How many cops does it take to deal with one vandal? When it's a Code Emo—a vandal tagging up the Pete Wentz's wall—about 12. EV Grieve has photos from the scene outside of Angels & King's last night (a bar partially owned by the Fall Out Boy), where about a dozen of New York's Finest responded to its tagged rolldown gate. Allegedly, a man in his 20s tagged the gate when an "owner/manager type from the bar came outside and ran after the tagger, who had a bicycle... he didn't get far." more ›

Some new vandalism popped up in Park Slope over the weekend, it reads: Geese First, Jews Next. Locals aren't sure if they're offended yet, the Brooklyn Paper reports that it's unclear if the tag is anti-Semitic, or a sincere attempt to link the recent goose extermination to the Holocaust. Rabbi Andy Bachman at Congregation Beth Elohim on Garfield Place, however, thinks the words are in bad taste either way. He told the paper, “It’s either a bad joke in poor taste that falls flat, or someone too easily making reference to the extermination of Jews." more ›

What happened to the rent-a-cops guarding Shepard Fairey's Houston Street mural? We're guessing The Man doesn't care much about an illegal mural getting illegally tagged, so the thing just keeps getting bombed! This latest Adek tag, which went up last night after it was buffed yesterday, will be buffed again today. And then the vicious cycle will continue... more ›

It's been six months since an artist installed a plywood sculpture in front of the Bronx River Art Center that resembles a "14-foot-tall tagger's dream" — and the artwork is still graffiti-free. Even after the Daily News gave some ink (and seemingly jinxed) Diego Medina's geometric sculpture "Aurora," the unpainted structure has remained unpainted. So in a News follow-up, the artist tells the tabloid the experience "renews my hope in the public and the community." He added: "It reaffirms my good spirits in the way that the community appreciates art." What are the chances this is all an elaborate plot by the vandal squad to lure graffiti writers to into a trap in West Farms Square? more ›

Graffiti: It's not just for young degenerate punks anymore. Check out this old dude getting "ill" with some "fresh" tags in the Bronx on New Year's Day. Mayor Bloomberg's sure gonna be pissed when he finds out old people think it's "cool" to vandalize our fair city, too. more ›

By now you're achingly familiar with "Richard Chicken," the anonymous graffiti artist whose illustrations of a chicken with a penis head have become nearly ubiquitous in NYC. Well, if you've ever wanted to give him a knuckle sandwich for making your little daughter ask, "What's a dick chicken?" then this video will bring you one step closer to identifying him. Though his face is obscured by (what else?) a cartoon dickchicken, his voice and physicality are now documented for analysis! And even Mr. Chicken admits he can't blame people for being mad, because "really, who wants three foot dicks spray painted on their building?" Of course, in classic Gen Y style, Chicken adds, "But I take no responsibility for any of it!" more ›

Two graffiti taggers who have been leaving their mark all over Brooklyn Heights have been caught by the coppers. The Brooklyn Paper reports that “Rex” and “Guder” have been hitting the area for months, with one local saying it "makes you feel like your neighborhood hasn’t been maintained, like back in the 1970s.” Fear not graf-phobes, earlier this week "Officer Freddy Ahmetaj of the 84th Precinct collared the painters outside a building on Henry Street at Clark Street." more ›

Graffiti gal and Queens resident Danielle Bremner, recently busted for putting up her UTAH tag around most of the world, is heading back to jail after finishing her time at Riker's Island. She was sentenced this morning in Boston, and will also have to "complete five years of probation, undergo a mental health evaluation and make restitution payments." During her probation period she will be supervised by New York authorities. Oh, and she's been banished from Boston! more ›

Earlier this year Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara was busted for doodling on the wall of an East Village subway station. Well, as of yesterday, the charges against the multimillionaire have been dropped. The NY Post explains that he "was given an adjournment in contemplation after being charged with making graffiti and criminal mischief and spending the night in jail. That meant if he kept his nose clean for six months, the charges would be dropped." His lawyer says the case is officially over (and "he can get back to wowing the art world with his great art"), but the paper points out the MTA missed out on some easy money by wiping away the doodle that could have easily been sold for $10,000 (the bar Niagara was smarter). Perhaps Nara should donate a sketch to them for letting him off the hook. more ›

On June 17th the legendary graffiti artist Iz the Wiz died, but just five days prior to that he was back in the Bronx tagging up a mock subway car. The work is at the Tuff City graffiti and tattoo studio and was meant to be endlessly repainted over by different artists, but it will now remain as Iz, if you will. Back in the day he would tag his name in bubble-letters all down a train, and he said: “You would have these pieces running like this 10 cars straight. When that hit the train station, bam! Impact. No doubt about it.” Tuff City employees aren't sure how they'll preserve Iz's last piece just yet, but they told CityRoom they are considering "donating them to a museum, making them part of a traveling exhibit or disassemble them for galleries." Check out some images from Iz's show, and from his memorial at Tuff City, here. more ›

Graffiti legend Iz the Wiz (real name Michael Martin) died at age 50 on June 17th, and has finally received an obituary from the Paper of Record. The artist tagged subway cars in the 1970s and 80s with his signature in "fat capital letters spray-painted on a door, below a window, across an entire car or even along the full length of a train." Throughout his career as a graffiti artist, he got his tag on every line in the subway system more times than any other, which means if you didn't ride in a car with his name, you probably saw one in a movie. He even did a two-car homage to John Lennon after he was killed in 1980, and was one of the first to work on the Phun Phactory building (now 5 Pointz). more ›

Graffiti haters rejoice: justice has been served. The Daily News reports that the tag happy globetrotter Danielle Bremner (aka Utah) will be doing some time behind bars for charges she faced in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The damages in those boroughs caused by her tags is estimated to be around $35,000 (of a $100,000 bill of damages she's racked up worldwide), and she will be paying back just $10,000 of that as part of a plea deal. Her boyfriend and partner in crime, Jim Clay Harper, still has charges pending against him. And perhaps one day, upon their release, they'll have a nice, civilized chat in a book store with the vandal squad. more ›

New Yorker Danielle Bremner (aka Utah, Dani, Erin) has been called one half of the tag-happy, globetrotting Bonnie & Clyde, and following her arrest last year she's been on a less glamorous tour of regional courtrooms. Earlier this week she was charged in Queens—all in all the daughter of a retired police officer faces charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Boston and France. But does this look like the face of an international criminal? more ›

Last summer the Bonnie and Clyde of the graffiti world, Danielle Bremner (tags: Utah, Dani, Erin) and her boyfriend Jim Clay Harper (tag: Ether) were both taken down by the man after causing $100,000 in damages to city transit facilities. The Daily News now reports that the 27-year-old FIT student and Queens resident, Bremner, turned herself in Wednesday. Following a tagging trip abroad with her boyfriend last summer, the police found 450 cans of spray paint and, amongst other things, a photograph of her tagging a train. She faces up to 7 years behind bars if convicted of her "criminal mischief, making graffiti and possessing graffiti tools" charges. And that's just for tagging trains in Queens, she faces similar charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Boston and France. DA Richard Brown released a statement saying, "According to the charges, the defendant is reportedly well known in the international graffiti community—and to New Yorkers who have had to put up with her ego-driven vandalism of public property, which has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up." more ›

Uh oh, another graffiti-happy citizen has been busted! Following the kid on the N train who was caught on a camera phone scratching into the subway window, a pizza delivery man was busted above-ground in Brooklyn Heights. Allegedly the "saucy Papa John’s deliveryman" was seen doing the deed in a Livingston Street elevator, The Brooklyn Paper reports. "And now the owner of the building is biting back, suing the franchise for $3,200 — the cost, he says, of removing the 'Dizzy CFM' tag that the ditzy doughboy scratched into the car’s wood paneling." The tagger worked at the Downtown Brooklyn establishment and has since been fired. One lawyer told the paper that “It’s a tough case unless Papa John’s knew [the deliveryman] had a history of vandalism." more ›

Last month a Queens couple was caught tagging international property, as well as plenty of surfaces in NYC. Now , WNBC reports that authorities said "a resident of the Netherlands who came to New York as a 'graffiti tourist' has been indicted on charges of spray painting a subway car and leading police on a dangerous chase." The chase occurred down the subway tracks! And the 23-year-old Robbert Boxem (aka KRAE) now faces charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Boxem was allegedly here for the international graffiti event Meeting of Styles. more ›

Destined to be dubbed the Bonnie and Clyde of the graffiti world, Danielle Bremner (tags: Utah, Dani, Erin) and her boyfriend Jim Clay Harper (tag: Ether) were both arrested for causing $100,000 in damages to city transit facilities, Newsday reports. more ›

In a recent Guardian article the subject of the New York art world rejecting street art was touched upon, a topic that led to a bigger discussion on New Yorker's views on the medium. more ›