Summary Of Urban Graffiti: Crime, Control, And Resistance

In his article, "Urban Graffiti: Crime, Control, and Resistance," Jeff Ferrell goes into detail about the affect of graffiti on the youth. He goes on further to talk about how the youth have been resisting the laws and the bans on graffiti, risking everything to gain the sense of “adrenaline"(34). Going to the extremes, youths jump over wired fences and venture out into the night to express themselves through their art. Ferrell also denotes the opposing viewpoint of the law, the community, and also on how they take action on this uprising of graffiti culture. When the police see the youth’s art they claim it to be property crime or gang violence. They take action on the youth using different ways like paddling them in the public eye to humiliate them hoping this method would cease the crime. The youth tend to strike back, continuing to do it even if there is a possibility of jail time or humiliation. The graffiti culture feels as if they have a say in the community painting murals for the people who have died, and also breaking the structured racial segregation that was formed by the community. Graffiti is accepted as their culture, their religion, their politics and who they are as people.

Ferrell effectively examines how the graffiti culture has grown on the upcoming generation in society, and how they …show more content…
Ferrell has stated the graffiti side, where he has spent four years observing the art. Learning how the youth convey their emotions through the graffiti culture and why it is so important them. He also goes on to talk about the opposing side (the authority or society) who are against graffiti and just see it as vandalism and gang affiliation what they are doing to impede it from continuing. When making this point, his tone in the article sounds bias towards the opposition when stated. Overall Ferrell puts up an effective argument when stating both sides of the graffiti