259 replies to this topic

[magoldbe]

Cotuit, on May 9 2006, 03:52 PM, said:

Grafitti is destruction of property, people should not be allowed to destroy others property or our common property. I expect the city to protect our common property from destruction.

sure, sure. but in my neighborhood only about 18% of people own their own homes. Most of us pay rent to sketchy landlords. So when I see graffiti, I think "Right on! Lower property values means less rent for me to pay. Whee!" The aesthetics are an added benefit.

have you ever been to east berlin? they've got some seeerious graffiti yet they also manage to have socialized health care, a working public school system, and a quality of life that is generally higher than ours here in providence. go figure. the world is such a strange place.

why is urban planet harshing on a uniquely urban phenomenon that is over 1000 years old?

[Cotuit]

Cities have been recycling old areas and putting them to new uses for thousands of years too, yet some people come here to harsh about that as well.

[eltron]

magoldbe, on May 9 2006, 04:09 PM, said:

sure, sure. but in my neighborhood only about 18% of people own their own homes. Most of us pay rent to sketchy landlords. So when I see graffiti, I think "Right on! Lower property values means less rent for me to pay. Whee!" The aesthetics are an added benefit.

have you ever been to east berlin? they've got some seeerious graffiti yet they also manage to have socialized health care, a working public school system, and a quality of life that is generally higher than ours here in providence. go figure. the world is such a strange place.

why is urban planet harshing on a uniquely urban phenomenon that is over 1000 years old?

lets not get carried away here...

there are plenty of fine examples of urban art, graffiti if you want, that is surely an asset to the community. SEAZ and his million bullsh*t tags all around the city on some really great buildings is not.

Its just a stupid pissing contest to see who can get their name in the funkiest, "coolest" place.

[magoldbe]

Cotuit, on May 9 2006, 04:14 PM, said:

Cities have been recycling old areas and putting them to new uses for thousands of years too, yet some people come here to harsh about that as well.

Point taken. The cycles of investment and divestment, urban flight and influx, are old as well. Mills become apartments, apartments become condos, condos turn into slums and slums get paved over to make highways, but grafitti has been present for millenia. How cool is that?  Even Pompeii, the ultimate in "urban blight" has legible graffiti preserved on its walls.

speaking of which, here is a list of inscriptions from that great, dead city:
http://www.orbilat.c...i_Graffiti.html

"Myrtis bene felas"

m.

[Cotuit]

Well hopefully in a thousand years people won't judge the citizens of Providence by the Swatikas in our urban parks.

[Sin5Cents]

Since the majority of graffiti criminals are males, I always thought the easiest way for graffiti to go away was for the city to create a "has a small penis" stencil and add that to every new tag that goes up.

[magoldbe]

Sin5Cents, on May 9 2006, 04:35 PM, said:

Since the majority of graffiti criminals are males, I always thought the easiest way for graffiti to go away was for the city to create a "has a small penis" stencil and add that to every new tag that goes up.

Now *that* is the kind of solution I can get behind. Creative, irreverent... I like it!

[AriPVD]

magoldbe, on May 9 2006, 04:09 PM, said:

ha ha, yeah. it's pretty weak. but what do you expect, since they've cut art out of the public schools?

sure, sure. but in my neighborhood only about 18% of people own their own homes. Most of us pay rent to sketchy landlords. So when I see graffiti, I think "Right on! Lower property values means less rent for me to pay. Whee!" The aesthetics are an added benefit.

How can you desire both the lowest possible property values (resulting in a weakened property tax base) and a dynamic, intensive and well-funded school system?  How does one pay for these expensive services?

[magoldbe]

AriPVD, on May 9 2006, 04:42 PM, said:

How can you desire both the lowest possible property values (resulting in a weakened property tax base) and a dynamic, intensive and well-funded school system?  How does one pay for these expensive services?

who says schools need to be funded by property taxes? seems to me like it's a pretty flawed policy. besides, the mayor has talked quite a bit about moving school funding away from property taxes. I heard him give a speech on it last winter at as220.

[AriPVD]

magoldbe, on May 9 2006, 04:49 PM, said:

who says schools need to be funded by property taxes? seems to me like it's a pretty flawed policy. besides, the mayor has talked quite a bit about moving school funding away from property taxes. I heard him give a speech on it last winter at as220.

I agree, property tax school funding is a very flawed system.  It all comes back to more federal involvement--the current system of passing down unfunded mandates to states (and the states in turn pass to cities) only increases the tensions in our local communities between the haves and have nots--a massive problem in Providence where the have nots outnumber the haves ten to one.

[KRC]

Sin5Cents, on May 8 2006, 03:57 PM, said:

Well, maybe you and I should form ourselves into the Point Street Bridge Business Improvement District.  I'm completely serious that I would gladly repaint this anytime it's defiled.  The great thing about rapid repainting is that as soon as people see how quickly it gets painted over, most of them stop trying.

Anything!  I'm willing.  I don't care how nice or nasty it is, I see grafitti and nothing more than destruction of personal and public property.  It tells me the "artist" has no respect for other people or things.  So, I have absolutely no respect for them or their spray paint trash.

[Cotuit]

CITY LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO COMBAT GRAFFITI. Initiative significantly increases fines for graffiti offenses, offers rewards to those who help police apprehend graffiti vandals, and enhances city’s clean-up capabilities [ProvidenceRI.com]

Grafitti Task Force

[jencoleslaw]

ah election year...

[sjwillis]

Cotuit, on Jun 29 2006, 09:49 AM, said:

CITY LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO COMBAT GRAFFITI. Initiative significantly increases fines for graffiti offenses, offers rewards to those who help police apprehend graffiti vandals, and enhances city’s clean-up capabilities [ProvidenceRI.com]

Grafitti Task Force

The online reporting tool is a good start. I've made some suggestions on how to improve it over at the Summit Neighborhood Blog

[Cotuit]

jencoleslaw, on Jun 29 2006, 11:05 AM, said:

ah election year...

[matt]

Cotuit, on Jun 29 2006, 02:47 PM, said:

I saw these guys crusing down Rt 10 the other day.  I had the same reaction.

[CtownMikey]

matt, on Jun 30 2006, 02:53 PM, said:

I saw these guys crusing down Rt 10 the other day.  I had the same reaction.

you guys assume this will fall through after election?

[runawayjim]

CtownMikey, on Jun 30 2006, 08:34 PM, said:

you guys assume this will fall through after election?

let's hope not...

[Rudolf_Rocker]

Cotuit, on Jun 29 2006, 12:47 PM, said:

That van sticks out like a fur coat at AS220.
Which is good - makes it a nice target for new paint.
-RR

[Frankie811]

Rudolf_Rocker, on Jul 7 2006, 11:46 AM, said:

That van sticks out like a fur coat at AS220.

-RR

hahaha  

But I wonder how many taggers hang out at AS220!