OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) – The group looking to have a sculpture of a partially clad woman removed from a suburban Kansas City park said Monday it has collected about 80 percent of the signatures required to empanel a grand jury to investigate whether the sculpture violates state laws.
The sculpture, “Accept or Reject” by Yu Chang, is among 11 artworks donated to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens by a group of Chinese artists. The life-size bronze, on display at the arboretum since November 2011, depicts a woman wearing an opened blouse, her breasts exposed, taking a photograph of herself.
Phillip Cosby — Missouri and Kansas director of the American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss. — says the sculpture is obscene and should be removed from the city-owned park, which is frequented by young children. Cosby is seeking 4,500 signatures required to empanel a grand jury, which would then investigate a charge of promoting obscenity to a minor.
He said on Monday that he has about 3,500 signatures and hopes to have the rest together by Aug. 7.
“People are responding, and we’re going to get there,” Cosby said.
Cosby said he expects to file the petition Sept. 1 with the Johnson County court, which would call the 15-member grand jury. Kansas is one of about six states that allow citizens to petition for grand juries. Most other grand juries are called by a judge or prosecutor.
Overland Park said the city had no plans to remove or relocate the sculpture from the city-owned park but has posted two signs near the sculpture site telling visitors that “some pieces include a display of the human body.”
Cosby has coordinated eight grand jury petitions against pornography in Kansas in the last nine years and has been successful six times. Those cases involved adult pornography at shops in Kansas.
Click to view the Kansas City Star’s previous coverage of the issue, as well as a photo of the statue in question.
http://joco913.com/news/overland-park-refuses-to-remove-statue-petition-drive-launched/
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