Dear Political Graffiti Artist

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

Dear Political Graffiti Artist
On a wall, otherwise freshly painted, where someone sprayed: “Don’t walk away in silence.”

Vandal silenced by all-girls Catholic school – AM New York

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Filed under: East Village, Photos, Street Art , by gamma

103 Responses to “Dear Political Graffiti Artist”

  1. Flickr: GammaBlog, on May 27th, 2007 at 9:30 am Said:
  2. malatron, on May 27th, 2007 at 12:14 pm Said:

    Awesome. Very classy. I hope the artist shows up, that would be such an example of courageous and honest human behavior.

  3. wrybread, on May 27th, 2007 at 1:37 pm Said:

    I believe at times like this we’re supposed to say “pwned!”

  4. gamma, on May 27th, 2007 at 1:51 pm Said:

    Thans mal. And Wry, we all need something to believe in.

  5. Flickr: the mess, on May 28th, 2007 at 7:20 am Said:

    "don’t walk away in silence" is a lyric from a joy division song called atmosphere. it’s an incredibly melancholy song, penned by a man who went on to kill himself… not likely tagged by someone looking to send a positive message, let alone about standing up for your rights….

  6. Flickr: GammaBlog, on May 28th, 2007 at 8:06 am Said:

    Yeah, it would be funny if it was a student. Thanks for your insights ecstatictyler, Doc and mess.

  7. Flickr: findingyoko, on May 28th, 2007 at 8:54 am Said:

    it looks like this generation of L.E.S. parents are taking cues from the Park Slope crowd.

    i agree with Dr. Joolz, painting the wall is not a necessary action that is as beneficial as a school trip or funding low-iincome students. And it wont soften the artist’s heart to hear that.

  8. Flickr: ecstatictyler, on May 28th, 2007 at 1:56 am Said:

    beautiful yet sad. optimally, this person coughs up some coin. i hope it works out.

  9. Flickr: Dr Joolz, on May 28th, 2007 at 4:00 am Said:

    Really interesting. There is the assumption that it was not a pupil in the school who wrote the message.
    I have so much sympathy for educators; I was a teacher myself for 15 years. But in fact, given the choice, I would have used money for the school trip and painted the wall later – if really necessary.
    Whilst a lovely rational calm message, I think that there are issues to think about which the writer of the message has not considered.

  10. Flickr: [~~ Walter ~~], on May 29th, 2007 at 11:37 am Said:

    There’s a new post up on the wall tonight. It notes that the graffiti was a tribute to Ian Curtis. It also says that someone donated money to pay for the repainting. The picture of Ian Curtis is a nice touch.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynes-new-york/521039599

  11. Flickr: Irena Kittenclaw, on May 31st, 2007 at 1:35 am Said:

    Oh Ian Curtis – - may he rest in peace…

    Seems almost fitting that a tribute to his death would be misunderstood, and that it would spark so many other things…

    This is around the block. I have to go back today. Thanks for the update Walter…

  12. Flickr: Irena Kittenclaw, on May 31st, 2007 at 1:35 am Said:

    Oh Ian Curtis – - may he rest in peace…

    Seems almost fitting that a tribute to his death would be misunderstood, and that it would spark so many other things…

    This is around the block. I have to go back today. Thanks for the update Walter…

  13. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 5:06 am Said:

    Thanks, Mighty M. It’s crazy how many people are viewing this.

  14. Flickr: sarilion, on March 11th, 2008 at 1:38 am Said:

    importantly not a word. too bad the educators don’t know.

    more important is an elliptical form of “What is more important” and that the adverb importantly can not occur in such a construction

  15. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:06 am Said:

    Where is all the traffic this post is getting, coming from?

  16. Flickr: ragesoss, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:12 am Said:

    Reddit.com: reddit.com/info/6bku1/comments/

  17. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:17 am Said:

    Thanks, ragesoss.

  18. Flickr: jibegod, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:43 am Said:

    If they agree with the message, why are they painting over it ?_?

  19. Flickr: LeKriz, on March 11th, 2008 at 6:48 am Said:

    @NineFingers: If somebody painted huge black text on your house, would you not repaint it?

  20. Flickr: sarilion, on March 10th, 2008 at 7:38 am Said:

    importantly not a word. too bad the educators don’t know.

    more important is an elliptical form of “What is more important” and that the adverb importantly can not occur in such a construction

  21. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 10th, 2008 at 8:06 am Said:

    Where is all the traffic this post is getting, coming from?

  22. Flickr: AhronZombi, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:08 am Said:

    fuck that school. they should keep the graffetti its beutiful art. they got it for free

  23. Flickr: ragesoss, on March 10th, 2008 at 8:12 am Said:

    Reddit.com: reddit.com/info/6bku1/comments/

  24. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 10th, 2008 at 8:17 am Said:

    Thanks, ragesoss.

  25. Flickr: jibegod, on March 10th, 2008 at 8:43 am Said:

    If they agree with the message, why are they painting over it ?_?

  26. Flickr: Zervas, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:59 am Said:

    That’s a great rebuttal to the vandals statement. Reminds me of my feelings when I saw some hippie graffiti down the block.
    "The poor have no food because I spent my "helping out the poor money" to repaint my house after a stupid hippie vandalized it. " http://www.flickr.com/photos/zervas/2310264355/

  27. Flickr: Kilian Muster, on March 11th, 2008 at 7:32 am Said:

    Because it looks ugly? Not everything that is correct in content is necessarily suited to be puked on a wall of other people’s buildings.

  28. Flickr: NineFingers, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:48 am Said:

    I’m surprised I’m the only person here who’s bothered to say this:
    Why is it a forgone conclusion that the wall has to repainted in the first place?
    Rather than pay to repaint it white, students should make a mural.

  29. Flickr: Mighty Mullet, on March 11th, 2008 at 9:25 am Said:

    Also coming from BoingBoing. http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/10/interesting-antigraf.html (comment 46)…

  30. Flickr: Kilian Muster, on March 11th, 2008 at 1:32 am Said:

    Because it looks ugly? Not everything that is correct in content is necessarily suited to be puked on a wall of other people’s buildings.

  31. Flickr: donkeymon, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:00 am Said:

    Damn, if you’re going to paint something, at least paint it nice. That’s such a half ass job. Ian deserves better…

  32. Flickr: klint davies, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:45 am Said:

    You’re a real winner Ahron. Thanks for that comment.

  33. Flickr: NineFingers, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:48 am Said:

    I’m surprised I’m the only person here who’s bothered to say this:
    Why is it a forgone conclusion that the wall has to repainted in the first place?
    Rather than pay to repaint it white, students should make a mural.

  34. Flickr: Crunchy Pickle, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:52 am Said:

    I understand the feelings, but realistically — how much of a school trip could a class have taken instead of $2.00 worth of paint?

  35. Flickr: fardtjanst, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:53 am Said:

    Nice text! :)

    I personally hate most of the graffiti "arts", since it looks like crap. Some rely good artist can make it look good doe.

    http://www.dudeindebt.com

  36. Flickr: Wiretap Studios, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:53 am Said:

    Nice capture, and nice response from the school…at least it wasn’t ‘if we see you, you will be arrested.’

  37. Flickr: jshucart, on March 11th, 2008 at 3:05 am Said:

    I doubt the piece of crap that spray painted on the school can even read.

  38. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 11:06 am Said:

    Thanks, Mighty M. It’s crazy how many people are viewing this.

  39. Flickr: heet_myser, on March 11th, 2008 at 3:20 am Said:

    Seems almost fitting that a tribute to his death would be misunderstood

    Where’s the misunderstanding, exactly? It seems like everyone understands pretty readily that this is vandalism.

  40. Flickr: Mighty Mullet, on March 11th, 2008 at 3:25 am Said:

    Also coming from BoingBoing. http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/10/interesting-antigraf.html (comment 46)…

  41. Flickr: donkeymon, on March 11th, 2008 at 4:00 am Said:

    Damn, if you’re going to paint something, at least paint it nice. That’s such a half ass job. Ian deserves better…

  42. Flickr: LeKriz, on March 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm Said:

    @NineFingers: If somebody painted huge black text on your house, would you not repaint it?

  43. Flickr: AhronZombi, on March 11th, 2008 at 2:08 pm Said:

    fuck that school. they should keep the graffetti its beutiful art. they got it for free

  44. Flickr: klint davies, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:45 pm Said:

    You’re a real winner Ahron. Thanks for that comment.

  45. Flickr: Crunchy Pickle, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:52 pm Said:

    I understand the feelings, but realistically — how much of a school trip could a class have taken instead of $2.00 worth of paint?

  46. Flickr: Wiretap Studios, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:53 pm Said:

    Nice capture, and nice response from the school…at least it wasn’t ‘if we see you, you will be arrested.’

  47. Flickr: jshucart, on March 11th, 2008 at 9:05 pm Said:

    I doubt the piece of crap that spray painted on the school can even read.

  48. Flickr: heet_myser, on March 11th, 2008 at 9:20 pm Said:

    Seems almost fitting that a tribute to his death would be misunderstood

    Where’s the misunderstanding, exactly? It seems like everyone understands pretty readily that this is vandalism.

  49. Flickr: robotsound, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:21 pm Said:

    im sure painting over a wall would not equal the cost of a trip. unless kbr has the contract to paint it.

  50. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:40 pm Said:

    I’m with you robotsound. :)

  51. Flickr: kbzurk3, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:41 pm Said:

    gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_05_silence.jpg

    Its not easy on the eyes.

  52. Flickr: Marc Johns, on March 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm Said:

    Wow. We have the exact same problem with the school across the street from our house, and it’s a school for severely handicapped children. Thanks for sharing this.

  53. Flickr: hbl, on March 12th, 2008 at 12:36 am Said:

    way to stick it to the man! offending middle class sensibilities the world over – at least he can stand tall and say, "I AM ALIVE!!!!"

    or something

  54. Flickr: ∙ELi∙, on March 12th, 2008 at 1:45 am Said:

    How about leaving the artwork there, especially is you agree with its message?

    On 2nd thought if this is the graffiti:

    gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_05_silence.jpg

    then that artist needs to stop.

  55. Flickr: hbl, on March 11th, 2008 at 6:36 am Said:

    way to stick it to the man! offending middle class sensibilities the world over – at least he can stand tall and say, "I AM ALIVE!!!!"

    or something

  56. Flickr: goxkok1, on March 12th, 2008 at 2:42 am Said:

    seen on digg

    Awesome picture…do you have the picture of the actually graffiti?

  57. Flickr: Irena Kittenclaw, on March 12th, 2008 at 7:07 am Said:

    Um, uh, Heat Miser, when you say "everyone" that means everyone….And I’m not everyone.

    And I saw this picture almost a year ago, when Gamma first posted it, and am not in the mood to debate it now.

    That said, I like what Robotsound said too…

  58. Flickr: ∙ELi∙, on March 11th, 2008 at 7:45 am Said:

    How about leaving the artwork there, especially is you agree with its message?

    On 2nd thought if this is the graffiti:

    gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_05_silence.jpg

    then that artist needs to stop.

  59. Flickr: heet_myser, on March 12th, 2008 at 7:56 am Said:

    Um, uh, Heat Miser, when you say "everyone" that means everyone….And I’m not everyone.

    I’m certainly in no mood to debate either, particularly when it’s clear that, regardless of whether you consider this a political statement or admire the "artist’s" message, spray painting a wall on private property is still vandalism. Any debate would need to start with a concession to that fact.

  60. Flickr: psalcido, on March 12th, 2008 at 8:04 am Said:

    This tagger broke one of the key rules of tagging. You do not tag public buildings having social use, or any comparable building. This kind of activity makes them all look bad. Most cities have places where this kind of art can be showcased without breaking the law – there is a reason for that, and I would strongly recommend any would-be’s to look for these locations.

  61. Flickr: goxkok1, on March 11th, 2008 at 8:42 am Said:

    seen on digg

    Awesome picture…do you have the picture of the actually graffiti?

  62. Flickr: seth_stamm, on March 12th, 2008 at 10:42 am Said:

    sarilion says:

    "importantly not a word. too bad the educators don’t know."

    Well you are not too bright my friend, importantly most certainly is a word, you should get your facts straight before you try and act smart.

  63. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 12th, 2008 at 8:38 am Said:

    I didn’t take a shot of the actual graffiti, but you can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynes-new-york/521039599

  64. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 12th, 2008 at 2:38 am Said:

    I didn’t take a shot of the actual graffiti, but you can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynes-new-york/521039599

  65. Flickr: robotsound, on March 11th, 2008 at 4:21 am Said:

    im sure painting over a wall would not equal the cost of a trip. unless kbr has the contract to paint it.

  66. Flickr: GammaBlog, on March 11th, 2008 at 4:40 am Said:

    I’m with you robotsound. :)

  67. Flickr: kbzurk3, on March 11th, 2008 at 4:41 am Said:

    gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_05_silence.jpg

    Its not easy on the eyes.

  68. Flickr: Marc Johns, on March 11th, 2008 at 4:42 am Said:

    Wow. We have the exact same problem with the school across the street from our house, and it’s a school for severely handicapped children. Thanks for sharing this.

  69. Flickr: Irene Rx (aka Irena Kittenclaw), on March 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm Said:

    Um, uh, Heat Miser, when you say "everyone" that means everyone….And I’m not everyone.

    And I saw this picture almost a year ago, when Gamma first posted it, and am not in the mood to debate it now.

    That said, I like what Robotsound said too…

  70. Flickr: heet_myser, on March 12th, 2008 at 1:56 pm Said:

    Um, uh, Heat Miser, when you say "everyone" that means everyone….And I’m not everyone.

    I’m certainly in no mood to debate either, particularly when it’s clear that, regardless of whether you consider this a political statement or admire the "artist’s" message, spray painting a wall on private property is still vandalism. Any debate would need to start with a concession to that fact.

  71. Flickr: psalcido, on March 12th, 2008 at 2:04 pm Said:

    This tagger broke one of the key rules of tagging. You do not tag public buildings having social use, or any comparable building. This kind of activity makes them all look bad. Most cities have places where this kind of art can be showcased without breaking the law – there is a reason for that, and I would strongly recommend any would-be’s to look for these locations.

  72. Flickr: seth_stamm, on March 12th, 2008 at 4:42 pm Said:

    sarilion says:

    "importantly not a word. too bad the educators don’t know."

    Well you are not too bright my friend, importantly most certainly is a word, you should get your facts straight before you try and act smart.

  73. Flickr: english breakfast, on March 14th, 2008 at 11:04 pm Said:

    I’m so glad that they wrote back to the artist. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  74. Flickr: english breakfast, on March 14th, 2008 at 5:04 am Said:

    I’m so glad that they wrote back to the artist. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  75. scot hacker’s foobar blog » Don’t Walk Away in Silence, on April 1st, 2008 at 3:09 am Said:

    [...] GammaBlog Music: X :: The Once Over Twice Filed under: Misc @ 12:08 [...]

  76. Flickr: pennylane3434, on May 1st, 2008 at 6:22 am Said:

    I absolutely love this.

  77. Flickr: pennylane3434, on May 1st, 2008 at 12:22 pm Said:

    I absolutely love this.

  78. Flickr: zoniazonia, on July 24th, 2008 at 12:28 pm Said:

    :) )) awsome!

  79. Flickr: talbot_family, on July 24th, 2008 at 2:01 am Said:

    saw this at Little Star Pizza in SF

  80. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 24th, 2008 at 3:10 am Said:

    This must have gotten linked somewhere again. It just got 10 faves in the past five hours.

  81. Flickr: heet_myser, on July 24th, 2008 at 3:40 am Said:

    Does anything show up in your Flickr stats, gamma?

  82. Flickr: zoniazonia, on July 24th, 2008 at 6:28 pm Said:

    :) )) awsome!

  83. Flickr: talbot_family, on July 24th, 2008 at 8:01 pm Said:

    saw this at Little Star Pizza in SF

  84. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 24th, 2008 at 9:10 pm Said:

    This must have gotten linked somewhere again. It just got 10 faves in the past five hours.

  85. Flickr: heet_myser, on July 24th, 2008 at 9:40 pm Said:

    Does anything show up in your Flickr stats, gamma?

  86. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 25th, 2008 at 12:00 am Said:

    I think they are not up to the minute, they only had yesterday’s stats when I looked three hours ago.

  87. Flickr: Irene Rx (aka Irena Kittenclaw), on July 25th, 2008 at 1:16 am Said:

    Oh, hot damn, G – - over 132,239 views…and rising.

  88. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 24th, 2008 at 6:00 am Said:

    I think they are not up to the minute, they only had yesterday’s stats when I looked three hours ago.

  89. Flickr: Irene Roxanne, on July 24th, 2008 at 7:16 am Said:

    Oh, hot damn, G – - over 132,239 views…and rising.

  90. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 25th, 2008 at 4:06 am Said:

    Here’s where they are coming from, I.
    ffffound.com/image/b71a18f4f632f1055ac166e1f41a43d6667e2854

  91. Flickr: Dr Joolz, on July 25th, 2008 at 8:39 am Said:

    And also of course, as more comments get added, previous commenters get notified by Flickr and we look again. Loving this whole drama.
    Importantly.

  92. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 25th, 2008 at 8:53 am Said:

    This silly thing has gotten 22 times as many views as anything else on my Flickr stream.

  93. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am Said:

    Here’s where they are coming from, I.
    ffffound.com/image/b71a18f4f632f1055ac166e1f41a43d6667e2854

  94. Flickr: Dr Joolz, on July 25th, 2008 at 2:39 pm Said:

    And also of course, as more comments get added, previous commenters get notified by Flickr and we look again. Loving this whole drama.
    Importantly.

  95. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 25th, 2008 at 2:53 pm Said:

    This silly thing has gotten 22 times as many views as anything else on my Flickr stream.

  96. Flickr: Booalready, on July 27th, 2008 at 1:36 am Said:

    I found it on friendfeed. Nice! I doubt the artist will read it for fear of coming too close again. I hope somehow they do see it though.

  97. Flickr: Dr Joolz, on July 27th, 2008 at 6:44 am Said:

    Think yourself lucky Gamma. My most viewed image is of teacups I bought on eBay.

  98. Flickr: Booalready, on July 26th, 2008 at 7:36 am Said:

    I found it on friendfeed. Nice! I doubt the artist will read it for fear of coming too close again. I hope somehow they do see it though.

  99. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 27th, 2008 at 10:38 am Said:

    The notice is long gone, Booalready. I don’t think it was up for more than a day.
    It’s interesting, friendfeed hasn’t sent that many people to this, but a large percentage of them have faved it, not sure why.

  100. Flickr: GammaBlog, on July 27th, 2008 at 4:38 am Said:

    The notice is long gone, Booalready. I don’t think it was up for more than a day.
    It’s interesting, friendfeed hasn’t sent that many people to this, but a large percentage of them have faved it, not sure why.

  101. Flickr: Dr Joolz, on July 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm Said:

    Think yourself lucky Gamma. My most viewed image is of teacups I bought on eBay.

  102. Flickr: Lonesome Cowboy Bill, on January 30th, 2009 at 7:08 am Said:

    "fuck that school. they should keep the graffetti its beutiful art. they got it for free"

    Did they ask for it?

    Can I ‘beautify’ your house with GW Bush quotes? Because maybe I might consider THAT beautiful?

    It’s easy to criticize aesthetics when you don’t have a stake in it, isn’t it?

  103. Flickr: Geoff Chisholm, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:08 am Said:

    "fuck that school. they should keep the graffetti its beutiful art. they got it for free"

    Did they ask for it?

    Can I ‘beautify’ your house with GW Bush quotes? Because maybe I might consider THAT beautiful?

    It’s easy to criticize aesthetics when you don’t have a stake in it, isn’t it?

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