Graffiti: Artwork or Gang propaganda??

Okay, I already made my disgust with this known (see my blog for my view on this), so I want your opinion. The following is an article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune (my local paper):

Mpls. To Tighten Restrictions On Spray-Paint Sales

Minneapolis The Minneapolis City Council is looking at cracking down on graffiti by tightly regulating spray-paint sales.

A council committee has adopted an amended ordinance that would require Minneapolis retailers to keep closer tabs on who's buying spray paint, paint sticks and broad-tipped markers.

City officials see graffiti as a link to gangs and violence.

But retailers balked last year at a council proposal to require them to lock spray paint in cabinets.

Under the amended ordinance, retailers would have to ask for an ID when selling spray paint to young people.

The full Council takes up the ordinance on March 30. Enforcement would begin this summer.
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Is graffiti that bad? I always considered it art. But most people think it's gang related, yet I hardly see any gang graffiti. It's usually a loner, or someone representing their "crew". I've never seen a tag crews fight, unless it was with spray-paint. What do you think?

Yay... another oppertunity to kick your ass in AO posts...
I read your blog. Its funny they mention IDing people for spray piant... OK, so that would eliminate KIDS from going out and tagging, but not ME :laugh: Muhahahaha!

But if you want my prespective, I think graffiti is a lazy artists fastest resort to making public art. Not that I personally have a problem with it.. art is art... But I think it shows alot more pride and respect for everyone if the steps are at least taken to make public art LEGALLY. Seriously all you need is a kick ass grant proposal and you could be easy breezy and LEGALLY making public artisic statements.

Now on the other hand, if your proposal is denied.....

....Go deface property in the name of the first ammendment!!!!

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Originally Posted by atomik_sprout

Is graffiti that bad? I always considered it art. But most people think it's gang related, yet I hardly see any gang graffiti. It's usually a loner, or someone representing their "crew". I've never seen a tag crews fight, unless it was with spray-paint. What do you think?

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Considering that my racketball courts were shut down because gangs were having tagging wars over them I would agree with the Minneapolis City Council. If it a sufficient issue for the city and this will help curb it then why not? If the artists want to do it legally then they can get the adult who owns the wall to purchase their supplies for them.

Screw that, I'm agreeing with Graffitists everywhere. The only ppl that need paint kept away from them is the huffers. honestly, ppl should be glad gangstas spend all that time tagging things up. Better than them planning a drive-by, right? Or breaking-in those places they tagged and stealing shit.This is another case of making a mountain outta a molehill.
Sure, there's legal ways to be artistic, but when you can't afford college and so much not into school that you can't make the grades for a grant, what else can you do, right?

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Originally Posted by TaurusDemon23

Sure, there's legal ways to be artistic, but when you can't afford college and so much not into school that you can't make the grades for a grant, what else can you do, right?

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Get a job and buy your own wall (or canvas) to paint.

There is a big difrence in graffiti thats gang propaganda and graffiti thats art, so big that you can easely tel the difrence.
Gang tag are mostly made in a rush and usely just tels the name of the gang and some propaganda, but art cant be made in a rush art needs time and creativety before its complete.
In my opinion if graffiti is art then i have no probleme whit it, it makes the streets a lot more cosy and its a lot better then just watching at a boring wals, but no gang tags that makes the streets les cosy.

Well the majority of graffiti out there isn't art.....just drive anywhere in any city, and it's just words/slurs/or insignia's that are painted around. Using a medium that has different colors doesn't make it immediately art.

I know that in Vancouver they have little groups that go around and do graffiti art to liven things up, but it's condoned by the city, and it is actually art. You have to paint some sort of picture with it, and you're not allowed to write just words. The locations for the graffiti are also chosen by the city, so that it's not random painting.

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Sure, there's legal ways to be artistic, but when you can't afford college and so much not into school that you can't make the grades for a grant, what else can you do, right?

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....so then are the graffiti artists trying to get a grant by writing on walls? If they can afford to buy spray paint, then they can easily afford to by other art supplies.

Funnily enough, just last monday we had some graffiti painted around where we lived (they decided to write some slurs on our trees, so I had to do some trimming). They also painted up every sign post and flat surface (other than houses) they could find.

I don't see a problem with the ordinance.....I don't know of a SINGLE person that I went to middle school or high school with that needed to buy spray paint for any sort of art. I'm pretty sure the majority of under 18 kids don't use any sort of spray paint for artistic purposes, and those that do are a limited few.

I don't think graffiti is only for "gang" purposes.. but it does influence that area of a social setting. Your article makes me question. What will tightly regulating spray paint bottles do to anything? People can damage property with those huge permanent markers or paint itself. It's mostly spray painting.. but not all of it is. I believe graffiti is two seperate things within itself. Art, and vandelism.