See, I don’t like his style. Apart from (including this, I bet) appropriating other artists’ work- many of them black artists, not a good look for a white man- I just think the idea could be executed better. The cop doesn’t look menacing enough even though he’s dressed that way because the baton is at rest. The flower just looks bad. The idea itself is, shall we say, remarkably similar to a scene in the film Yellow Submarine, where the Blue Meanies try to fire their guns, but flowers grow out of them instead.
Regarding his work overall, the Andre the Giant Has a Posse thing was interesting as a meme, but I’ve just never thought of him much as an artist. Even the Obama portrait- which he also appropriated- didn’t do much for me.
But my personal feelings about Shepard Fairey has nothing to do with whether or not his work should be exhibited.