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Some New York City officials are up in arms about presidential candidate Howard Dean's decision to speak in front of a wall of graffiti at Bryant Park last week - mainly Republican officials. They feel it portrays NYC in a negative light, graffiti is a part of NY's past, while Bryant Park is beautiful and has been restored through the city's efforts. Gothamist understands Dean's desire to seem "street" and does agree that graffiti is a part of NY's culture but it is stupid to just have graffiti and no Bryant Park - why have it at Bryant Park, then, any vacant field/large indoor space in the city would have worked.
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speaking as a former graffiti artist, i think that this was a pretty bad miscalculation on dean's part. i mean, it's great if he likes graffiti, but it seems like pandering to throw it up behind him at a political rally. plus, it makes him seem even more liberal and out of touch than ever- and that's no good for anyone- especially graffiti artists.
Probably what happened is this:
someone in the Dean Campaign did a poll.
It said that Dean's numbers are a little low with black Democratic voters (a/k/a black voters). Someone else said, in order to solidify his frontrunner support, Dean should start incorporating some "themes" from the black community to show that he "hears" the community's concerns "out there".
Yet a third twenty-something says, that Dean has to do something "different" or "unusual", so that he gets press attention.
But because the one thing Dean probably lacks is supporters with an ear to the "street", they come up with: a backdrop of graffiti.
The fact that they couldn't find a real graffito to stand around, says something about the quality of advice he got. And says loads about the Democratic Party's ability to patronize, but not do much else for, the African-American community since the mid-1960's.
Now all he needed to round out the act was an introduction to the theme of Malcolm McClaren's "Buffalo Gals", and some audience plants going "Word!" "Word!" every three minutes.
Dean just has overeager and young advance people. I don't think he would have approved of it - although he is in seek of minority support right now, and perhaps his campaign thoguht graffiti would help. It just doesn't make sense in the context of a campaign. It is too bad that most people think of graffiti only as vandalism when it is also art.
word. why can't they have some of the 7 trains with graffiti on them? i mean, they still have some with subway series on them and now with the us open amex stickers. i miss the old trains with graffiti, but not the crime of the time. ho hum.
So what only Republicans can embrace New York by wrapping them selves with a flag in New York before the third anniversary of September 11th? I mean that is the real political exploitation going on in New York
second anniversay . . .
second anniversary . . .
No I was talking about their convention in September 2004 in NYC. That will be the 3rd anniversary.
ah ya. Somerset County, New Jersey is already "milking" it on the second anniversary. Someone went and retrieved an I-beam from the wreckage, and they are going to make a permanent display of it on the main street of Somerville (the county seat).
I think it is very very moronic for the same officials who spend all there time against these "quality of life crimes" all of a sudden jump on the bandwagon when they see graffiti as the least bit popular, now apearing in comericails ect. The people who will suffer the most from this is writers(graffiti artists). It has gone from using the old "I will remove all this unsightly graffti if elected" to "elect me I like graffiti it's cool." haahah
I think yall are digging way too deep here. He was out there representing what you do, and this is how you treat the situation? Forget the graffiti is 'popular' and he was on some kind of 'bandwagon' idea. Someone political finally stands up for you and look what you do....try and knock him down. So big up Dean, big up KEO, do your thing...
Shouts:
Dexster:Coupe:Rype:Deny
I am a VT based writer, and trust me, Howard Dean does not like Graf, nor does he support it. If he did, then he would have pardoned my three month incarceration for excessive unlawful mischief in the form of vandalism with spraypaint, markers, and wheatpasted posters.
yes-must admit this seems way lame.
JUST REMEMBER THAT GRAFFITI IS A CRIME IF IS WRITTING ON A CLEAN GOVERNMENT PROPERTY SO IN A WAY THERE IS A REASON TO GET MAD AND CONSIDER IT AS A CRIME OR AS A DEFACING CLEAN PROPERTY BUT AS FOR PUTTING YOUR TAG NAME ON A OLD SCHOOL WALL THAT HAS,NT BEEN PAINTED SINCE 1980 I THINK IS OK TO WRITE A TAG NAME FOR THE FACT NOBODY MADE AN EFFORT TO CLEAN IT UP FOR LIKE 20 TILL 30 YEARS LATER.I WRITE JESUSSAVES CUASE I FEEL IS A MUST THAT THE HUMANITY KNOWS THE REASON WHY WE CAME HERE TO LIVE AND DIE.WE LIVE ONLY TO SERVE ONE MAN THE SON OF GOD TO DIE AND TAKE HIS FREE SALVATION WITH US.IM NOT TALKING RELIGION IM JUST TALKING ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.
yo keo is one of the true back in the days writer he came a long way word up and i was bombing with keo back in the day's bombing trains and keeping in real for dean dean just wanted to enbrace the young and old culture and to tell the hater's stop haten so what it was throw ups yo dean kept it real like a chicken head with sexy appeal so then peace out and big ups to keo and crew