Two sides to every story
I read Nikki Silverstein’s Hero & Zero article [July 8] about the security guard at Italian Street Painting Marin. I was emailed by five different people who felt the article unfairly depicted the situation. As founder of Italian Street Painting Marin, who has volunteered my time to produce the event for the past 3.5 years, I am also disappointed in the article.
If Nikki had actually taken the time to investigate the situation rather than only address Richard’s side, she would have realized that we were not letting any more people in the event area once it closed at 6pm, due to the beginning of the event tear-down. We have large trucks entering the site and tents, etc., to remove. This is a very dangerous environment, especially for children. Due to the potential danger, we told the guards at closing to not let anyone back into the event area until after all the tents and equipment were removed. We were also trying to get those within the event to leave, for this same reason. The way Nikki wrote this article was so very negative and it is a shame to have picked out this one incident to report on when she had no idea of what was going on or why the guard may have been acting as he did. All she did was take the word of Richard, and didn’t bother to check out the reasons for the temporary closure. Also, was there a witness to this incident other than Richard and his friends or family? Remember, there are two sides to every story.
Regards,
Sue Carlomagno, founder, Italian Street Painting Marin
Thank you for this comment. I was thinking along the same line as I read the piece and thought about writing in as well.
Hi Sue and Rick,
I am sorry to learn that you were offended by the Zero column last week. The Italian Street Painting Marin event is one of my favorites and I am thrilled that you are once again gracing the streets of downtown San Rafael. The article was not an indictment of the event, but rather a comment on the lack of sensitivity of one security guard in one incident that was brought to our attention. While the child would have been disappointed to miss the finished pug, I would have seen that as a typical enforcement of the rules. The issue that I found egregious was the guard’s threat to have the father arrested, which did, and has continued to, frighten the child.
As always, I made every effort to check the source of my information and I am satisfied that the incident occurred as described. On a more positive note, the fact that the family returned to see a finished drawing demonstrates that the Italian Street Painting Marin event is inspiring adults and children alike. Congratulations on another successful year.
Best,
Nikki