American Graffiti
In response to “Street Art Legend: The Velvet Bandit” glorification of graffiti (June 12 Bohemian), graffiti is vandalism when it is done without permission on public or private property. Graffiti is a form of defacement or destruction of public or someone else’s property, which shows a lack of respect for the community and the rights of property owners.
There are huge public costs associated with graffiti: An estimated $12 billion a year is spent cleaning up graffiti in the United States. Graffiti removal generates pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment.
Please stop, for the sake of the environment and the taxpayer’s cost for removing graffiti from public property, The Velvet Bandit and all other graffiti vandals. Thank you.
John Brogan
Sonoma
Serial Box
Nikki Silververstein’s delightful cover story regarding the lasting impact of author Cyra McFadden and “The Serial” (May 22 Pacific Sun) left out one notable instance of that impact, which appeared to reach presidential levels in 2002 when ex-President George H. W. Bush described a former Mill Valley resident who joined the Taliban as a “misguided Marin County hot-tubber.” (Bush later apologized wryly after Marin residents objected.)
James Holmes
Larkspur
Bravo John Brogan’s demand to abolish graffiti. It defaces property, is disgusting to look at, its messages(?) are indecipherable, meaningless and therefore stupid; its presence signals that neighborhoods are in inexorable decline, not only the property, but the people suffering its presence as well.
Worse, when we all just accept this blight it only creates more. There’s hardly a wall left anywhere in East Oakland that isn’t covered with this crap. The moment you see it in your neighborhood immediately get your spray can, and paint it out. We may not “get” the graffiti message – but they’ll sure get ours…