For $40, Anderson York will build you a bench and leave it at a location of your choosing.
Over the past six weeks, more than a dozen of York’s benches, which are made of treated pine wood and arrive unpainted, have been popping up across the city — at bus stops, public parks and school playgrounds.
And while it’s technically illegal to place a bench in a public space without a permit, Indy’s so-called “bench mench” (as it’s spelled on his Instagram account) isn’t worried about the consequences.
A quote York attributes to himself, written on the back of one of his benches, defines his philosophy: Do more good for the world without permission.
“There are too many places where we can’t just exist for free and sit and talk to somebody,” York said.
Thus far, York said he hasn’t received any citations, and to his knowledge, none of his benches have been removed or stolen.
The Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, the city agency in charge of licensing and permitting, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s request for comment.
Lisa Soard, IndyGo’s director of communications, said the transit agency is aware of York’s benches.
IndyGo has an exemption to the city’s rules about benches in the city right-of-way, Soard said.
“We don’t need a permit, but anyone else should get an encroachment license to place a bench (or anything) in the public right-of-way,” Soard told Mirror Indy via email.
Soard said IndyGo has a legal obligation to ensure its more than 2,300 fixed-route bus stops are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
She declined to answer a question asking if York would be cited or the benches would be removed.
A doer of good deeds
York, 34, has built a reputation for himself as a community advocate. He earned the nickname “the mayor of 46th Street” for picking up trash and donating food items in the neighborhood he’s lived in for the past four years.
“Anderson is a good guy with a strong love for his community and has always done his part to make it a better place to live,” said John Christian, owner of GoldLeaf Savory & Sweet in South Broad Ripple.
The manager of a sales team who also drives commercial trucks part-time, York seems to have made a hobby out of doing good deeds.
In January, when a winter storm dumped about 8 inches of snow and residential streets went unplowed, York grabbed his shovel and started clearing driveways, attracting coverage from a local TV station.
And he was recently named the chair of the newly formed SoBro Neighborhood Alliance.
“I just like doing good things. It makes my brain a lot quieter,” York said. “There’s a lot of garbage things happening in this world, and I can shovel snow or build a bench or pick up trash, and it makes me feel okay.”
In fact, York was bothered enough by the state of the world that he chose to ditch his smartphone in favor of a flip phone.
“I’ve freed myself from the system. There’s no endless scrolling,” he said.
He still has his smartphone, but he says he only uses it to take pictures or videos.
“I post an Instagram photo and then move on with my life,” he said.
What does the law say?
City code states that a person wishing to erect a structure or feature in the public right-of-way, such as a bus stop, must have a permit to do so.
In 2018, the city removed benches at more than 50 bus stops after neighbors complained they were placed there illegally by advertising companies. The owners of the benches were not cited “because city code does not really allow for citations for this,” a spokesperson for the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services said at the time.
York said he hasn’t gotten any flak so far. In fact, he said he’s gotten subtle winks and nods from city employees that no one is all that bothered by his guerrilla benches.
The $40 price tag for a bench covers the cost of the lumber and screws plus shipping the product, which York delivers himself.
Some of York’s friends have suggested that he charge for labor, but he’s not interested in being an entrepreneur.
“I don’t want this to be a job. This is supposed to just be a fun thing. I’m not trying to make this my career path,” York said. “This is just fun and whimsical. Eventually this will stop, and I’ll find the next good thing to do.”
Jeffery Tompkins, an Indy-based urban planner who has published articles about his frustration with the city’s zoning system, said York is doing a job that city leaders have failed to do.
“We’ve built a civic ecosystem where lawyers outnumber builders, where the goal of leadership is to avoid getting sued rather than to make better places,” Tompkins told Mirror Indy. “Regulation, once meant to safeguard the public, now suffocates it.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
