Painting Over The Vandal’s Graffiti

I recently saw WKRN’s story, “Local painter works hard to beat graffiti vandals,” and I felt compelled to respond.

Let me start by saying I respect this man. He’s found a creative way to use his skills to help out. When he removes graffiti from places like store fronts, our community becomes more beautiful.

And as news this is solid, especially for a less than two minute segment.

Well, the lead-in is a bit unsupported: “Graffiti is a problem all across Nashville. It can lead to dangerous gang activity and it’s very costly to clean up.”

WKRN cited a source for cleaning costs, but the piece doesn’t touch on how graffiti can lead to dangerous gang activity. I’d prefer if they had said “Graffiti, handkerchiefs, tattoos, poverty, books, the Internet, a constant feeling of being misrepresented and talked down to, and the need for a sense of family can all lead to dangerous gang activity.”

But sarcasm aside, the media is just people representing complex stories the best they can in the time they have. The whole picture is never there. Our job is to fill in the story where we can.

The Voice of A Vandal

So for the sake of a fuller story, let me explore what a vandal may say about this. You are now sitting on a couch next to a vandal. The story just ran, and you look to your left.

“I’m just trying to imagine the walls by the train tracks without graffiti. That’s the only thing adding visual interest to that whole story,” the vandal says.

“Look, if someone painted a Big Bird or some tag on my car, I’d be pissed. I’d want this man to come paint my car for free. For sure.”

“In fact let’s email the painter guy and waylay the kid that’s been tagging up West End with that little figure that’s popping up all over in the last month. I’d gladly help kick that kid’s ass.”

“Either that or mentor the poor kid. He can come practice behind my wall till he understands what art is and that putting something on a stop sign doesn’t make it art.”

“But that’s the real problem with this story—pass the chips—I’m a graffiti artist and I agree with what this other painter is doing, mostly. Unless he painted graffiti out from underneath that bridge in the story.”

“I agree, maybe some of my friends wouldn’t, but my point is you can’t hear the voices of any demographic when it’s painted over with such a large brush—whatever you like metaphors, or puns, or whatever that was.”

“Like, we all don’t wear hoodies and pack heat. A lot of us have jobs, and own businesses and respect each other’s walls. I have a kid. And no guns. And hoodies are lame. They’ve gone the way of fedoras. Once something is sold in a department store they’re not cool anymore, in my opinion. But what do I know, I’m a vandal.”

“So of course they’re not going to interview a graffiti artist painting up the back of a store. Good thing we’re visual communicators, so folks can just walk down a side alley to see what we are saying to them. —Oh right! People don’t go to graffiti to listen.”

“Are there truer messages on our billboards, or is a white picket fence more of a representation of who we are than a fence riddled with story and dirt?”

“Whatever, the activist is doing a good thing if he is painting over graffiti that is hurting someone’s livelihood somehow. I’m all for it. Paint those store fronts up.”

“I just—look at me dude—I’ll stop ranting in a minute. Remember this. That bridge you saw there? It’s public property. When I die and all the people my age die, it will belong to all of you youngsters. I want to live in a society that preserves public discourse. As long as you can go to the darkest corners of our cities and find art bleeding at the seams, you know there is still beauty in our world. When I die I need you to find the underside of some bridge where vandals tell stories… and you add to that story.”

A Fuller Story

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.
-Simon & Garfunkel, Sound of Silence

Ok, so what other angle would make this a fuller story?