Since the creation of the “Barrel Monster” on May 31, N.C. State and the Hillsborough Street construction have become national news. Covered first by Technician, the story was picked up by WRAL, The News and Observer and MSNBC, among others. Junior Joe Carnevale, a 21-year-old history major, was charged on June 10 with destruction of property along with larceny for stealing construction barrels belonging to Hamlett Associates and creating a 10-foot roadside sculpture of an angry man directing traffic with a pointed finger.
The arrest violated the terms of his parole, which resulted after an incident in Carnevale’s home state of Illinois.
“I’m probably going to have to do a little time because I was on prohibition,” Carnevale said.
Although many saw the humor in the prank, the police department took the matter seriously, investigating Carnevale’s website nopromiseofsafety.com which led to the discovery that Carnevale was actually the man behind U Live and You Burn.
I didn’t really think the cops would come after me for it,” Carnevale said. “I guess it was one overzealous cop that decided to make a big thing out of it, even though the owners of the barrels didn’t even want to press charges.”
Support of Carnevale’s monster creation reached Hamlett Associates Construction Company, which has asked authorities to drop charges. In an interview with The News and Observer, Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said he didn’t see how Carnevale’s crime fit the definition of larceny. However, Raleigh police remain unconvinced. Carnevale is due in court on July 21.
Soon after Carnevale’s arrest, hundreds of his supporters joined Facebook groups entitled “Art isn’t a crime!’ and ‘Don’t charge Joseph Carnevale,’ the latter of which has reached over 1,500 supporters. At press time, over 600 members had joined in the previous 24 hours.
“I don’t think he should be prosecuted for something like this,” Facebook supporter Madi Shook, a junior in political science, said. “I think N.C. State has a lot of bigger problems than this to deal with.”
The estimated cost of the barrels Carnevale used totaled $365, yet Hamlett’s president Steven Hussey told MSNBC earlier this week that the publicity was well received.
As the original monster was partially destroyed and the remains confiscated by the Raleigh police force, Hamlett Associates Construction Company’s management has asked Carnevale to recreate the monster for compensation at the company’s home office in Climax, N.C. They also complimented him for such a creative barrel design.
Carnevale has not decided whether to take up Hamlett’s offer or the numerous other projects proposed by many of his newfound fans.
“If people want to pay for materials, I’ll build whatever they want,” Carnevale said. “The barrels are kind of expensive and I’m broke. If I can make money doing this sort of creative stuff I’ll do it, but I don’t see it happening.”
Barrel fans would love to see Carnevale recreate the ‘monster’ as well as continue with his craft.
“He should totally do it,” Shook said. “I like his art and believe the charges should be dropped.”
Meanwhile, the society of Urban Explorers with which Carnevale has a tenuous relationship has not been angered by the additional attention the graffiti artist has brought. Carnevale said he has not received any backlash from his fellow explorers.
“They’re not pissed off at me,” Carnevale said. “They know I have made it clear that vandalism and urban exploration are separate.