Los Angeles police detained an unidentified man for promoting his Solana meme coin, Vigilante, from atop the famous Hollywood sign.
The wacky world of meme coins once again witnessed peculiar marketing tactics over the weekend as a developer climbed one of LA’s most prominent landmarks. While Argentinian President Javier Milei was caught up in the LIBRA token debacle, developers in the U.S. turned to the Hollywood sign to push a meme.
Vigilante (VIGI), a Solana-based (SOL) meme coin, posted photos of a team member waving a white flag from the D sign on Mount Lee in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.
Local media outlets reported that the man stood on the Hollywood sign for about 60 minutes before park rangers and LA police detained him. However, the VIGI team may have more marketing stunts planned.
Solana developers launched the Vigilante meme coin via Pump.fun on Feb. 15, promising the most viral token promotion ever seen. VIGI’s market capitalization peaked at nearly $4 million as news of the Hollywood sign campaign spread. Shortly after, the token crashed over 70%, with its market cap falling to $1.3 million from its all-time high.
Solana meme coins have bred intense competition since Pump.fun made it easier to launch tokens. Developers have turned to unorthodox promotional methods to capture speculative investor attention.
Last year, one creator set himself on fire while promoting a Dare coin based on the popular game. The developer suffered third-degree burns but continued to promote the token from his hospital bed.
Many SOL meme developers have used Pump.fun’s streaming feature to engage in various stunts, including dangerous dares, lewd acts, animal abuse, and even drug overdoses, to market their tokens and boost prices. Amid community backlash and fears of regulatory scrutiny, Pump.fun ultimately disabled the streaming plugin.
