Sidewalk Chalk Ouija Board Ruled ‘Graffiti With Extra Steps’ by Public Works

OAKDALE — The Department of Public Works has ruled that a large Ouija board drawn in sidewalk chalk outside the Hendersons’ house constitutes “graffiti with extra steps,” ordering its removal within 48 hours.

“It’s 12 feet across,” said Public Works director Tom Bradley, measuring the chalk spirit board with a tape measure while a crowd of neighborhood children watched. “It has the alphabet, the numbers, ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘goodbye,’ and — this is the part that got us — a decorative border of skulls. That’s not a doodle. That’s a installation.”

The board was drawn by 14-year-old Maya Henderson and three (3) friends, who described it as “a Halloween decoration” and “totally temporary — it’ll rain.” The department was unmoved. “Chalk is temporary,” Bradley said. “A 12-foot spirit board with a planchette the size of a pizza is a statement. Also, the planchette moves. I saw it move. I’m choosing to believe that was the wind.”

The ruling cites Municipal Code 14-88, which prohibits “unauthorized markings on public walkways,” with an exception for “hopscotch, four-square, and other wholesome chalk activities.” The department’s legal memo clarifies that “contacting the spirit realm” is “not wholesome, per se.”

“We asked for a definition of wholesome,” said city attorney Lisa Park. “The memo says, and I quote, ‘you know it when you see it, and this ain’t it.'”

Maya and her friends have appealed, arguing the board is “seasonal decor” protected under the city’s Halloween Display Ordinance. Their appeal includes 60 signatures, a diagram, and what they call “testimony from a spirit” — a page reading only “GOODBYE,” which the department has classified as “hearsay.”

“We’re not anti-spooky,” Bradley said. “Draw a pumpkin. Draw a ghost. Draw a pumpkin ghost. But a functional — allegedly functional — divination tool on a public sidewalk? That’s where we draw the line. Pun intended. The line is drawn. In chalk. Which is the problem.”

The Hendersons have 48 hours to wash it off. “It’ll rain,” Maya repeated. The forecast says otherwise.