Hey, Is That Yours?

Every couple of weeks I receive a graphic design newsletter from Graphics.com. This newsletter contains a lot of great information regarding design, typography, tutorials and creative bits. I especially enjoy looking at the "Ads of the World."

Normally, I scan through for inspirational ideas and free downloads or tutorials. I don't always read the articles, but one in particular caught my eye and my temper.

This article was about a British-born and highly-secretive street artist named, Banksy, who recently descended on the delapidated Packard Motors Factory and left his mark among various other graffiti artists marks. Only his art is valuable and has sold to celebrities like, Angelina Jolie. This is the art he created among the debris and scattered remains of what used to be.

It seems that the higher city officials in Detroit are at a loss for what to do with this property and who should pay to clean it up. The residence of the last recorded owner is a Michigan state prison. Even though no one wants to pay for the clean up they sure want to get in there when there's something monetarily profitable to them. A Detroit gallery, 555 Nonprofit Studio and Gallery, made quick steps to move in and take ownership of Banksy's valuable piece of art. They weren't coming in to do anything for the city, like clean, but how quickly they brought in a work crew and a forklift and took away something that would benefit them.

This is where I have a problem. Who are these people that they feel they have the power to just mosey on in and remove something that wasn't theirs.  That art was created as a statement that really only makes sense among the surroundings of rubble and community graffiti within the Packard Motors Factory.

They can't even put it back, now. Anyone who has read the article or heard about it in the news knows it's worth $100,000, so chances are it won't last long inside the remains of the Packard Motors Factory if returned. Especially, since it's already removed from the concrete wall and ready to go.

Some questions I have:
Who should own this art, if anyone?
What does Banksy think about this or does he?
Was it commendable of the gallery to protect the art?
If it wasn't the gallery, who took it first who else would have?