Graffiti: Harmful or Art? As you travel around your city, you may see colorful splashes breaking the tan surfaces of the buildings. Some of the colors seem to spell out obscenities, while others look like art. A picture taken by Tom Fox for the Dallas News called “Deep Ellum Art” showcases this art. A mural of two hands and cacti and black and white outlines of people are shown through the shadow of a fence. These commissioned, legal “graffiti” works, range from elephants to a Texas flag. However, if you looked around your city and saw a spray painted Texas flag under a bridge, your first thought would not be ‘art’. Just because it was painted illegally does not change the fact that it is art. While graffiti is usually associated with drugs,
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This theory says that if police only focus on larger scale crimes such as robbery, murder, and rape, and ignoring smaller level crimes, or disorders, will create more larger scale crimes. According to this theory, the solution is to have police focus on smaller crimes such as vacant buildings, broken windows, vacant lots filled with trash, abandoned vehicles, and of course, graffiti. (McKee). By focusing on these disorders, the whole neighborhood will feel safer, thus making people not want to commit larger crimes. The New York City police starting acting upon the broken windows theory, and there were great results. However, when compared to large cities that did not focus on smaller crimes, the decrease in crime was almost identical (Drum). Arguments against graffiti say that if graffiti is just ignored and treated as street art, then it will play a role in the supposed increase in larger scale crime. As proven by the failure in the the implementation of the broken windows theory in New York City, cracking down on graffiti artists does no …show more content…
However, this is truly incorrect. As Sylvia Ann Grider puts it, “Contrary to popular opinion, not all graffiti are ‘dirty,’ humorous, or erotic.” Graffiti is a way of expression; of lifting people’s spirits and allowing them to get their message to the masses. In the seventies, when the economy was bad and the people felt bad in New York, a strange tag showed up. “TAKI 183” was written on the subway, and when people saw it, the trend started. People everywhere in the city started to write this on buildings and other places, which helped people to realize that things aren’t so bad and that they will get through the hard times. Graffiti is a way for people to share out their opinions without being afraid of the public’s response; whether it be good or bad. It allows the artists to showcase their feelings and thoughts without fail. If an artist attempted to talk about their messages, then they may mess up or stutter, however, through art, there is so stuttering. Their message is pretty much permanent
This theory says that if police only focus on larger scale crimes such as robbery, murder, and rape, and ignoring smaller level crimes, or disorders, will create more larger scale crimes. According to this theory, the solution is to have police focus on smaller crimes such as vacant buildings, broken windows, vacant lots filled with trash, abandoned vehicles, and of course, graffiti. (McKee). By focusing on these disorders, the whole neighborhood will feel safer, thus making people not want to commit larger crimes. The New York City police starting acting upon the broken windows theory, and there were great results. However, when compared to large cities that did not focus on smaller crimes, the decrease in crime was almost identical (Drum). Arguments against graffiti say that if graffiti is just ignored and treated as street art, then it will play a role in the supposed increase in larger scale crime. As proven by the failure in the the implementation of the broken windows theory in New York City, cracking down on graffiti artists does no …show more content…
However, this is truly incorrect. As Sylvia Ann Grider puts it, “Contrary to popular opinion, not all graffiti are ‘dirty,’ humorous, or erotic.” Graffiti is a way of expression; of lifting people’s spirits and allowing them to get their message to the masses. In the seventies, when the economy was bad and the people felt bad in New York, a strange tag showed up. “TAKI 183” was written on the subway, and when people saw it, the trend started. People everywhere in the city started to write this on buildings and other places, which helped people to realize that things aren’t so bad and that they will get through the hard times. Graffiti is a way for people to share out their opinions without being afraid of the public’s response; whether it be good or bad. It allows the artists to showcase their feelings and thoughts without fail. If an artist attempted to talk about their messages, then they may mess up or stutter, however, through art, there is so stuttering. Their message is pretty much permanent