Chicago graffiti (Harvey: houses, school, gangs)

[Venom]

Can't get equipment there, no one cares about it there?

[Lookout Kid]

Graffiti is way down in New York as well. Even in Brooklyn.

I think part of it is the fact that it's not fresh or new anymore. Graffiti was an art form that really flourished in 1970s New York because of the conditions there at that time. New York was bankrupt, and the poor urban neighborhoods felt little control over their surroundings--which were always owned by others. Graffiti gave them a sense of control over a world that had few opportunities. I think most neighborhoods--even poor ones--now have a greater sense of neighborhood pride than they had at that time. Most taggers today are just retro hangers-on clinging to a dead art form because they get a thrill out of it. Graffiti hasn't been innovative in twenty years.

[lenniel]

Did anyone else notice a lot of tagging over the weekend? There was a garage and small apartment building in my neighborhood that got tagged really, really badly. It was gang crap with the latin kings crown and all that garbage.

This sort of stuff really makes my blood boil, the fact that these little punks have absolutely zero regard for public and private property and think that by scribbling some indiscernable nonsense makes them tougher and protects 'their' turf.

[brainiac138]

call 311, tell the operator the graffiti is gang related, usually that gets them out a little faster.

[chitown85]

Where was the building located?

[prairiestate]

They've been out all winter. I've never seen so much graffiti around the Loop. The Pulaski station on the Orange Line is completely covered in graffiti. The gang problem in Chicago has really gotten bad the past couple of years.

[PokerPlayer1]

nah. nevermind. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by chitown85

Where was the building located?

around Ainslie and Hamilton near St. Mathias Church

[Lookout Kid]

I haven't noticed any increase over recent years, but I agree that these tagger morons are a bunch of worthless human scum. It's a very selfish behavior to vandalize a stranger's property. Short of vigilante action, I don't know what we can do. I'd love to see some of these taggers get their skulls cracked with bats.

[MyssaTx]

That really is a shame. I was running in the park this weekend and noticed a lot of graffiti on the trail but it was a bunch of stuff about love not war and I remember thinking how futile it was to convey your message for peace while simultaneously defacing public property. lol