Council votes to banish Trump from Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
WEST Hollywood city council has unanimously approved a resolution to remove Donald Trump’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The motion, which passed on Monday night, called for the star to be removed over the US president’s “disturbing treatment of women”, along with “other actions”.
The Walk of Fame features more than 2,500 stone and brass stars dedicated to celebrities and figures from the film, television and radio industries. Mr Trump was honoured with his own star on the boulevard in 2007 for his work on the TV reality show The Apprentice.
He attended a ceremony unveiling the plaque with his wife, Melania, and their son, Barron. It has been targeted by vandals several times since Mr Trump first announced he was running for the presidency.
On Monday, 24-year-old Austin Mikel Clay was charged with vandalism for taking a pickaxe to the star last month. It has since been repaired but Mr Clay could face up to three years in jail if convicted. The plaque was also damaged just days before the presidential election in November 2016. The new resolution, put forward by John D’amico, west Hollywood’s mayor pro tempore, and council member Lindsey Horvath, urges the body administering the walk to remove the president’s star.
However, the vote is not legally binding as the council has no control over the Walk of Fame. The decision rests with the Hollywood chamber of commerce and Los Angeles city council, which are unlikely to approve the measure.
Leron Gubler, the chamber president, has previously told the Los Angeles Times a star is never removed. He discussed the issue in 2015 after efforts to remove comedian Bill Cosby’s star. Cosby was convicted of sexual assault earlier this year following a string of allegations from women who said he had drugged and sexually assaulted them.
“Once a star has been added to the walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” he said.
“Because of this, we have never removed a star from the walk.”
Mr D’amico defended the symbolic vote, saying it was not about politics but principles.
“The west Hollywood city council did not pass the resolution because Donald Trump is a conservative or a Republican,” he told entertainment website Thewrap.
“Earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is an honour. When one belittles and attacks minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities or women, the honour no longer exists.”