Domestic Taggers Responsible For Most Subway Graffiti

Yesterday, the Daily News cover story proclaimed that 70% subway car graffiti lay-ups are created by foreigners. Au contraire, says James Hall, the NYPD's head of the transit bureau.

According to Metro, Hall said, "We’ve arrested some foreign nationals, but when you really look at who we’ve apprehended this year for repeat layup hits, they were born and raised here in New York." Thirty-one people were arrested, and only four were foreigners. Maybe the foreigners are just much quicker and better at not being caught?

“Seventy percent’s a high number,” Hall said. “There’s no question, I think, that there’s some merit that you have foreign nationals coming to New York City to do graffiti to trains.” But he still considered graffiti to be a crime largely carried out by locals. “Our most prolific taggers this year are all homegrown New Yorkers,” he said. “I don’t think it’s wise to just put all your eggs in the European basket.”

The MTA is now thinking about increasing security spending to prevent graffiti. The NY Sun reports there have been "53 lay-ups have been reported in Queens, 39 in Manhattan, 18 in the Bronx, and another 18 in Brooklyn" - with the 7 and N lines getting hit most often.

Image from the Streets Are Saying Things

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on December 12, 2006 1:47 PM

Comments [rss]

pandora bracelets

ma le scarpe non ti donano. meglio dei sandali con stringe più sottili e caviglia libera Perfect!

Vinny

Eric,

There's a huge difference between a story about graffiti and a plug for a site that glorifies it wherever it appears.

I'm sure the people who own buildings don't believe it's art.

I am a New Yorker. Have been all my life and would never be anything but, so to assume that "true New Yorkers" like graffiti is more of typical arrogance of those who think that that GARBAGE is art.

draveed

Yeah I would like to see a survey on Gothamist about how much of the audience thinks graffiti is art rather than vandalism. If I had to bet, I would say vandalism would win by around 2 to 1, and the vote for vandalism would be higher on a real city-wide poll.

I highly doubt most New Yorkers would want to go back to the graffiti covered subways of the 70s and 80s. I sure don't. I grew up riding those cars and even as a child I didn't like having them around.

Graffiti is just selfish. You're using stuff that doesn't belong to you as a canvas. Why am I supposed to let you damage the train I have to ride, or even my home, because you want to scribble?

eric

Jen, Jake,

You have a great blog. Hip New Yorkers know graff and like to see stories about it. The comments above don't reflect the majority of your readers.

But I am curious about who's reading this site. Have you ever thought of a reader survey? I feel like I'm the target audience-- born and bred and not really down with all these newjacks-- but maybe I'm wrong. Let's see where your readers are from and how they get their other news. I challenge you to a survey!

dude

Graffitist is actually a good idea #9.

Speedo Man

I put my eggs in a European basket at the beach once and they itched for a week straight.

Speedo Man

I put my eggs in a European basket at the beach once and they itched for a week straight.

Brightliner

Forget razor wire. Just connect the chain link fences around the subway yards to the third rail.

Bob A Booey

Hey Gothamist,

Do you have wet dreams about a day when there will be story about an Asian Columbia University student along with his Panda & Kitten accomplices are all caught tagging Shake Shack while some white guy hurls Asian slurs at them all?

Just askin’

PleaseShutUp

Seriously, Gothamist, this is clearly Jake's thing. These reports aren't even interesting. I mean really who cares? I'm more curious about why you post every moronic bit of graffiti news. Maybe Jake should publish Graffitist a site devoted to the "awesome streetart" being done in the ist-averst and let Gothamist talk about news that is actually interesting and relevant to New Yorkers.

Vinny

Next time Gothamist does some whine piece about subway fares going up, I'm gonna laugh my ass off about them and their constant showcasing of the handywork of these scumbags.

Did this really require a picture with a plug to a graffiti-promoting site? I'm sure you could've found about a million "graffiti" pics on flickr that wouldn't be plugging a site.

Wonder if Jake knows the guy...

d-uh, statistics

hey!!! i am a former graffiti writer (and a white-boy prep school and college grad!) and, SHITE, i can do better statistics than those stupid cops!!

of course more of those being caught are Noo Yoikers/'mericans! that's cuz they strike more often and therefore there is a greater number of opportunities to get caught.

D-UH!!!!!

graf roolz! (ok, ok ok, proper, educated english here - graffiti rules!)

-educated ex-graffiti ARTISTE

Damian

I think the next MTA budget should include an allocation for more razor wire and vicious dogs. Let's see how well those little pricks' spraying hands work with Rottweilers clamped onto their wrists.

daily snooze

sad day when metro scoops the news

Rodney P. Sweetchops

Gothamist, every time you call them "taggers" or "artists" and not "vandals" or "criminals" you further establish yourself as Jake Dobkin's Graffiti Apologist Propaganda Rag.

James

And some of them went to Columbia and started a news blog.

Stevennnn

Nice for people to destroy public transportation. I'm sure the people who are doing it are probably high school dropouts with no life other than to ruin the subways.

Mike T

1)how can they possibly have come up with that number? they'd have had to ask each graf writer whether or not they were born in the states at the scene of the crime... doubt it.

2)who gives a shit what nationality they are? what does that have to do with ANYTHING?