This morning when my MARC commuter train arrived at Union Station, another MARC train in the adjacent track had several cars “decorated” with graffiti. Here’s what I saw:
(Click on the photo for a larger size)
First time I’ve seen any of our commuter trains with graffiti spray paint on it. Then again, I’ve only been taking commuter train for nearly a year. I’ve been riding the Metro since 1980, though, and have never seen graffiti on any of its cars. So, seeing this on several MARC cars was a rude shock. Better (uh, worse) than coffee in the morning.
Hope we ain’t morphing into New York City.
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You never seen Graf on a NYC train anymore they are kept under lock and key. But I’m one that things that picture above is a beautiful thing. DC and Baltimore had one of the best graf scenes on the east coast in the 1980s, and like so much of the creative energy in music and art, we lost it all with massive gentrification and money chase of the 1990s and 2000s. It’s a good thing to see cracks in the system and free expression coming out again. Makes me actually think the kids will be all right.
I did not pay taxes so that public-use facilities would be defaced. You’re more than welcome to have them decorate your house and driveway.
Well, there’s a right time and place for everything. Including graffiti.
But if the graffiti artist refuse to pay to clean up the damage, taxpayers gets stuck with it. That’s not fair.
Also, it communicates a negative vibe about the area to outsiders, who may then use it as a mental block against the idea of moving to the area — whether right and fair or not. That’s one of the reasons why NYC launched a major campaign about 10-20 years ago to eradicate graffiti. If a train gets tagged, it gets cleaned out within the same shift, from what I recall. This removes the incentive to tag trains because taggers know it won’t ‘last’ very long at all.
Hey, not saying taggers aren’t talented; they’re extremely talented. But perhaps it might be better to channel their energy and incredible skills into the right places at the right times, and where it’s actually wanted.
For anyone who thinks this is harmless — can I give out your address to taggers? :)
Too bad BORF is out of commission.
http://www.borfyou.com/
Borf is out of commission because people rightfully had a problem with him defacing public property. If it was so great, why didn’t he deface his parents’ house?
Currently, graffiti is pretty everywhere in Athens, Greece including on some historical monuments. Greece’s 2004 Olympics is covered mostly with graffiti. It’s really sad when viewing it… or a Greek tragedy.
Long Live Cool “Disco” Dan!
According to Internet rumor, Cool Disco Dan was taken to a grassy field in remote NE DC and executed after pleading for his life.
Oh wait, was that John Turturro in Miller’s Crossing?
Good riddance. Years ago I read about a group of people qualified for work only to be systematically screwed over whenever merit never called for that.
That same group of people who were systematically screwed over ended up getting jobs through private entities contracted by private properties to patrol for and remove graffiti.
That’s better than seeing them unemployed. As for the so-called artists just let them be as long as they’re not murdering people like some who loathe graffiti but are otherwise hypocrites as they kill people! Not any better!
Most graffiti is really ugly, anyway. Very few are really worth preserving. And DC morphing into NYC?? Hey, if it was true, the murder rate would be 7 out of 100,000 instead of 29!!
Hey there,
Graffiti artists are real scourges in our society defacing the private and public properties. How would those artists feel if we barge into their own private residences and put some graffiti arts on personal belongings to make them understand how many people really feel about vandalism?
We ought to register and take photo/video of every individual, who buy aeserol spray paints everywhere like registered gun owners. We could track down every aeserol spray paints to be accounted. That will make every graffiti artists to think twice before spraying on anything.
If I am in the law enforcement or police chief. I would have the law passed to require the guilty ones, who defaced private and public property and have them to be tagged within their private areas and on their families to mark them to the “sh*t list of our society’s scourages.
Why we have to put up with senseless graffiti vandalism and create the real eyesores within our communities.
Or make the guilty one to pay the cost of the entire property whose damaged by graffit vandalism and the owner of property still keep the property to teach the guilty ones the real lesson in property values and human decency.
I rather use the electric prod guns on graffiti artists’ private areas to make them beg and beg for mercy and forgiveness. Those people will be surely not to f*ck with us, the society at large again.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog