Effort underway to keep naked Donald Trump statue in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some rather unflattering statues of presidential nominee Donald Trump have popped up in several U.S. cities, including in the Bay area. One popular San Francisco bar isn't covering up the fact that they want the nude figure.
PHOTOS: SF buzzing over nude Donald Trump statue
The statue has been pulled from the Castro District and is now in police custody because it was illegally glued to the sidewalk without a permit.
His departure was as secretive as his arrival. At 2:30 in the morning, city employees snuck over to Castro and Market and snatched the naked Donald Trump statue from its perch. Residents say they will miss this piece of art.
"This is a disappointment, this is ridiculous. The Donald is so huge, he would have lit up the corner. So it's sad to see him go," said Tim Keefe, San Francisco resident.
RELATED: Naked Trump statue could find new home in SF
The activist group Indecline arranged for Donald Trump statues to appear yesterday morning, not only in San Francisco and in Los Angeles and New York City, Seattle and Cleveland. Huge crowds gathered around the San Francisco statue, and city officials became nervous about people spilling into the streets. They also said you can't affix something to the sidewalk without a permit, so it had to go.
"It was a lot of fun it was a good laugh, making light of a very serious time in politics and something that is potentially scary But a lot of people got a good laugh out of it, so I miss it," said Mark Bowen, San Francisco resident.
RELATED VIDEO: Bizarre naked Donald Trump statue appears in NYC
Residents weren't the only ones sad to see it go. Supervisor Scott Weiner was proud it landed in the Castro.
"I asked public works just to keep it up for a few days, or maybe just even through morning rush hour today so people could see it and appreciate it," said Scott Wiener, San Francisco supervisor.
They said no, so supervisor Weiner found a home for the statue at Lefty O'Doul's. The owner plans to put it next to Marilyn Monroe.
RELATED: Nude statue of Donald Trump pops up in Los Angeles
"Donald Trump statue represents someone naked and afraid. We just found him in the middle of the Castro and now we are taking him in to show what makes America great is not hate, but love and compassion," said Nick Bovis, Lefty O'Doul's.
Lefty's is getting negative reaction on its Facebook page about its interest in the statue. The owner said he is not deterred and would be willing to pay vandalism fines to obtain it.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Click here for a look at the making of the statue by Indecline.
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