May 14, 2007
Graffiti Removal to be Increased
On Friday the Washington Post ran a story about the city's plans to step up their graffiti removal tasks after a recent rash of tagging in Wards 1, 2 and 4.
The graffiti began appearing six to eight weeks ago, stretching from the Logan and Shaw neighborhoods to communities in upper Northwest along Georgia Avenue and 13th and 14th streets. Banneker Community Center near Howard University, under renovation, was among the places hit. But the taggers aren't choosy: They've struck stop signs, utility boxes, fences -- anything that can make a quick canvas.
According to city records, 72 percent of the complaints of graffiti sightings in the past six months have come from Wards 1, 2 and 4 -- 857 reports in those wards alone. Lately, officials said, the pace has picked up. ...
The city's six graffiti removal workers are stepping up efforts, too. Yesterday, Michael Stover, supervisor of graffiti abatement for the city's Department of Public Works, led his crew on streets and alleys in the Brightwood neighborhood where tags such as "Inca" and "Nuk" are prevalent.
Earlier this month, our own Andrew Wiseman reported on the growing tagging resurgence, which prompted a lengthy and somewhat heated comment thread -- and, for that matter, a lengthy and heated discussion on the DCist staff email list. Graffiti is one of those issues that seems to bring out as much anger as it does fascination. Certainly graffiti art is well-accepted in the contemporary art world at this point, but senseless tagging is by no means the sort of "art" aficionados take seriously. Indeed, we've even been wrestling with how and whether to cover the recent spate of tagging in the District at all. Recently I posted a photo submitted to our Flickr group that featured a tag and we received the following criticism from commenter snorlax:
I don't think you should be using pictures that popularize peoples tags. This guy or girl is costing DC residents $1,000's to clean up his uninspiring graffiti. At least with others they pick interesting locations (inside subway tunnels, underside of overpasses, etc). This amateur won't hit anything that requires any effort or imagination.
We don't all necessarily disagree with that sentiment, though we feel strongly that starting a discussion about tagging isn't irresponsible -- if anything, it seems likely the city's recent efforts to take control of the problem is only being encouraged by us continuing to talk about it.
But what do you think? Is the practice of pointing out taggers and new graffiti only emboldening them, and something to be avoided? Or is publicizing the trend the best way to keep the pressure on the District, and let the taggers know we'd like our city to be beautiful?
Photo by Cary Scott Photography
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Graffiti sucks. It's that simple.
I think that New York's efforts to clean up their subway system can be used as an analogous situation. They made it a point that as soon as tags were reported a train was taken out of service that night and not placed back in service until the tag was removed. Luckily we don't have that trouble with Metro, but, like NYC, if taggers know their tags will only be there for 24 hours they'll (hopefully) learn they're just wasting their time, money, and risking jail for their 20 minutes of semi-fame.
I see nothing wrong with pointing out the problem and focusing the city's attention on it. But tagging is a symptom of larger issues (like turf wars and gang activity). I think if you get rid of the corner drug crews, the graffiti will go away also.
True JM, but getting rid of graffiti is one of the ways the 'broken window' theory works. If the area doesn't LOOK crime-ridden, it tends to not be. It's an inexpensive way the city can help stop crime-I'm all for it.
The solution of taking trains out of service would be difficult here because of the makeup of the train system in DC being different than in New York. There's an article with a literature review somewhere on the NYC DFT website that I'll dig for in a moment and then post--essentially, it goes into detail on the mass scale required. Keep in mind, that was a program that took years--the better part of a decade-- and millions to complete.
I also would stay away from the term "senseless tagging." It's clearly done with purpose. Bombing has a long history within the graffiti scene and trying to split graffiti into "legitimate" graffiti and "illegitimate" graffiti is absurd given that, if you want to be technical about it, it all tends to be illegal and the illegality is definitely part of what makes graffiti such a powerful medium for a lot of people.
Okay, I can't post the link because DCist's comment form won't allow it.
Google "Department for Transport case study graffiti" and it will come up as the first link.
It should also bear mention that a lot of the clean up procedures they mention are highly toxic. Some of the chemicals being used have come under fire from environmental groups.
Legba - From your link: "Graffiti is removed by applying chemicals to the site. These chemicals are then washed off. While the chemicals are highly toxic, when mixed with water they become harmless."
Honestly, I'm not sure why this bears mention, unless you're an apologist for vandals. While there are certainly legitimate concerns surrounding the environmental impact of graffiti removal, I hope we all agree that it should be removed or otherwise rendered ineffective.
The link is www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/crime/gfen/casestudyreportongraffiti (links can be posted without the h t t p)
Graffiti is a legitimate art form! Ugh, this city is so provincial. Don't you know art when you see it?!?!
Point it out. It's property crime, and not discussing a solution to it isn't a real option.
I have no problem with graffiti per se; when used as an art form it can be quite beautiful. But I would never hang an ugly velvet Elvis in my living room. Just the same, not all tagging is artistic or worthy of admiration. The recent spate of tagging is a perfect example of tagging that is artless. Most of what Borf did was artless.
Let's not pretend (Leba, among others) that all tagging is equal or worthy of defending. Unless the Nehis and the Incas start doing more than just signing their names, their tagging is merely vandalism.
While I completely agree that graffiti and other forms of street art are indeed art, what of the implications for the communities in which this graffiti is written? Graffiti is an implicit message that a community is susceptible to criminal activity of all kinds. Allowing it to run a muck only invites more dangerous and deadly forms of crime to settle in an area. I don't think people object to the medium so much as the canvas on which these artists choose to paint.
As an urbanite the majority of my life (NYC,DC, LA, Philly, Sydney, Nairobi...)I have come to encounter and appreciate the art aesthetic of tagging and what not...Hell, that is what makes riding the red line fun. But, I think the crap scribbled on my neighbours garage door, in an very rarely traveled alley, would be considered "Senseless Tagging" or across the way on the service entrance to my apt. building...the influx of this garbage, I see, is mostly on private property (which again is "Senseless"). I mean, "SORRY ABOUT YOUR WALL" on the side of a freshly painted store (and before you get your anti-corporate panties in a bunch, it was a single standing outlet, i.e. not a chain) does what to whom? It engages us to think of what? Not a damn thing except, "that's it, that's all your small minded, simpleton arse could think of?" ...and even if it is on public property (we all pay for it)...I see nothing provocative about these newfound "bombers", to me they smell of over-privileged, under-employed, wankers, that got hold of a copy of "Beat Street" and somehow think they can re-incarnate cool. There is a vast difference here between the lores of New York City and the contemporary "wanna be's" in D.C. - which basically comes down to simple respect. Remember Kids, give to get.
Also, when did the scene become about tagging anywhere and everywhere, i thought it was about throwing down in places that nobody else could conceive or manage to do...i.e. a billboard hanging on an overpass of a busy highway 50 yards from the police station (that's respect) ...this current low risk bullshit, i didn't even have to climb up anything or lose sleep, is quite trite in comparison, n'est pas.
Man, i just stuck a wad of gum on the underside of my office chair, screw the system...dude, i am so bad ass - can you feel me?
You can also put me down in the column of graffiti being vandalism and NOT art. It simply contributes to the look and feel of a neighborhood being under siege, incapable of maintaining even a modicum of cleanliness on the streets. It's bad enough we don't have a bottle return deposit law here and a major litter problem, the graffiti is an ugly, expensive problem.
And for whoever mentioned toxins in the chemicals used to remove graffiti, what about all the chemicals, propellants and dyes used in the uselessly-sprayed paint itself? Not to mention the empty can chucked on the street. What a waste.
I don't really mind graf at all; I just look at it as part of the urban environment. I just wish these kids would get a little more creative than these shitty 2-second tags. Don't they know that stencils is where its been at for like 5 years??
Can we do fund raiser and get these kids a ticket to NY, SF, London, or Barcelona so they can see how it's really done and stop the stereotype that DC is 2 steps behind??
www.woostercollective.com
It may may seem no different to the property owner whose buiding or nearby mailbox is vandalized, but IMHO it is important to distinguish between gang grafitti and the work of individual sport-taggers. Gang grafitti may mean your area is open for drug business and serious violence if other crews violate the territory. Sport-tagging means you've been visited by an individual pest (some say that is a good definition of "artist"). Consult your local police district as well as the city clean-up folks.
When I first moved here I had a theory that all the brick houses were painted to cover up graffiti.
I doubt that is the case but I felt smart coming up with it.
graffiti on a wall where people are invited to produce art: fine.
graffiti on a person's house or business who didn't ask for it to be there: criminal.
find the jackasses and make them wear boxing gloves every time they leave the house for a month. then let's see how often they keep tagging other's property.
I thought Borf was great, but Nehi, Magic, Inca and all the latest crew have unimpressive tags that take them 10 seconds to do. They're not artists, they're egomaniacs.
I just read that other comment thread the story references, and was amazed that people pointing out how we should follow NY's lead in cleaning up graf. Have they not been to NY lately? Graffiti is just part of the city's enviornment now, no different than bricks, sidewalks and pigeons. I wish commenters would stop giving examples that don't have any basis in reality.
There seems to be a misconception (perpetuated by the photo) that the graffiti being put up is akin to Ramon's attempt at artistic expression. However, much of what I see is clearly gang related messages that are put up by hoodlums to intimidate and stake a claim to blocks that aren't even theirs. It has nothing to do with art or creativity. There is a perverse criminal element behind much of this graffiti that is directly linked to the drug dealing and violent crime in this neighborhood. The sooner the city deals with it the better.
Graffiti should be removed from 1350 Pennsylvania Ave SE as quickly as it would be removed from 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW . . . that does not seem to be the case.
According to an NPR report last Friday, the Dept Public Works has 6 personnel dedicated to graffiti abatement and they're trying to up that number to 30.
I think the CFO Natwar Gandhi's office has 6 personnel solely dedicated to fudging the budget numbers to pay for box seats and VIP parking at the new stadium :-).
Simply put, graffiti abatement is not a District government priority as long as it's in neighborhoods and not in too many tourists' areas.
i think what is almost as ugly as ROB 's name scribbled all over the brookland metro station walls is the way they tried to clean it up a few months ago.
they (unsure... wmata, perhaps?) didnt remove the graffiti, just painted over it in a haphazard way and the color didn't match the walls or anything. it was merely a piss poor cover up job that didnt make the place look any better.
and besides, within six months it was full of mr. rob's john handcock again.
handcock?
ha! I think this thread needed something to lighten the mood and miss bee has un(?)intentionally provided just that. bravo :)
So, if my "art" was to run around in the middle of the night bashing in the heads of the folks I happened to see painting on such landmarks as the ellington and taft bridges, the woodward apartment building, and the buffalo bridge into g'town, would all of the pseudo-hippies on this site run to my defence? Could I claim to be keeping things "real" and "urban"?
Seriously...somebody in this town is going to get pissed enough at some point to hurt these taggers. Maybe then this miserable foolishness will stop.
"Honestly, I'm not sure why this bears mention, unless you're an apologist for vandals."
It bears mention because a number of environmental groups have expressed concern--citing the user of the chemical as a source for an assurance of its ultimately harmless nature is not necessarily trustworthy.
The ad hominem towards the end of that comment as to my being an apologist for graffiti is absolutely irrelevant to a productive discussion.
yeah for graffiti. this town needs more graffiti.
The DC graffiti crew used grey paint to cover a bit of the grafitti on the fire station in the middle of the 1300 block of Maryland av NE. What a mess! It is even uglier than the original grafiiti, which was not attractive.
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is going to spend over $206,000 to decorate the new baseball stadium for the millionaire team owners. Why not save the money and have the graffiti writers bomb the joint? At least that "art" will have some connection to the District.
Maybe because nobody wants to go to a baseball game in what looks like the ghetto?
If graffiti "artists" want to paint walls, I say let them paint walls while wearing orange jumpsuits.
I've never found Metrorail to have a grafitti problem except from those damn corporations "wrapping" cars in ads (DCist May 9, 2005).
Let's cover that crap with gray paint.
I’m torn on this discussion. As an artist, I love to photograph graffiti. As an architect I understand the disrespect that people feel when seeing a careless tag draped across a building. However, for marginalized groups, art [such as graffiti] can serve as a source of identity and empowerment and is in essence a form of communication. To speak and to be heard are empowering experiences. Thus, art is able to give a voice, to empower those who have been silenced.
Think about this for a moment: whether through positive or negative means, art has the ability to provoke an emotional response. It can serve as a catalyst to affect social norms, oftentimes creating and legitimatizing new definitions and new values. For the victims of marginalization, the significance of art’s power, lies in it’s ability to allow the silenced voices to proclaim their presence. Graffiti is often times seen as the response of the people denied a response.
However, even as I type this, I know someone is thinking that graffiti is a form of social deviance. Since it’s inception in the 1970s, critics have viewed graffiti as a disrespectful and demoralizing sign of decay. People truly believe that the urban places inflicted with graffiti are dangerous and that graffiti itself leads to other forms of criminality.
Perhaps.
Except, have any of you ever watched someone create a piece?
A “piece,” short for masterpiece, is the most complex form of graffiti. It combines text with image over a large space. The value of the style is judged on originality of design, smooth interweaving of forms and images, sharpness and accuracy of lines, brightness of colors, and ability to convey feelings of spontaneity and dynamicism. After living in Atlanta for well over 20 years, I became accustomed to walking the street with my camera late at night, seeking out this form of “deviance”. If the timing was right, and the artist didn’t feel threatened, I could obtain several nice shots of the process these silenced voices took to communicate.
Will the District of Columbia be able to eradicate the problem of graffiti? I think not. Sure it’s a problem [and illegal as some of you kindly pointed out], but aside from the careless “tags” and “throw-ups” that some inflict on our architecture, there are some great “pieces” out there that deserve to be accepted as a part of the urban fabric.
You live in the city, if you don’t like it move to the suburbs.
One bizarre twist...
Unlike the 1970s and 1980s (think cool "disco" dan, ek wayne, cycle, exacto, smk, etc -- graffiti artists with talent!), most of the taggers today aren't from the city. As an example, the kids that the cops arrested last weekend at 14th and U were from Montgomery County (and remeber, of course, that Borf was from Great Falls). The truly sad thing in my opinion is that these spoiled rich kids could care less about art -- let alone any kind of political/social movement. For them it is a quick thrill -- nothing more, nothing less. In fact nehi -- one of the prolific taggers in Columbia Heights/Logan (probably from the 'burbs as well) also goes by GVC -- guzzlin' vodka chick (that's right nehi is a chick!!) -- who, by the way, was in the December(?) issue of Maxim posing w/ her graffiti -- if somebody has it PLEASE post it on the web or, better yet, forward it to the 3rd District police -- no one deserves the recognition more!!!
most of the taggers today aren't from the city
How is this bizarre? Most of the people are not from the city. Five million in DC metro, give or take, and half a million in the District. If anyone is going to do anything around here, there's a 90% chance that they are from the suburbs.
Bizarre? Perhaps not -- though, I'll wager that 90% of the people in Columbia Heights at 2 am on a Monday night aren't from the suburbs. Obnoxious? You bet! Wouldn't it be nice instead if these no talent graffiti hacks would stick to defacing their own planned communities OUTSIDE the city.
Most (pretty much all!) of the graffiti being done locally is just quick tagging. It's not (nor, I think, does it pretend to be) art. It's tagging. Not throw-ups, not murals, not pieces. It's quick, mindless, self promoting junk. There's too little care for where it's placed. There's little creativity or "art" pleasure. There's too little return to the public in exchange for the property damage. It's self-indulgent crap. I don't get why anyone would defend it anymore than they would defend the keying of someone's car.
You live in the city, if you don’t like it move to the suburbs.
This is the lamest dumbest thing in the world to say.
Victims of marginalization?
Please. Most often they are victims of their suburban soccer moms not buying them every little thing their spoiled little hearts desire.
Silenced voices proclaiming their presence?
You can't be serious.
They are mostly spoiled little shits looking for attention.
Somehow I doubt their high-minded attitude toward this would stand if we went to their homes and spray painted all their stuff.
Urban Architect - The throw away line at the end of your comment? You should have thrown it away. Otherwise, that was an eloquent presentation of graffiti as social protest and urban art. I like the way you make a point of distinguishing between pieces and tags and also speaking about watching someone who is creating art at work.
Mark - You hit the nail right on the head and built nicely on UA's comment.
Hillman - Don't confuse the local jerkoff brigade with the folks UA was speaking about.
I see nothing wrong with pointing out the problem and focusing the city's attention on it. But tagging is a symptom of larger issues (like turf wars and gang activity). I think if you get rid of the corner drug crews, the graffiti will go away also.
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No, a thousand times, NO! I know two suburban kids who visited their friend and tagged the wall behind our alley. graffitti is not about drugs it's about PRETENDING to be dangerous, not actually dangerous.
It's easy to dismiss the negative effects when it's done on a billboard, bridge, or some other transportation-related or industrial area because it's public property and/or there are no homes or businesses nearby to complain. In this case, the art argument will be more readily received. In most parts of DC proper, there are very few places that can be tagged that wouldn't negatively impact either a homeowner or a business owner. The anger from the former should be obvious, but it also impacts a business due to the projection of a negative association, whether it's actual or just perceived. Regardless of whether or not this is art or just vandalism is irrelevent. It's unsolicited trespassing and defacing of private property. Why should anyone be asked to tolerate a violation of their personal property?
Thanks, Hill Rat.
"No, a thousand times, NO! I know two suburban kids who visited their friend and tagged the wall behind our alley. graffiti is not about drugs it's about PRETENDING to be dangerous, not actually dangerous."
asd..etc: Different people do this for different reasons. Some of it most certainly is associated with gangs and crews, who want both to mark their territory and deal drugs. Therefor by extension, some of it is associated with drug trade.
It takes someone who knows the individual tags, or at least knows something about gang or crew tagging behavior, to tell the difference. MPD and other organizations have experts on this. But it's probably safe to say that, if the same tag is appearing in a roughly North-South axis across three city wards, than it's probably not someone marking gang or crew territory. If it were, they'd likely have been shot dead by someone they pissed off. Even in the DC of today.
ok so all of you mindless unhappy people move to the suburbs... this is the city culture get over it... you will not catch us... oh yeah and whoever is attempting to paint over the graffiti with blackdots yeah let us find you, we will give you a slight intro to what the graffiti scene is all about... its not turf wars... its all about getting up where-ever ... its all about being SEEN!!! just keep talking about us it gets me off... You messing with a subculture that is tighter then your little sister... Honestly your starting a war... Except we have secret meetings in coffee shops (starbucks), where we discuss in detail our plans to reek havoc to you unhappy folks... smile and quit bitching we all know your cheating on your wife...
Just A Warning you are just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute...jumping into the conversation 5 days late...kinda like the way you approach life...
and i love the use of "your" throughout, brilliant...stop huffing your own shit...and learn english... it's "you're the bomb" not "your the bomb"
but, then again the post could be a crass joke, either way...very funny (oh, to be 16 again)
city culture...oh, please...so i guess random acts of violence are things we as city folk should just accept as well...so the next time you get hit in the head with a flung brick, shot in a club setting, raped in an alley, or profusely ticketed, booted, and towed just suck it as part of living in D.C...
and i am calling you out...what is your sign and i will personally go piss on each and everyone of them..."PISS ALL OVER YOU" in pinks and greens... Bwahahahahaha...child
Yeah. I laughed at that too. I thought for a moment that Just a Warning thought he was Rayful Edmonds with a can of paint.
Then I decided he must have been joking. His post was just too ridiculous to take seriously.
ok... call me out... bring your corporate american miserable ass out... correct me on my grammer thanks... but if you don't like city life im tired of seeing you complain all the time... do something about... dial 311 when you see me cause i will be leaving my mark....
yeah..maybe my last comment uprooted my argument hillrat. but seriously..graffiti is a part of a city life, whether you're for or against it. whether it's done by suburban kids or not..
and i agree mark, most of the stuff in DC is just senseless tagging and not worth defending. but like i said before, i don't see it disappearing anytime soon.
honestly... if you have any beef with a graffiti writers buy cases of paint and leave them at dupont circle and i promise your problem will be solved... just like complaining on the internet... its like running a race in the olympics... whether you win or lose your still retarded... but honestly here it is "Graffiti is a race, except you can't win, you can only stay in the lead the longest." Jace
Wow. Graffiti as an allegory for life. That's, like, so Zen.
...or something.
So what...If the city wants to spend money on their "graffiti clean up" crews and let the literacy rate keep going down so be it, but that's not the way it should be. Leave the writers/artists/bombers/taggers (whatever you want to call them) alone. Half of the people commenting on this thread don't even have a quarter of a clue of what they are talking about.
Graffiti could be a crime to yah but, it art to me....Graffiti ChANgE mY lIfe.
~Nuk~
Its a GREAT idea--who WOULDN'T object to the goal of graffiti being removed swiftly.
Does anyone have information regarding a hotline one may phone to report graffiti?
P.S. The most prolific tagger in District history who was brought to justice last year was not some 'marginalized' or 'disadvantaged' youth--he was punk teenager from GREAT FALLS, Virginia.
theres no social/political reason why we do it, we just like it, stop trying to make sappy little reasons for our behavior or analyze it
most of us live in the upper-middle-class burbs, but so what?
most of us use drugs too, so what?
its not art, its fun!!!!!!!
i want to leave my mark behind, ill be dead in 50 years anyway, so why not?
i have to admire nehi, inca, magic, lite, NOREs, KOMA, ahoy, slae, (ATB crew)and especially guys like RIVerS and EON
they're everywhere
F borf though most of that stuff is copycats
WE CANNOT BE STOPPED!!!!!! WHEN WILL YOU LEARN THAT THE MORE YOU BUFF THE MORE INSENTIVE WE HAVE TO GO OUT AND TAKE BACK OUR WALLS....THATS RIGHT I SAID OUR WALLS.
---SINCERELY, 2, BM, AND NUK crews