This story illustrates the average graffiti abatement initiative, in this case in Yakima WA. It includes a combination of criminalizing the youth, penalizing the property owner, and not engaging the community. Once again, community murals are left out of the equation, in favor of repeatedly painting out vandalism over and over again. Graffiti abatement is big business that is increasingly being privatized. We see that “tough on graffiti” initiatives can appear to have impact immediately often fall off like an…

This article is both an update and also includes the backstory on the neighborhood where the mural was painted. Its clear that this mural has been vilified and attacked for striking a nerve. The question remains if that nerve is a historical bias against Jewish people or the mere mention of the power elites. The questions of anti-semiticism have drowned out any dialogue about the global banks, class and the plutocracy. Despite the mural’s vandalism, it has opened up a…

CRP has been following the controversy in Duncan closely as you can see from past articles. Duncan has become the victim of dull bureaucracy overwhelming visionary creativity. Duncan officials have decided to paint over a mural called “community” despite receiving a petition signed by 1,200 people for the mural to stay up. The logic behind the destruction was that property owner did not get a permit from the city prior to beginning the mural. One would think that the swell…

Union Pacific has a long history of using its vast network of attorneys on retainer to avoid responsibility for its property. Its is an obscenely powerful company focused on its bottom line. Yet its latest heavy-handed attack on the citizens of Austin boggles the mind. UP painted out the mural depicted below because it was repairing the bridge where the mural was. Why does the exterior of a bridge that already has a mural need to be painted ugly brown?…

Duncan policies should encourage artistic expression By Paul Fletcher – Cowichan News Leader Pictorial I can’t help but wade into the community mural controversy. It is just too attractive to pass up, especially since the mural proponents have put Duncan city council against the wall, essentially forcing them to condemn the mural, its creator and the voice behind the mural. Now council is so fired up, they will likely order the mural removed. Anarchy just cannot be tolerated in the…

Here is a story that demonstrates some of the issues that can arise when a mural touches a deeper seeded issue in the community. Some community residents got offended when the central image in an Arkadelphia mural was “too dark-skinned” for them. Some people working with the artist even suggested that he should “lighten her hue.” This is despite the fact that Arkadelphia has a large African American population. We are happy to report that the artists are holding firm…