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Graffiti busters
Posted on October 5, 2007 by Richard Cherecwich
Filed Under AB people, Police |
Police arrested four people last week in three graffiti-related incidents. Graffiti and tagging have been seen as a blight on the Allston-Brighton community, and at last night’s BAIA meeting, Officer Steve Law said officers are making it a priority.
“We need to get on the judge and make sure they don’t get off with a slap on the wrist,” Law said of taggers who get arrested.
As police try to crack down on artists covering buildings with spray paint, Boston University student Charlie Geyer is trying to find space for graffiti artists to paint murals so they stay away from defacing property. It’s all part of his Keep Allston Decent initiative.
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2 Responses to “Graffiti busters”
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I think it is wonderful that BU student Charlie Geyer is taking the initiative to clean up Allston. Although, I do not agree with the title “artists” for those defacing property in Allston-Brighton. The messages they “paint” are not those that we would want on a mural, although it is a nice idea. More often than not, the graffiti is tagged throughout our community by misguided youth. I too agree that Allston-Brighton will benefit from Geyer’s initiative, but as a community we need to support and guide our youth. We can not ignore the fact that we need better opportunities for children and young adults, and we certainly can not cover the true underlying problem up with a mural that college students would end up painting.
I disagree that many of these youth are “misguided.” Many just need a creative outlet–something that may be cut from local schools. I think it’s deplorable to see city property covered in spray paint, and I never want to see hateful messages scrawled on the streets I walk. However, I do believe giving a blank and legal canvas to artists using spray paint as a medium can help both them and the city grow creatively. Art is in the eye of the beholder.