Quote:
Originally Posted by CoryB
I thought some of that sort of graffiti used to be gangs marking territory. Is that still a thing that happens?
|
yes. though it usually can be distinguished from non-gang graffiti by the materials (cheaper paint with stock caps), the location (street level and at points of territorial boundaries), the technique (no style, just size, with the occasional exception of 'blackletter' style text), the text itself (use of gang acronyms and numbers). cross-outs and threats are more common.
non-gang graffiti tends to go for trying to hit more impressive or difficult locations not limited to a certain territory, uses non-stock paint caps, uses different iconography (arrows, halos, quotation marks, stars), a different technique (often a flowing, calligraphic kind of style), using more of a mix of materials (tags with paint or markers, stickers, fast bubble-letter "throwies" or large complex "pieces").
it's all destructive and costly, of course, but they can be told apart.