Graffiti, Art or Vandalism?

[HomeInMyShoes]

I'd have to say vandalism. However, if I had an urban wall I wanted to muralize, I'd look at finding a good graffiti artist and pay them to do it. Some of these people are unbelievably talented and the stuff is fun to look at, but in the end it is someone else's property.

[MsMe]

Originally Posted by flar

I really wouldn't want people thrown in jail for stuff like this anyway. I think he should have to pay restitution to those whose property he's damaged, or go around repainting (properly) the surfaces he's defaced.

I agree Flar.

[markbarbera]

Since the vandalism was done when he was 17, The Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents his name from being published.

Pardon me for using the act's old name. A rose by any other name and all that.

[DC83]

I really like the style of art, but the tagging sux!

Here's a great example (King W & Ray):

by Erik Twight on Flickr.com, http://flickr.com/photos/emangrooving/2348083736/

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by FairHamilton

Take a look at the picture in the article, http://thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/429587.

This guy is responsible for more than just 63 Keenur's......

The Armour Etch (cf. Belio) could be where the hefty charges come from.

And robbery at knife point won't help a "freedom of expression" defence.

[FairHamilton]

I'd like to know when his court date is and see the wheels of justice turn. IMO, there's nothing child-like (juvenile) with that kind of spray paint storage area.

[FairHamilton]

Just mentioned to my neighbours that Keenur was arrested, and they commented they saw his tag on a boxcar in Halifax last week.

I guess that's why they do it.......

[markbarbera]

Posted on CHML's website tonight:

More Graffiti Arrests
Ken Mann
9/5/2008


The public is getting the credit for the latest graffiti-related arrests in Hamilton.

Police were called by two residents on Thursday afternoon, about teenagers who were tagging with purple spray paint.

They were spotted first in the railway underpass on Walnut Street and a short time later on the side of the Claremont Access near the rail trail.

The accused, 14 and 15 year old boys, face two counts each of mischief.

[Millstone]

Throw the book at em. The graffiti problem in this city needs to stop.

[adam]

Start an after school grafitti art mural program sponsored by the city..

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I'd have to say vandalism. However, if I had an urban wall I wanted to muralize, I'd look at finding a good graffiti artist and pay them to do it. Some of these people are unbelievably talented and the stuff is fun to look at, but in the end it is someone else's property.

Well there's a big difference between this...



and this...

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Some of these people are unbelievably talented and the stuff is fun to look at, but in the end it is someone else's property.

And that's the bottom line. It's only acceptable if you obtain permission from the property owner.

Add to that, uncontrolled tagging really brings down the appearance of a neighborhood. It's becoming increasingly commonplace now in Waterloo Region to see tagging on places like mailboxes, fences, strip malls, and even townhouse complexes/apartment buildings in some residential areas. Usually a lot of tagging follows neighbourhood decay, and getting rid of graffiti wont mask that, but it definitely leaves a bad impression on visitors.

Not long ago, I drove through Hamilton along Main street and let me tell you, seeing boarded up gas stations covered in tags does not leave a good impression for out-of-towners, but further reinforces the Hamilton stereotypes.

Originally Posted by flar

Of course, as much as I dislike tagging, I really wouldn't want people thrown in jail for stuff like this anyway. I think he should have to pay restitution to those whose property he's damaged, or go around repainting (properly) the surfaces he's defaced.

I think that would be an appropriate punishment as well.

[markbarbera]

Further arrests are being reported in thespec.com:

Police bust three in Red Hill tagging spree

September 15, 2008
By John Burman
The Hamilton Spectator

Three young men have been charged with mischief getting caught last night carrying backpacks loaded with spray paint.
Hamilton police allege the men – 21, 22 and 25-years-old – were involved in a major tagging operation along a retaining wall on one of the on-ramps to the Red Hill Valley Expressway at King Street East.
All three are charged with mischief under $5,000 and are scheduled to appear in court for bail hearings this morning.
Staff Sergeant Maggie Schoen said the trio are suspected of being “significant taggers.”
This is the second time in a month police have seized large quantities of paint and laid charges.
On Sept. 1, police charged an 18-year-old Hamilton man dubbed KEENUR with eight counts of mischief under $5,000 and seized an armoury of spray-paint cans, markers and other graffiti equipment.
Police allege the youth had hit at least 63 locations, many of them city property.
Police made the arrest after an appeal to neighbourhood associations for help in tracking down the tagger.
They identified where he struck and provided video evidence of him vandalizing city property.

[FairHamilton]

Great news. Hopefully the ball keeps rolling and more are caught, or take heed and stop. Or better yet, don't start.

I guestion the "mischief under $5,000", as I'm sure if they were significant taggers the bill to clean-up their vandalism would exceed $5,000. It doesn't take long to get to $5,000 these days.

[drpgq]

I wonder why they didn't bother to name the perps. They are all well over 18.

[SteelTown]

Charged with mischief, are two Hamilton residents, 21 year-old Christopher Constand and 22 year-old Michael Walsh and 25 year-old Marco Delgobbo of Binbrook.

[FairHamilton]

http://thespec.com/article/440660

Judge sends message grafitti won't be tolerated

September 25, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator
(Sep 25, 2008)
A 24-year-old man with a history of mental problems has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for a graffiti spree in which he defaced phone booths, bus shelters and public buildings from Dundas to downtown Hamilton.

Ontario Justice Norm Bennett also placed Joshua Whitelaw on a year's probation and prohibited him from having materials that could be used for etching or tags (graffiti signatures).

Whitelaw had pleaded guilty to mischief and breach of probation over a graffiti spree with his girlfriend on Feb. 18 when they caused about $1,500 worth of damage.

Bennett said tagging and etching are at an all-time high in Hamilton and he wanted his sentence to send out a message they won't be tolerated.

"Enough is enough," he told Whitelaw.

Lawyer Ian Begg said his client suffers from a number of mental problems and has been in the care of psychiatrists and counsellors since he was five. He urged a lenient sentence.

[FairHamilton]

^How about a lifetime ban on owning etching and spray paint??

[adam]

Do people really think that once taggers are punished everything will be solved? Think about the boarded up buildings, the depressed downtown, its a recipe for this kind of stuff.

When social programs were cut back in Bob Rae's day, these kids were barely born. They grew up with a lack of social support programs, and now we're seeing the result. Either learn to live with this crap or support social programs. A huge chunk of Hamilton's youths live below the poverty line. They are society's problem. Tagging is the least of our worries.

[drpgq]

Originally Posted by adam

Do people really think that once taggers are punished everything will be solved? Think about the boarded up buildings, the depressed downtown, its a recipe for this kind of stuff.

When social programs were cut back in Bob Rae's day, these kids were barely born. They grew up with a lack of social support programs, and now we're seeing the result. Either learn to live with this crap or support social programs. A huge chunk of Hamilton's youths live below the poverty line. They are society's problem. Tagging is the least of our worries.

I agree. More money spent on community centers would surely solve such problems and end our tagging epidemic.

[Dundasguy]

Originally Posted by adam

Do people really think that once taggers are punished everything will be solved? Think about the boarded up buildings, the depressed downtown, its a recipe for this kind of stuff.

When social programs were cut back in Bob Rae's day, these kids were barely born. They grew up with a lack of social support programs, and now we're seeing the result. Either learn to live with this crap or support social programs. A huge chunk of Hamilton's youths live below the poverty line. They are society's problem. Tagging is the least of our worries.

I think that's a bit of a strech.

This is more of an Internet phenomenon for kids that started in the US, check youtube for the How-to's.