroit](http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/5826/detroit%5Fartist%5Finstalls%5Fcrisco%5Fcan%5Fat%5Fjoe%5Flouis%5Ffist%5Fto%5Fease%5Fcity%5Fs%5Fbankruptcy%5Fpain?ref=hyperallergic.com#.UfgFf2Q4UpL) (DD): “Things are going to hurt … We’re just trying to grease the wheels of justice. Now, instead of selling something from the \[Detroit Institute of Arts\] DIA, this is being given to the city of Detroit. They can sell this.”

One DD commenter, replying to another commenter who called the work disgusting, explained: “LOL. I’m sorry you’re insulted by this. The city of Detroit has been taking it up the ass by crooked politicians for years … this ONLY makes sense.**“**

The work was removed today, though the city told DD that it was removed “as abandoned property” only “after consulting with Detroit Institute of Arts officials.”