Britney Spears shaved her head. Who cares? Let’s talk graffiti. Some people just don’t get it. Some folks don’t understand rap music, either, and jazz baffled uptight whites during the 1920s. Hipsters and squares aside, a $200,000 war on graffiti in Dallas is absurd. While spray painting violent or racist symbols and slogans or just to deface should be punished, tasteful and artistic “pieces” can liven up eyesores and dilapidated alleys. And Dallas has its share. The racists and vandals give graffiti a bad name.
Yes, painting over any business or building without permission is wrong, but the Dallas Police Department offers no positive solutions. Why not commission good artists to paint famous community figures or scenes? Cooperative mural projects keep youth out of trouble after school and setting space aside for spray can art prevents unwanted graffiti –from scribbles to masterpieces– off public and private property. Cracking down on illegal advertising without a compromise will only deter the timid. The bold will find a way, because they are artists and artists make sacrifices for their work. Age restrictions on buying spray paint would reduce the random obscenities and haphazard vandalism. 16 year-olds buying toilet paper and eggs aren’t making Halloween costumes and omelets; kids purchasing Krylon cans aren’t making urban Mona Lisas.
Why pay people to paint over graffiti? Catch some criminals and put them to work. Punishment and community service all rolled into one outing; you can’t beat that.
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