# Why does people do this with our cities?



## Perazzelli (Dec 3, 2014)

I'm starting a new photo thread to help us to talk about a problem that personally I hate with my all soul: tags on the cities walls. Why does people do this with our cities?
Put a photography of a city defaced by these writers and let us know your opinion about that. 

Is it a simple tag or a true street art? 

PS: I don't wanna defame any city here or country. Only discuss with people from all around the world this problem through pics


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## Perazzelli (Dec 3, 2014)

As italian from Florence, I wanna start talking about my beautiful home: why does people do this with Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in the world?

Untitled by Amanda Takes Pictures, on Flickr


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## Perazzelli (Dec 3, 2014)

Dirty Paris 

paris by tumbalacatumba, on Flickr


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## Perazzelli (Dec 3, 2014)

A tipical brazilian building at Sao Paulo defaced by "pichadores"

Building covered with Pichações by Thomas Locke Hobbs, on Flickr

At the Wonderful city, Rio

Pichação by dreamindly, on Flickr


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## Perazzelli (Dec 3, 2014)

St. Catherine's Church - Vilnius, Lithuania

21st century graffiti vs. 18th century baroque 

St. Catherine's Church - Vilnius, Lithuania by uncorneredmarket, on Flickr


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## John85 (Nov 22, 2009)

Imho the pictures you shows have nothing to do with arts. 
Who write on a Wall just to put its signature is like a dog that piss on the wheel of a car to mark its own area


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## AbidM (Apr 12, 2014)

I believe this thread needs to be moved to the Citytalk and Urban Issue forum, it's out of place on this forum.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

I hate tagging and graffiti and I support the Singaporean style of justice to those who tag or deface property. Caning would really solve that issue! :lol:


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## alexandru.mircea (May 18, 2011)

Perazzelli said:


> Dirty Paris
> 
> paris by tumbalacatumba, on Flickr


I dislike tagging but here there's so much of it that it makes a whole, a larger work. I like it. Ity has to be said though that the door on the right has proper painting on it, it's not tagging.


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## sebvill (Apr 13, 2005)

In Lima ive seen this ugly graffiti in places that I cant imagine how they managed to get there (like highway signs 4 metres above ground)


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## ThatOneGuy (Jan 13, 2012)

What is enraging is when these people spray paint newly-painted buildings.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

I myself is a graffiti writer and yes I have done illegal stuff in the past. 

But again, I have my own *code of rules* when it comes to illegal graf. That means I don't deface churches / places of worship, office buildings, residential homes, private vehicles and notable landmarks.

Even clean and green Singapore has graffiti, some of them illegal such as in The Geylang District.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Art like that commissioned and legal is one thing, and it can be very pleasant (as your example above shows). Tagging and scrawling rubbish everywhere is quite another. Massive fines, caning, criminal record and mandatory community service OR jail time for graffiti would be my ideal to be honest.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Svartmetall said:


> ^^ Art like that commissioned and legal is one thing, and it can be very pleasant (as your example above shows). Tagging and scrawling rubbish everywhere is quite another. Massive fines, caning, criminal record and mandatory community service OR jail time for graffiti would be my ideal to be honest.


It is according to where you at! Honestly I did get busted once back in 2004 and I only had to pay a fine of PHP 500. (USD 1 = PHP 40)

But again, graffiti isn't a problem here in Metro Manila as the police and local government have more things to worry about when it comes to crime.

Today I prefer concentrating in piecing and legal stuff as I'm more to the art form than vandalism!


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## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

If it's done at 3:00 am, it's vandalism and the kid deserves an ass kicking, legal or otherwise.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

I HATE tagging of buildings. I always report it to the city officials here in Chicago if I see it. They have a very large program to remove graffiti from any public or private building or benches, fences, etc. in the city free of charge within a short time period. It keeps most of the city very clean and graffiti free for the most part - assuming it's not the worst up neighborhoods that see most of the tagging in the first place and also seems to have residents who don't call it into the city officials to come remove.

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/provdrs/graffiti_blasters.html

You can report the graffiti in an online form and the city will come out and take care of the problem.

The current mayor cut funding to part of the project a few years ago and it was taking a week or two to remove some of the stuff as opposed to the typical 2-3 days. Just last month the mayor increased the program again after a lot of public outcry

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/27496287/city-adds-two-trucks-to-graffiti-removal-fleet

There was a big news story last week. Someone actually tagged a very large sign on a major highway near downtown in the middle of the night. It was reported around 2am, and by 3am they had rushed crews to remove the graffiti from the sign. They weren't finished until 7:30am, but by blocking two of the 5 local lanes in that area they caused a MAJOR traffic backup that stuck around until well after crews were finished at 7:30am. The department of transportation apologized, but said they have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to graffiti on the public signs.

http://abc7chicago.com/news/graffit...expressway-sign-causes-traffic-backup/423756/


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

Paint isn't even the biggest thing.

In my hometown I got stuck in a parking garage because someone did "scratchitti" on the touchscreen of the only machine that takes your credit card and punches your gate ticket. There was some kind of tag etched into the plastic and the screen was f'ed, with colorful bars going across it. After I called the city help line and then the non-emergency police services number and the girl was like "uh sure we'll send a guy" I was like **** it, and discovered that the pole on the gate could be removed. This happened 4 years ago so if anyone cared, meh. I'm pretty sure they built that place on an ancient indian burial ground, because some people were killed standing by that exact machine when a drunk driver hit them. Also it was a major eminent domain case AND it looses money for the city too. I avoid it without carrying holy water to scare off the bad luck demons.


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## Union Man (Sep 25, 2009)

Brick Lane - London


roses grow on you by Leo Reynolds, on Flickr


Elephantacle by Kevin Lloyd, on Flickr


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## alexandru.mircea (May 18, 2011)

^beautiful, but this is about tagging.  There's a graffitti / street art thread somewhere here, though.


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## Union Man (Sep 25, 2009)

Ah ok, yes well tagging in my opinion is awful and messy, however graffiti/street art like above , whatever you wish to call it is rather nice.


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