A woman filmed Phoenix’s decorative orange trees asking ‘what the hell does that mean,’ and people questioned where the taxpayer money went

A video of a woman criticizing Phoenix’s new decorative orange tree installations has gone viral, as reported by the Daily Dot. The clip was shared on X by @WallStreetApes and drew a wave of reactions about public art spending and how cities allocate funds. The video opens with a woman filming the orange tree installations from her car window.

She questioned why the city would spend money on such a project. “Come on, City of Phoenix, you guys can spend your money on better stuff than that. Like, what the hell does that mean? Really?” she said. A second person then appeared in the video, at first sarcastically praising the trees before turning critical. “How much do you think a city would pay for amazing art pieces like this?” he asked.

He said he searched for cost information using ChatGPT, though the AI tool could not identify the exact cost of these specific installations. He said similar public art pieces cost “between $50,000 and $300,000 plus” per piece. The exact cost of the installations and the source of their funding could not be independently verified. The identity of those depicted in the video has also not been confirmed. Questions about how public money gets spent have drawn attention elsewhere too, including a report on White House building projects that cost taxpayers far more than initially promised.

The comment section had strong opinions

Several commenters questioned how the project got approved in the first place. “How does that even get funded by the city council? That’s atrocious,” one wrote. Another wanted to know who got paid and whether there were any connections to those who approved the funding. “Find out who got paid to make and install these. Let’s see if they have any ties at all to the people who approved the funding for them,” they said.

One commenter made an unsubstantiated allegation, writing, “Here’s what looks like another ‘art’ money laundering scheme in Phoenix.” Others kept it shorter. “They charging for air yet?” one asked. Another called the project “a waste of taxpayer money.” The cost of the installations, the source of their funding, and the identity of those depicted in the video could not be independently verified.

Phoenix has had a public art program since 1986, when the city passed an ordinance allocating one percent of its annual Capital Improvement Program budget to public art projects. According to the City of Phoenix, public art is funded by a penny from every dollar used to build or improve city infrastructure, including streets, parks, airports, and libraries.

More than 300 projects have been completed under the program since it launched. Since 2005, more than 80 percent of public art spending has gone to local contractors and suppliers, according to the city’s own data. Phoenix is among more than 300 publicly funded public art programs nationwide.