Is it art or is it graffiti?

Nothing stopped the taggers from hitting the Antonio family's grocery store in Highland Park.  Nothing, that is, until the family shelled out $3,000 for a colorful mural, which the taggers seemed to respect and left alone. All was peaceful for three months, until an even better-organized gang group came along and ... well, let's let Steve Lopez tell the tale:

To the relief of the entire Antonio family, the taggers didn't come near the mural. But three months into the respite, an even more menacing monster reared its ugly head.

City Hall bureaucracy.

"ORDER TO COMPLY," said the letter from the Building and Safety Department, which required the Antonios to remove "excessive signage" under threat of a $1,000 fine "and/or six (6) months imprisonment" for each of four alleged violations.

The Antonios called the office of Councilman Ed Reyes for help, but to little avail. One day the city sent out a work crew and just like that, the Antonios' $3,000 investment was gone, covered over with dull beige paint.

You know, of course, what happened next. Whitewashing that wall was like sending ants an invitation to a picnic. The taggers have been back almost daily, treating the wall like a fresh canvas.

Nice work, City Hall!

Get out your blood pressure meds as you read the rest of Steve Lopez' column. You're going to need them.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photo credit: Jacob Antonio Jr.

Comments

[DJ]

Graffiti is the human equivalent of a dog pissing on a tree to leave its mark. If some of these losers do have any artistic talent they are too mentally deficient to channel it in a truly creative direction.

[Wayne]

Bureaucrats, a group of government minions who couldn't come up with a brain between them. How lame can you get? The Antonios had improved the neighbourhood at their own expense.

There have been several examples here in Vancouver where the graffiti guys have been commissioned to paint a wall. There are lots of spots in any city which would look better with a colourful mural.