Art or Eyesore?

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the law caught up with a man police describe as the "second most wanted graffiti artist" (I guess that makes him the Hertz of local graffiti artists). Last year police caught Ian Debeer spray painting a bridge in Etna, and during a subsequent search of his house police discovered and seized dozens of cans of spray paint, specialty nozzles, and photos of his "HERT" graffiti tag.

Since last year, detectives have been gradually building a case against Debeer, matching 165 of the photos found at Debeer's apartment to graffiti sites all over Allegheny County. During an arraignment concerning the incident in Etna, police arrested Debeer for 73 counts of criminal mischief. All told, Debeer caused over $200,000 worth of damage to local government, commercial, and privately-owned properties.

According to an article in the Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh is becoming the unofficial graffiti capital of the country, where barely-out-of-their-teens like Debeer come to Pittsburgh, tag as many buildings as they can, all in an effort to gain street cred. While the city has a Graffiti Task Force, apparently it has upped the ante of these graffiti artists. Evidently, the more police investigate the matter, the better the street cred amongst fellow artists.

Police estimate that an astounding 65 graffiti crews with as many as 650 individuals are spray painting all over the city. They are organized and carefully plan their attack, armed with specially-designed equipment to help them do the job. It seems no building, no bridge, no concrete surface, no matter how difficult to access, is off limits to them.

On one hand, I see young individuals with enormous, albeit misguided, creative potential. I'd love to know where their parents fit into the equation. Creative kids should be at the Art Institute, studying art and learning how to apply their talent towards a creatively rewarding, legal means of employment. These graffiti artists are artists: they take pride in their work, they find venues that have maximum exposure, and spend thousands of dollars in supplies and equipment to ensure that they have what they need to do the job.

On the other hand, graffiti artists apply their art to buildings that don't belong to them, without the permission of the building owners. Tagging is illegal, and taggers give police and the property owners the middle finger every time they tag a building. Painting over or removing a graffiti tag takes time and money--if the tag can even be effectively removed.

I wish I had a simple solution, but unfortunately this is a complex issue. I understand both sides of the argument. Other cities have adopted a "free wall" zone--where graffiti artists can tag without the fear of punishment. However, most reports I have read seem that free wall programs have been more a failure than a success. Free wall program administrators explain that because part of the tagging experience is the thrill of doing something illegal, graffiti artists say that tagging on a free wall is not as fulfilling. Tagging on a free wall makes them feel like they are conforming, something contrary to the credo of taggers.

There are several types of coatings that can be applied to walls and other graffiti-prone surfaces. How about making this product available to property owners especially vulnerable to tagging at a discount? I think that arrested graffiti artists should be required to remove or paint over the tag, then apply the anti-graffiti compound--all at the expense of the arrested individual.

Arrested individuals who pay restitution to the owners of the tagged buildings, who serve their jail sentences without getting into trouble while incarcerated, perhaps go through some group therapy to confront and talk about their wanting to tag, could become eligible for special training, perhaps through a cooperative program with the Art Institute or Carnegie Mellon University. Those recently released from prison go into a halfway house (or wear an ankle bracelet) where they continue to be monitored, but now also go to school and perhaps get a part-time job that goes towards their restitution.

I don't think adding more police is the answer--that will only provoke an escalation on the side of the taggers. The solution has to include dialogue with the taggers and programs that both punish taggers for their illegal behavior as well as providing incentives and opportunities to steer their energies in a more construction--and legal--way.