DeKalb County artist pleaded 'no contest' to code violations
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County artist was displaying his own art in his own yard until code enforcement came knocking.
Earlier this month, Kyle “BlackCatTips” Brooks was cited for the work he put in his DeKalb County yard.
Code enforcement said some of his art was too large, others pieces were “signs” and not “art”.
Brooks appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded “no contest.” He was not fined. He said he was pleased with how it worked out.
“I'm going to continue to paint on my property and decorate my yard. Make happy things for people going by,” said Brooks.
Brooks said now that he is aware of the DeKalb County codes, he will take it into consideration when choosing which pieces to display in his yard.
“I just want to continue to make my art and not feel oppressed for doing something creative and full of joy,” said Brooks.
The artist said he has received emails and letters from people around the world supporting him.
“I want to say thank you to all the people, so many thousands who have spoken up and written me from all over the country asking me to be proud of what I do and continue to do it,” said Brooks.