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City and taggers battle over MLK Bridge
10/15/2010 7:00 AM by John M
The city and taggers are engaged in turf war over the MLK Bridge:
The new tags, spelling SIGH in orange and gold letters about 6 feet high, are painted right above two of the bridge’s massive supports, one facing north and one facing south. The bridge, officially called the Martin Luther King Bridge, rises high above I-95 downtown, between the Seventh Street and Broad Street exits. […] The bridge is one of the city’s highest-profile graffiti showcases. On average, 60,000 vehicles drive under it northbound each day, and 65,000 pass under it southbound, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s 2009 traffic counts.
Sounds like Charlie Brown has been at it again
honestly the piece he did is really good and should stay
What is wrong with the City that they can’t control access to that catwalk under the bridge?
I kind of like it, it adds character. Is the word SIGH considered offensive or something? As long as they leave profanity out, let them tag/paint the whole bridges, I think it would be great. Certainly is not worth $1,500 to cover it up.
You paint over it, they put up new writing. It takes balls to get up there and write. The city should just give up. The folks that do this stuff aren’t your average fellows. They’re smart, tactful, and hell, might just be sitting across the office from you. Remember, you are only a criminal if you get caught.
You are right, and I could swear I saw Doug Wilder hanging around there the night before this tag appeared. Hmmm, that’s what he has been up to.
“You paint over it, they put up new writing. It takes balls to get up there and write. The city should just give up. The folks that do this stuff aren’t your average fellows. They’re smart, tactful, and hell, might just be sitting across the office from you. Remember, you are only a criminal if you get caught.”
So stopping graffiti, aka “vandalism” isn’t worth it? Should we say the same for petty crime and such?
Why the city doesn’t use graffiti resistant paint on this is beyond me. I can think of a couple of cheap ways to stop the taggers.
It is interesting that some of the taggers that have been caught are VCU art students.
Yeah, the catch the skinny art student but they let the gangster taggers go free. No violence with the art student, but plenty violence surrounding the gangs tags.
This came up at one of the civic association meetings this week. It didn’t sound like there was a lot of gang graffiti in the area. I’ve spotted some, it has been a while since I’ve seen anything fresh. Got any spots near you?
I forgot to mention it at the UHCA meeting, but somebody sprayed “MCP” on the street on the 700 block of Jessamine, right before you cross Cedar, going north. No idea if it’s gang-related, some silly kid, or an arcane code the City uses to indicate street repairs.
MCP = Mosby Court Projects
“Remember, you are only a criminal if you get caught.”
All they need do put up barbed wire so that the kids can’t access the area… maybe even glass shards in the paint?
“Remember, you are only a criminal if you get caught.”
Just like littering and animal abuse and arson and murder really. Only the public pays in most cases.
Warning:
A good portion of these vandals are white, middle class sociopaths. They do not care if they fall from a bridge and kill travellers; they certainly do not care about long term urban revitalization. Its not political or even really ‘art’, its all about their egos, getting off on illegal acts, and spreading their bad ‘art’. A lot of them are college age and older, Northern Virginian suburban brats who get their money from parents who are relieved to have them out of the house.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at who has recently been arrested and their ‘works’.
If you object to their tagging of public or private property, they will anonymously threaten your property and person. They should not be encouraged and I find it irresponsible the way that some galleries and Style have done so.
” If you object to their tagging of public or private property, they will anonymously threaten your property and person. ”
is this so? really?
“honestly the piece he did is really good and should stay” Agreed.