Graffiti

[runawayjim]

I agree with you 100%. Graffiti is still graffiti, but a political statement is infinitely preferable to a stupid, barely legible tag.

Anyone else wonder if the politically sensitive "impeach" graffiti will be removed with a bit more haste than the tag, which was there for how many months?

probably not... although the tag that was there before was probably in reference to something a little more risque.

[Cotuit]

Okay, on a hypocritical note here: I absolutely could give the person who painted over that putrid tag with "Impeach" on the Point Street Bridge a big fat kiss. I know it still falls under my definition of punishable acts. But I don't believe the person who did that would have if that other piece of garbage weren't left on there for so long. And I know it makes me a hypocrite on hating graffiti so much when I'm willing to give a pass on this one because I like its political message.

Yes, the graffiti around town wouldn't be so completely insufferable if there was remotely any artisitic or social merit to any of it.

I agree with you 100%. Graffiti is still graffiti, but a political statement is infinitely preferable to a stupid, barely legible tag.

Anyone else wonder if the politically sensitive "impeach" graffiti will be removed with a bit more haste than the tag, which was there for how many months?

And yes, I agree it is still graffiti and should still be punishable. The IMPEACH 'tag' (is there a size beyond which it's no longer a tag?) has been there at least a week, I saw it when I was bridgespotting last weekend.

[Gusterfell]

is there a size beyond which it's no longer a tag?

Technically, a "tag" is just a symbol or word identifying the perpetrator. It's only message is "I was here and did this."

[runawayjim]

too bad providence doesn't have more of this type of "graffiti"

[quente]

too bad providence doesn't have more of this type of "graffiti"

Very clever!

While we're on the topic of more "thoughtful" graffiti, I've always enjoyed Banksy's work:

http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/indexrats.html

While the vast majority (99%) of graffiti is simply vandalism, it's interesting to see examples that actually elevate it to something else. Not that I'm advocating for more graffiti . . .

Kent

[runawayjim]

Very clever!

While we're on the topic of more "thoughtful" graffiti, I've always enjoyed Banksy's work:

http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/indexrats.html

While the vast majority (99%) of graffiti is simply vandalism, it's interesting to see examples that actually elevate it to something else. Not that I'm advocating for more graffiti . . .

Kent

graffiti artists have helped bring city neighborhoods together in some cities. philadelphia has neighborhood mural painting, it's quite impressive. there's a few in providence, but i have a feeling they were completely painted by one person and not used to bring the neighborhood together.

i really like the idea of that reverse graffiti... is it really graffiti if you're using soap and water and cleaning buildings?

[JJK5]

graffiti artists have helped bring city neighborhoods together in some cities. philadelphia has neighborhood mural painting, it's quite impressive. there's a few in providence, but i have a feeling they were completely painted by one person and not used to bring the neighborhood together.

i really like the idea of that reverse graffiti... is it really graffiti if you're using soap and water and cleaning buildings?

Yeah, I think so. Unless they're going to do the whole thing they shouldn't bother. It's still private property, whether they're "cleaning" it or not.

[MichaelQ]

There is either one individual or a group of individuals who is absolutely tagging the hell out of the Westminster/Weybosset area near the Arcade. It's the same writing/tagging each time (on the walls, on the 110 advertisements, on the dumpsters...). The part that kills me is that I reported some of it to the Graffiti Task Force, they came and cleaned it off, and then the person or people literally tagged right on top of the spots that had been cleaned. It's driving me nuts.

This is such a nice part of the city, why would you do that?

[runawayjim]

There is either one individual or a group of individuals who is absolutely tagging the hell out of the Westminster/Weybosset area near the Arcade. It's the same writing/tagging each time (on the walls, on the 110 advertisements, on the dumpsters...). The part that kills me is that I reported some of it to the Graffiti Task Force, they came and cleaned it off, and then the person or people literally tagged right on top of the spots that had been cleaned. It's driving me nuts.

This is such a nice part of the city, why would you do that?

since it's obviously the same people doing the tagging, the city should get some surveillance out there.

[Jerry2]

The other day I called Pvd. Police because I noticed 3 taggers around 15-18 years old crawling over the highway overpass on Douglas Avenue. All 3 had markers on them and were making no attempt to hide it. I followed them as far as I could while waiting for the police. They never came. The big concerted "effort" by the mayor and the city to clean it up is nothing more than a political ploy. If you create certain policies,they should be enforced. The city of Providence has a severe maintenance & upkeep issue with everything from policies to parks to trash removal. etc....

[Cotuit]

I've waited for Providence PD to arrive for over 45 minutes for suspects we had apprehended. I'm not surprised to hear they won't respond to a graffiti complaint.

[basachs]

The other day I called Pvd. Police because I noticed 3 taggers around 15-18 years old crawling over the highway overpass on Douglas Avenue. All 3 had markers on them and were making no attempt to hide it. I followed them as far as I could while waiting for the police. They never came. The big concerted "effort" by the mayor and the city to clean it up is nothing more than a political ploy. If you create certain policies,they should be enforced. The city of Providence has a severe maintenance & upkeep issue with everything from policies to parks to trash removal. etc....

I have used the online graffiti reporting tool for three instances of graffiti in my neighborhood. They were all removed within a month and I got a follow up call about it. Your experience is unfortunate, but it is not the sole experience.

[urbie]

Yes, the graffiti around town wouldn't be so completely insufferable if there was remotely any artisitic or social merit to any of it.

I only got a quick glimpse of it on the commuter train, but there's one wall that has a Bullwinkle -- and, I think, Boris & Natasha.

I'm going to need a better look at it, but anyone who would put those three characters on a wall merits special dispensation from our criticism of graffiti....

Urb

[Jerry2]

I have used the online graffiti reporting tool for three instances of graffiti in my neighborhood. They were all removed within a month and I got a follow up call about it. Your experience is unfortunate, but it is not the sole experience.

It doesn't matter how quickly the clean-up crew arrives. The point is that if it's such a "big" problem as people say it is, then police ( local or community) should have better response times when the actual CRIME is being committed!!!!!!!! Maybe then the graffiti crew wouldn't have to come out so many f**king times and these little s*ithead demon kids would get the message.

[jencoleslaw]

btw, i don't believe a month to clean up graffiti is at all timely. I'd say that by the time you call it in, to the time that it is removed should be no more than 48 hours. How is it that "within a month" is at all acceptable? If it was a pile of garbage on the street, would it being removed within a month be ok? They're already going to say that they can't remove it during certain times of the year because of the weather; if it takes a month during the summer months--that's just bs.

[Cotuit]

btw, i don't believe a month to clean up graffiti is at all timely. I'd say that by the time you call it in, to the time that it is removed should be no more than 48 hours. How is it that "within a month" is at all acceptable?

Evidence would lead to suggest that within in a month is a resonable time for most people to shovel snow from sidewalks.

[runawayjim]

It doesn't matter how quickly the clean-up crew arrives. The point is that if it's such a "big" problem as people say it is, then police ( local or community) should have better response times when the actual CRIME is being committed!!!!!!!! Maybe then the graffiti crew wouldn't have to come out so many f**king times and these little s*ithead demon kids would get the message.

i'm shocked that the police didn't do anything to try to nab the kids you saw. that's just terrible. while i can understand a bit more on them taking 45 min to pick up the kids that risd public safety had apprehended (because they were already in someone's custody), making a new arrest, especially related to one of the biggest problems in the city, would have made them look pretty good.

[jencoleslaw]

Evidence would lead to suggest that within in a month is a resonable time for most people to shovel snow from sidewalks.

if you'd like to start a campaign of shame this winter, I'm in. I hate the unshoveled walks as well. we bought a community snow blower so we do many of the walks all around our apartment so i have no problem pointing fingers. In fact, i'm quite good at it.

[Cotuit]

if you'd like to start a campaign of shame this winter, I'm in. I hate the unshoveled walks as well. we bought a community snow blower so we do many of the walks all around our apartment so i have no problem pointing fingers. In fact, i'm quite good at it.

I'm posting photos online with property owner's names and phone numbers (if I can get 'em).

[basachs]

btw, i don't believe a month to clean up graffiti is at all timely. I'd say that by the time you call it in, to the time that it is removed should be no more than 48 hours. How is it that "within a month" is at all acceptable? If it was a pile of garbage on the street, would it being removed within a month be ok? They're already going to say that they can't remove it during certain times of the year because of the weather; if it takes a month during the summer months--that's just bs.

Okay, I will explain. One was in Dexter Park, and that was taken care of within a few days. They other two were on private businesses. When the crew showed up, the landlord was not there and the people that lease the spot could not give permission. So it was a process to coordinate. Within a month both spots were taken care of. It was acceptable to me.

We cleaned a whole bunch of graffiti off the playground equipment in Dexter this past Sunday duuring our cleanup. When it gets tagged again, I will go out and clean it up the next day. An individual can always move quicker than a government in certain areas, this is one of them.

[jencoleslaw]

I'm posting photos online with property owner's names and phone numbers (if I can get 'em).

we could buy an ad in the journal and post everyone's address. oh oh oh oh oh, we could INVITE all the scoff-laws to a pretend sporting event or lottery winning thing (like when they do that to deadbeat dads) and then give them all sh*t about the shoveling! That would be so much fun.

[MichaelQ]

If the sidewalks aren't shoveled in Fox Point this winter I will make a personal appearance in city hall. That's ridiculous. In my neighborhood in Philly if you didn't shovel your sidewalk within 24 hours of a snow storm, you got a $50 (or around there) ticket. Even more amazing...I'm pretty sure that both the parking meter attendants and the garbage collectors had the authority to give out tickets so the P.D. didn't have to drive around to every house. Seriously, it's so easy to enforce. If the P.P.D. were even half as zealous as the parking meter attendants on South Main and Benefit St., the city could buy three more trolleys with the revenue from the tickets within four months.

Which leads me to wonder aloud what I've been wondering since I moved back to this city four months ago - Why is this place so lacking in infrastructure? I know we have budget troubles, but there ARE city agencies that are supposed to take care of this stuff....it's just that it seems no one cares about enforcing the rules. We barely have a Parks Department, our streets are a pot-hole disaster, our traffic lights and pedestrian lights are so unsynchronized it's laughable, none of our intersections have signs and if they do, someone has spraypainted all over them, there's dog sh-t and three foot high weeds in every treebox in my 'hood...for God's sake, we can't even keep the most active street in our downtown clean. WTF?

We cleaned a whole bunch of graffiti off the playground equipment in Dexter this past Sunday duuring our cleanup. When it gets tagged again, I will go out and clean it up the next day. An individual can always move quicker than a government in certain areas, this is one of them.

What did you use to clean it?

[quente]

I've waited for Providence PD to arrive for over 45 minutes for suspects we had apprehended. I'm not surprised to hear they won't respond to a graffiti complaint.

That's ridiculous. When I moved here in 95, I lived on Benefit Street. I think it was about 2 or 3 months before I actually saw a police car. If someone had asked me what color a Providence police car was at that time, I'd have had a hard time!

Of all the cities that I lived, I think police visibility in Providence is extremely low. While I've been pleasantly surprised (and thrilled) to see two-man foot patrols walking down Broadway on at least 3 occasions in the past 12 - 18 months, I feel like the police presence is too sparse to have any impact.

The "stealth policing" coupled with a few exchanges that I've had directly with members of PPD, lead me to believe that the PPD is doing a lousy job.

[quente]

I'm posting photos online with property owner's names and phone numbers (if I can get 'em).

Great idea! Perhaps it will get the City (or is it RIDOT?) to clear the snow off the Broadway overpass instead of allowing it to turn into an icy downhill ski run for pedestrians heading to downtown.

[runawayjim]

That's ridiculous. When I moved here in 95, I lived on Benefit Street. I think it was about 2 or 3 months before I actually saw a police car. If someone had asked me what color a Providence police car was at that time, I'd have had a hard time!

Of all the cities that I lived, I think police visibility in Providence is extremely low. While I've been pleasantly surprised (and thrilled) to see two-man foot patrols walking down Broadway on at least 3 occasions in the past 12 - 18 months, I feel like the police presence is too sparse to have any impact.

The "stealth policing" coupled with a few exchanges that I've had directly with members of PPD, lead me to believe that the PPD is doing a lousy job.

police are quite visible in elmhurst. i see at least one car everyday. some days, like when the guy living below me is being arrested, i see 5 or 6.