Vandalism in Central Park

[scumonkey]

Walking the dog today, went to Bethesda Terrace in Central Park.....
Has anybody seen what some a$$ wipes did to the place?
Between the stairs, In the room underneath, they graffitied over
all the hand painted artwork on the walls and the columns what an 'effin disgrace!:mad:
A cop said the got the culprit- but the damage is done.:cool:

[ablarc]

Shame.

Graffiti is inherently coercive, like rape.

We shouldn't humor these guys and encourage them to think they're doing art.

Next step, maybe let's wink at rape: "Boys will be boys!"

[ablarc]

Will New York relapse gradually into the barbarism of the Seventies?

[Bronxbombers]

That is sad vandalism in Central Park. And I have 2 books about New York City & with 1 map of New York City.

[Ninjahedge]

I hope the vandal "accidentally" painted himself with the same stuff.

It would be no surprise to me if, for some unexplained reason, all of the perps personal belongings were also spraypainted an attractive neon pink.


As punishment, they should be forced to clean up the mess they made, for as long as it takes to do it.








As for grafitti art, I don't get the impression that these guys did any master-work, even by street art standards. I get the impression they did a bunch of scrolling and tagging, nothing more. :(

[lofter1]

PAINT MISBEHAVIN' AS VANDALS HIT CENTRAL PARK

NY POST (http://www.nypost.com/seven/02022009/news/regionalnews/paint_misbehavin_as_vandals_hit_central__153160.ht m)
By PHILIP MESSING and CHRISTINA CARREGA
February 2, 2009

Four young taggers who covered a Central Park landmark in spray paint were caught purple-handed nearby, sources said yesterday.

The alleged graffiti vandals spray-painted the walls and pillars of the Bethesda Terrace, off 72nd Street in the center of the park, near the famed Bethesda Fountain.

"There is a shocking amount of damage," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, who called the mural "one of America's great works of art."

David Gonzalez Jr., 20, Aisha Calow, 18, Victoria Deniaminova, 16, and Sabrina Santiago, 16, were charged with misdemeanors for allegedly scrawling "3D" and "U not ready" in purple and black on wall murals and sandstone pillars.

The damage was estimated at between $50,000 and $100,000.

"It's like someone going to the Met and spray-painting a portrait of Washington," said one arresting officer.

Parkgoers were equally upset by the desecration.

"It's an act of barbarianism," said Guy Winggins, 46. "It brings me back to the time in the city where people had no respect for open spaces."

Copyright 2009 NYP Holdings, Inc.

[ablarc]

"It's an act of barbarianism," said Guy Winggins, 46. "It brings me back to the time in the city where people had no respect for open spaces."
Is it coming back?




And will they be able to undo the harm?

[Derek2k3]

Surprised that three of them are girls. Has graffiti ever went away? I think the city just does a better job to combat it. One only has to look at what one vacant storefront in Manhattan will turn into in a matter of weeks. It's a constant battle.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Has graffiti ever went away?Not really.

During the scrubbed-up 90s, there was one "artist" who was running around Lower Manhattan tagging everything. Bright blue, usually an inane political remark, signed "Q."

The difference was that it was immediately removed from places like the Battery Park East Coast Memorial. Eventually, it just stopped. A few decades earlier, there were no resources to deal with it.

That may become the case again. But I think a big difference is that no one cared in the 70s. It was like - "This should be the worst of our problems."

[ablarc]

... a big difference is that no one cared in the 70s. It was like - "This should be the worst of our problems."
The problems are multiplying again.

[scumonkey]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/3d.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/team-b.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/uga.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/3ded.jpg

[JCMAN320]

I just saw it on ABC 7. Sickening just freggin sickening. Its almost like you can't have anything nice anymore because someone will come along and just f- it up. That is my favorite spot in the whole park and now it will take weeks if not months to remove all that. People have no respect anymore for anything of value. Freggin animals they should be made to eat the paint!!!

[lofter1]

This is a great opportunity for a judge to make an example of these people.

And please don't refer to them as "kids" ... even those at 16 are well out of the kids stage.

The 18 and 20 year old are fully adult and definitely know better.

And if not, then this is the time to learn.

Mega-hours of community service -- sweeping and cleaning public spaces -- should be but ONE aspect of their rehab.

[Ninjahedge]

That crap isn't even anything to be PROUD of!

They ruin something this beautiful with scrawl.

They give the artists out there a double bad name with this primate feces-throwing...um....crap!

[KenNYC]

Its a disgrace, hope they manage to clean it up again, and let the punk pay for it, by slave labor if needed.


Next step, maybe let's wink at rape: "Boys will be boys!"

You'd be surprised at how often the judicial system ends up on a rationale pretty close to that already.

[BrooklynRider]

Graffiti vandalism is way up in the subways too as is the return of overflowing trash cans and garbage kicking around everywhere. Looks like we're descending into a 1970's phase once again. First they start cutting services... In poorer neighborhoods, people out of work turn to crime... the middle class flees... artists move back to the city.

[KenNYC]

There was something in the news about cutting resources to the NYPD too wasn't there? That never seems like a good idea.

[Amberlicious7583]

I stopped by today and they were pressure washing the walls. It is looking better already and the worker said it was coming off pretty easy. Looks like it will be back to normal in no time :)

[scumonkey]

From the Post:
Park penalty is full of $#!+

By Laura Italiano
Last Updated: 2:58 PM, January 12, 2010
Posted: 3:32 AM, January 12, 2010


It's a sweet deal -- except for all the horse manure.
Under a plea deal struck yesterday, the three teenage graffiti "artists" who caused $40,000
in damage to Central Park's Bethesda Terrace two years ago will stay out of jail, but must
perform 200 hours of community service mucking out the park's horse stables.
"The Central Park Conservancy insisted that their community service be shoveling s- - - in the stables,"
said Kevin Canfield, lawyer for Victoria Beniaminova. "It beats going to prison."
The landmark's 150-year-old sandstone mosaics were spray-painted with streaks of purple, red and black.

[Derek2k3]

The penalty is kind of light. What happened to the public lashings?
I wish I could make $40,000 working 200 hours.

[stache]

Three guys so it's 600 hours total.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Maybe we can sneak beans or something into the horse feed and make it more unpleasant for them.

[Ninjahedge]

Shoveling horse poop only earns you about $20/hr (I believe a friend of mine did this with my brother about 10 years ago for $15/hr? i will have to ask).

40K/600 = $66/hr.

They should owe the city a $$ settlement as well, only redeemable by either PAYING them, or by spending money on vocational training........


That isn't a bad idea......:cool:

[lofter1]

Consider the alternative:

The money saved by not incarcerating them.

Settlements / plea deals mitigate costs.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Beefarino.

Rusty!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugazcvzOM0Q)

[Ninjahedge]

Consider the alternative:

The money saved by not incarcerating them.

Settlements / plea deals mitigate costs.


No. I won't! ;)

You see, this is the problem we have, when it costs more to prosecute than to pay up and get it done. That never works for anything.

What I am saying is that maybe the cost of the damage done has to be made up in various ways. Punishment is one, but instead of prison, finding a way to train these guys so that they do not have so much free time on their hands and become more productive members of society would be the better way to not only discourage people from doing this, but becoming an asset rather than a liability.

So you have them do community service as a base. $15 an hour shoveling horse poop, subject to approval. 200 hours = $3000.

But that still leaves about $10K left per kid. They can choose to work for the city to earn the rest doing street cleaning and the lik, or go to an approved job training that would be discounted off the amount owed (and tax deductable).

You have to put the fire under their arses and make the bed of nails look more comfortable by sheer comparison or these kids will just make sure to be more careful not to be seen the next time they spray.


Can I use more words? I think I can.... ;)

[lofter1]

And then you have to administer all that. More $$$.

[antinimby]

Was the city able to repair the terrace to what it was before the spray-painting?


By the way, they should have spray-painted those three fukkin' kids "with streaks of purple, red and black." :mad:

[lofter1]

According to Post 18 above: Yes.

I've been through the arcade in the past couple of months and, while I didn't look closely, I didn't notice any remnants.

[scumonkey]

...while I didn't look closely,...
If you had you would- it's a shame- they did a good job
of clean up but the ghosts of the damage still shows in multiple places :(

[Ninjahedge]

And then you have to administer all that. More $$$.


Money spent right in the short term is money saved in the long term.

[stache]

By the time someone is charged with crime we are past the short term point imho.

[antinimby]

but the ghosts of the damage still shows in multiple placesSo does that take time to "wear off" eventually or does it stay there permanently?


These things are some of the "treasures" of this city and stupid kids desecrate them.

[scumonkey]

Permanently.... The original paint looks "Ghosted" (lighter, with a white haziness) where it was cleaned-
You don't see the graffiti but you can still see where it was:(

[stache]

Sounds like the entire wall needs to be cleaned in order to match.