The 26-foot banner declaring \NO BUSH WARS"" came down Tuesday after the building's owner was forced to end its 56-day run due to threats of fines from the city of Madison.
A gatherer yelled, ""Goodbye First Amendment!"" as the banner crashed down toward the sidewalk.
Tom Link, who owns Bellevue Apartments, 29 E. Wilson St., thinks the City of Madison has inappropriately stepped in. According to Link, the city is punishing the wrong man.
""They sued me, claiming it violates the health and public's safety,"" he said. ""Obviously what George Bush is proposing is a threat to public health and safety, not only to our troops, but to the whole world.""
Charles Sweet, a friend of Link who attended the press conference, didn't think the city had a good reason to demand the sign's removal.
""I don't see what harm it's done. It hasn't hurt anybody,"" he said.
He bluntly added what the rest of the gatherers understood. ""I guess the only reason it's coming down is the content,"" he said.
However, Building Inspection Unit Director Linda Grubb told the Wisconsin State Journal in January that the banner had to come down because it violated a zoning ordinance prohibiting banners larger than 32 square feet and hung higher than 15 feet above the ground.
""It's not the message on the banner,"" Grubb told the State Journal. ""This is a pretty charged issue ... but we'll treat it the same as other violations.""
The sign is a message directed toward George W. Bush.
""We're talking to George,"" Link said. ""I don't know that he's hearing us, but it seems like there's a wave going around the world now of people just saying 'no, we cannot do this, this is not the way to solve problems.'""
Now that the sign is down, Link hopes to find a new home for it so the message can still get out.
""It has to find a new home,"" he said.
Link comes from a family history of protesting in Madison.
""My mother was a peace activist in town here and the park on State Street is named after her.""
According to Link, this was the first real involved form of protesting that he has done. He said he plans to participate more, in hopes of stopping Bush.
