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Clothing entrepreneur Marc Ecko is suing the city once again. Ecko who found himself pitted against the city when a permit for a party to celebrate his new Atari game about graffiti taggers was revoked last summer- only for a judge to rule that the party had to go on after Ecko sued the city - is battling a law that makes carrying broad-tipped markers and spray paint illegal for people under 21. The new law makes posession a crime, whereas before police had to prove an intent to deface, which seems crazy, because what if you're an art school student - you can't bring supplies? Ecko's lawyer, Daniel Perez says, "There is no justification for telling a 19- or 20-year-old that you can use your index finger for pulling the trigger of an M16 on the battlefield or pulling a switch in the voting booth, but not to push the trigger on a can of spray paint." But AM New York reports Ecko's foe, City Councilman Peter Vallone, as saying, "All Marc Ecko is doing is promoting his video game. A video game which teaches kids how perform the crime of graffiti. We knew we were pushing the envelope with this law, but it is necessary to combat graffiti." Ecko doesn't need to promote his video game through lawsuits - he's on America's Next Top Model, for heaven's sake! And Atari, quick, develop a game between Ecko and Vallone!
The ruling for last summer's graffiti party was pretty interesting - Judge Rakoff thought the city's assumption that a graffiti party would inspire more was silly: "By the same token, presumably, a street performance of 'Hamlet' would be tantamount to encouraging revenge murder... As for a street performance of 'Oedipus Rex,' don't even think about it... The denial of the permit on the stated grounds that the demonstration will 'incite' others to actually paint graffiti on subway cars is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment and cannot stand."
Photograph of Ecko and students worried about the new law from the AP
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Props to Marc Ecko for battling a ridiculous law. I hope the case goes in his favor.
...make that in "our" favor
When I saw the title of this on Gothamist, I assumed it was going to be some pro-graffiti rant by Jake D. I'm glad Jen wrote this up since the approach is more even-handed and more about the issues than about hipster Billyburgers' sense of entitlement for vandalize public property.
I'm all for Ecko's cause as long as he's willing to pay for all graffiti removal from public and private property.
I think the Parsons students are fine either way.
Most people I know who dislike grafitti for one reason only: it's so egomaniacal. Paint something inspiring, not just your stupid tag over and over again. The city looks great with creative art all around it, but we have enough words, especially written in that same old boring grafitti style.
>>>Most people I know who dislike grafitti for one reason only: it's so egomaniacal.
It's also forced on them. When I want to see art, I'll go to a gallery. I don't want the crap all over subway windows when I want to see where I'm going. Graffiti people have the need to force us into seeing it.
I like the murals in Williamsburg--I have done a page about them and will be featuring the newer ones. Thus, I would repeal the law. However, the 'artists' have to understand that it's not welcome everywhere.
www.forgotten-ny.com
I ask that all taggers go over to the Ecko offices and tag the place up- the eleevators, the front door, everything.
While I really like grafitti let's face facts. The glory days of grafitti are waaaaay over. It thrived in this city when it was falling apart. And when buildings were left to collapse or rot on their own. I really love the full-on pieces on trucks nowadays. But that's really about it. Most of what's out on the street now is pretty weak. And in all honesty, most property owners have a right to complain.
Marc Ecko is really a sham and a shill. He's basically promoting his own company in all that he does. Consider him a "street" version of Donald Trump. It all seems very staged, planned and contrived. He's doing it to sell his own marked up goods. And that's basically it.
This whole country is weird and conservative in bizarre ways nowadays. While the law banning markers and spray-paint is a bit weird, Marc Ecko is not the best spokesperson for this. His intentions are far from pure.
Free expression my Aunt Fanny. Vandalsim!
His headquarters is at 40 west 23rd- 2nd floor
I wrote my name is the snow 1 time....