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Please use common sense and consideration when applying stickers or other propaganda materials. Giant is designed to provoke thought about the mechanics of the system we live in…not to destroy it. Everyone has to live here. Plus there are extreme individuals who wish to label all street artist as vandals and push for harsher and harsher penalties and prosecution. These people are very organized and lobby for public support. To counteract their attempts to vilify street artist, the street artist community needs to befriend local arts councils, graphic arts organizations, and anyone and everyone with political power who could be sympathetic to artists who have no sanctioned public venue to express themselves. The cities build tennis courts, basketball courts, football fields, even skate parks at millions of dollars cost to the tax payer. Where are the public mural walls? It’s all about control of the public space. If the opponents of street art are the only ones who speak out then they will be the only ones who are listened to. We need to fight fire with fire and express ourselves intelligently. If we don’t come across as a bunch of vandals we may find that the silent majority is actually supportive of public artistic expression. Check out the following letter to see where they are coming from.
-Shepard
The following message is brought to you by the Graffiti Abatement Task Force:
Dear viewer,
Thank you for your continued support of our site and organization. The publics support of this program has been overwhelming. Since launching our site in March, we have added 230 new members to our organization and have had countless requests for the Graffiti Abatement Task Force t-shirt and stickers. Educating the General Public on the subject of graffiti and its permanent removal will continue to be our goal for this year. The annual reports for National Graffiti Arrests and acts of vandalism have just come in and the numbers are astonishing!! Arrests and convictions of graffiti vandals for 1999 is up over 40% Nationally and 60% up in all five boroughs of New York City. The rate of graffiti vandalism has dropped Nationally over 35% and 40% in New York City. These numbers are the greatest rise and drop in arrests and acts of vandalism since 1989, when The New York City Subway System enacted its ZERO TOLERANCE policy on graffiti, with respect to both the exterior and interiors of all subway cars and lines. We thank you, the public and good Samaritan for these fantastic numbers. Only you can stop graffiti vandalism, and put the perpetrators of these crimes where they belong: BEHIND IRON BARS!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
The Graffiti Abatement Task Force
Our entire Staff
