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What to do about graffiti?
If you're Ed "The Deets" Kohler, you just paint over it.
76 Reader Comments
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ed's my friggin' hero.
Eds a fucking asshole but I do agree with him this time around. I don't have an alley so my garbage bin is close to the street so any idiot throws anything and everything into the bin. I have been building an alarm for my garbage bin so everytime someone opens it is yells "RAPE!" and grabs a picture... it will go production in a couple of weeks.
Ed: Do you get permission of the property owner before you paint over the graffiti? (Not that I can imagine why they'd say no)
jason, no, I just paint away. They can color match it on their own time. I've had run-ins with property owners but they generally think I'm from the city and tell me that they, "were going to clean it up today" or they're concerned that they're going to get an assessment for the work.
This is totally awesome - THANK YOU ED!
I love it when people take initiative like this.
I had no idea Ed did this. Kick-ass job, Ed. Next time I can snag some beige/white/grey paint at the Walker, I'll do it for you.
Johnny Northside would send the graffiti a message in the form of Chuck Norris as George Bailey.
Steve Marsh sums it up.
Good intentions aside, I wouldn't want someone painting on my property just because he wanted to.
uh, yeah, that was kind of my reaction.
Well, either Ed does it for free or you can get a ticket for not painting over gang graffiti yourself.
No, there's another option. I'd do it myself.
Well, I think Ed's taking over for people who choose to do nothing.
Sheesh. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.
Don't get me wrong, I think what Ed is doing is a nice thing. But it kind of reminds me of the boy scout who insists on helping the old lady across the street ... only she doesn't want to cross that street. Not to sound ungrateful, but I'd rather do it myself and match the colors, etc., without having to deal with a high-contrast undercoat, like white on brown or something. WhatEVER.
I imagine, Maz, that if you had graffiti on your garage you would paint over it right away. Seems like what Ed is doing is taking care of graffiti that homeowners/building owners aren't. It drives me crazy when i see persistent graffiti, and it does impact your perception of a neighborhood's safeness.
But it kind of reminds me of the boy scout who insists on helping the old lady across the street ... only she doesn't want to cross that street.
I feel that the tagging gives my house that lived-in 'urban' feeling.
I want a reliable deterrent for taggers. I just cannot imagine their thinking when they do their stupid things.
I like the idea from that SNL sketch -- leave it up, but paint "sucks" beneath it.
If Ed were a Neocon blogger Mazaspaza and the Rat would be defending his right to perform these heroic acts of social justice.
rez, then it would just devolve into a much more public version of bar bathroom graffiti arguments.
here's that sketch I nearly forgot that gargoyle was on SNL.
My neighborhood, Corcoran (between Lake and 36th and Cedar and Hiawatha), gets the kids together (all ages) and they plan and paint murals on buildings. They also paint on wood that can be placed on garages. Taggers love a blank canvas ... art, not so much.
I think what Ed is doing is admirable.
But....
The City of Minneapolis asks that all graffiti be reported and not removed until after it is photographed. They track graffiti, especially gang graffiti, to find trends which are helpful to the police. You are not to remove graffiti from your property until it has been photographed by the city. How does Ed know if the graffiti has been tracked?
If all they do is photograph it and log it in their records, he could take care of that by taking a photo and sending it to them along with it's location.
When I was tagged last summer I was a good resident and called the city so they could take their pictures. After 8-9 days of not hearing back from them I just painted over it.
Ed, why don't you just switch entirely to using primer?
spaceman, great idea. I'll check with the liquidator store to see what I can find.
kc!, on the photo scene, I often do photograph and report graffiti as mnblrmkr describes. If I had a better idea what the city was doing with that data, I'd be more or less likely to do so. For example, if they use gang tags to find out where gangs are located, they wouldn't really learn anything they didn't already know in the area where I was painting in the video.
I've read studies that show that the speed of covering up graffiti is one deterrent. People are less likely to tag surfaces if they're quickly painted over. Color matching is better than what I'm doing, obviously. Between faster, better, and cheaper, I've slacked on better.
ajb, murals have made a BIG difference in Corcoran. Keep those kids busy.
One of the problems with primer, is it doesn't cover as well... In any event, keep up the good work Ed!!!
Noooooo, my art....
This summer the Lyndale and Kingsfield neighborhoods are joining forces to paint 10 (I think) murals on Nicollet between Lake and 46th. The purpose is slowing graffiti. They asked if we wanted the side of our house done, but we declined. We haven't had any graffiti yet, so why draw attention?
Try Kilz, Ed.
kc -
do you go to the Lyndale association meetings? I have been meaning to go for a while. Very interested in doing some volunteering.
Ed, there's a word for when you paint on someone's property without permission. It's called vandalism.
I don't understand why you don't just ask? It may reduce the number of good deeds, but at least then you'd be sure that your help was wanted. What if someone doesn't want you to do that?
vlad,
no, we don't. we go to the Crime and Drug meetings when we remember. And I'm a Lyndale Walker, but I haven't done that in a while either. I need to get reconnected. I should do that today.
I see plenty of graffiti that goes unnoticed. I would applaud someone who took it upon themselves to do what others aren't.
the work of vigilantes never goes appreciated.
Ed, they use graffitti data to mointor the gang's territories. Also, some graffiti may contain an important message about a planned activity or impending battles. You must let the police get to it before you start doing this on your own. Often times seeing a new gang, or a gang move outside of it's known territory into a rival gang territory, is important for the cops to know, especially the gang cops. This can sometimes be a precursor for violence.
It helps to hang it painted over right away, but try to give the cops a chance to log it--grafitii is imoportant data.
ceci, I don't disagree. I'm clearly taking an, "ask for forgiveness" approach.
Does Minneapolis have that much gang activity?
The taggers in my neighborhood are suburban middleclass kids who go to Macalester. I know because they caught them.
Douglas, One of the problems with primer, is it doesn't cover as well Really? I thought that was the purpose of primer. [there's no snark tag here; I'm really asking]
Maybe then, Ed, nevermind. I'll suggest instead using cherry red. That'll cover anything.
By the way, you've been active with this for a couple years now, no?
Yes, there is quite a bit of gang activity.
you'd be surprised Vlad.
We have the bloods, a few crip sets, gangster disciples, black p stones, the native mob(native peeps), latin kings, and some others.
The main ones in S minneapoplis, right now at least, are the Rolling 60's bloods and the Sureno 13's.
First, I admire Ed for just doing it. The city may have a system or a procedure, blah, lah, but Ed's exemplifying the often abused concept of 'acting locally.' I'm lucky to have not had my property tagged, but would not be crazy to see Ed's beige on my dark brown garage.
I do disagree with one of his comments, though; there is no difference between gang tagging and 'art' graffiti. The only yardstick is whether or not the property owner has permitted the activity.
Maybe I can be Ed's partner; he does the spraying and I'll act on his video/photo evidence with the softball bats that are in my hatchback during the season.
I do disagree with one of his comments, though; there is no difference between gang tagging and 'art' graffiti.
Yes, there is a difference--they both destroy the surface they are applied to, but there is a difference and the two should be treated differently.
Spaceman, I believe the primary role of primer (pun intended) is to provide a clean surface that paint can better adhere to.
you'd be surprised Vlad.
We have the bloods, a few crip sets, gangster disciples, black p stones, the native mob(native peeps), latin kings, and some others.
The main ones in S minneapoplis, right now at least, are the Rolling 60's bloods and the Sureno 13's.
Shit, that is a lot of gangs.
Can't those gangs kill each other more so I don't have to worry about them....
Hey Ed, my building was tagged and I haven't had the opportunity to cover it yet. Get to it! Hope you have black paint. :)
baker, thanks for the information. I'll work on a better system for logging and reporting tags. This makes me wonder whether the walls I'm covering could have already been logged. There is no way of knowing. Perhaps the city needs their own tag to signify that a wall has been reported, recorded, and is ready to be covered?
spaceman, yes, for around 3 years.
Octaneboy, on the art vs gang tag issue, the point I believe I was trying to make at that point is that gang taggers are much more likely to hit private property such as businesses and even houses. It's a territory marking thing. I was comparing that to artistic graffiti artists who, say, put up unapproved murals underneath bridges. Personally, I'm not bothered by the latter.
this just in...Oliver's mom was tagged last night.
BURN!
Lyndale's big gangs are the Surenos 13 and the Bogus Boys. Los Vatos Locos also have some interest in the neighborhood.
I think there are over 400 gangs in Minnesota.
kc, you are right, many chicago gangs have migrated here--
bogus boyz, vice lords, black p stones, GD's.
Many of the major gang have spawned sets, which could make up a lot of that number.
And there are non-national gangs like some of the Somali and Hmong gangs.
Don't forget the Baseball Furies.
...and the Saracens!
uh, yeah, that was kind of my reaction.
So, to sum up.
Slashing the tires of someone legally parked on a city street = OK.
Painting over graffiti on someone else's property= not OK.
I guess that circumstances alter cases, eh?
He doesn't slash the tires. He lets the air out of them. And, if I remember correctly, he then watches through windows and giggles girlishly, although I may have made that part up.
In our nice quiet NE neighborhood someone tagged a garage. A very lovely red brick garage with some illegible white message applied. The neighbors jumped in and cleaned it up and posted a large sign saying something to the effect that we are watching and graffiti is not welcome in our neighborhood, and we will call the police.
There has not been any graffiti since, about 3 years.
I bet it was one of those evil bikers running through stop signs. They won't stop for red octagons, but they'll stop to paint on your property! ANARCHY!
Point taken, Max.
kc, you are right, many Chicago gangs have migrated here--
bogus boyz, vice lords, black p stones, GD's.
Many of the major gang have spawned sets, which could make up a lot of that number.
I have lived in mpls and Chicago. they call it "Moneyapolis" because you get good money for drugs and free health care and a butt- load of welfare. The metro is way out of touch with the little shit heads and it will continue to get worse as we pay for every need of every looser from out of state. Gang graffiti should be treated as a terroristic threat and the prosecuted as such. But we will never get to that point in Minneapolis
wow, you are so detached from reality.
Everything I've ever learned about gang culture I've learned from the fantastic History Channel series "Gangland". Anyone else seen it?
Everything I've ever learned about gangs I learned from bill o'reilley and conservative racist heresay!
Everything I've ever learned about gangs I've learned from "West Side Story."
Waitaminute...
How did it go from Ed painting over gang graffiti to MN paying for "evey need of every loser from out of state."
I think it's great what you are doing Ed. As a former 3rd Ave S resident, the block I lived on and the block south of us were always getting tagged. People were pretty diligent about documenting, calling, and painting, but it's a lot of work to keep up with it. When I moved I had noticed that it was taking longer for the graffiti to painted over.
you get good money for drugs and free health care and a butt- load of welfare
What?
If just over $400 is "a butt-load" of money for a mom and child, then yes, welfare here is good. But since it is a federal standard for MFIP and not a state one, there is really no incentive to move here.
Free health care? Maybe for some, but not for most.
Good money for drugs? I have no idea what you are talking about.
Good money for drugs can be found anywhere you find humans.
If just over $400 is "a butt-load" of money for a mom and child, then yes, welfare here is good. But since it is a federal standard for MFIP and not a state one, there is really no incentive to move here.
Free health care? Maybe for some, but not for most.
Good money for drugs? I have no idea what you are talking about.
So everyone that is moving to Mn is just coming for the wonderful opportunities. I have brother in-law teaching on the north that sees this everyday, I have spoken to individuals that live in the west side of Chicago that explained how they come to Mn and scam the system and state to me when they saw my MN license plate that it was "moneyapolis". I also have worked with kids that all came for Chicago for the welfare benefits offered in MN, but live in your bubble while the rest of us pay for all of the dead beats. You acknowledge that "some" do come for free health care but hell over look that because you don't pay for it.
Don't forget that the crack dealing boyfriends followed from Chicago when they found out they could sell for $20 instead of $10.
Tony Bouza was the chief when this started, as many will recall.
He denied there were "gangs" in Minneapolis.
The Minn Post story about Ed has just caused me to "come out" as a volunteer graffiti abater. I can't compete with Ed, of course, but I do have plenty of cans of spray paint in my truck and I've hit graffiti from Frog Town to Dinky Town to North Minneapolis.
I think Minneapolis should revise its policies to make "volunteer graffiti abatement" explicitly encouraged. Everybody should be doing what Ed is doing. You rock, Ed, and you've given me a whole new level of encouragement to go forth and do likewise. I hope plenty of other people feel the same.
Welfare here is nowhere near enough to depend upon solely for living expenses. This is coming from personal experience.
How much were you getting sandburg?
Even though everybody in my neighborhood was poor, no one admitted to being on welfare because even amongst poor people, it was something people were ashamed of. Is that true today?
Something like $150 food, $200 cash assistance. It sounds like a nice chunk of change, but you can't really do much with $200 if that's all you have.
I better not catch anybody messin with my tag or you better have your pants pulled up tight. I came to MN for free healthcare and free fried walleye Ja you betcha!!!
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