Graffiti: Bringing Cops and Street Artists Together, for One Night at least
Whether you call it street art or vandalism, graffiti has become synonymous with life in New York City and at its root is a form that’s as American as Jazz. For those that do it, words like “love” and “addiction” describe the act, fulfilling any number of needs from being known and expressing personal style to political protest and membership in an exclusive community. Words like “damage” and “destruction” don’t seem to provide the driving motivation, unless of course you’re looking at the world through the eyes of a city cop. Theirs is a lens of black and white, where even if your name happens to be Yoshitomo Nara, if you don’t have permission and you’re caught, you’re going to spend some time down at central booking that night.
This difference of opinion took the spotlight at powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn last night as personalities from both sides — artists Ket, Cope2, and Ellis G with former officers Rivera, Mona and Chiuli — came together in a temporary truce to discuss retired officer Joseph Rivera’s new book, “Vandal Squad: Inside the New York City Transit Police Department, 1984-2004.” And while the atmosphere was mostly one of mutual respect, there was still some underlying tension at play, prompting some great one liners and lively exchanges.
The panel kicked off with a question about whether this book — the first told from the perspective of the police — was vital to the history of graffiti. Ket was dismissive of its relevancy calling it more of the same propaganda perpetrated from the likes of the politicians and the media. Throughout the evening it was clear that he didn’t buy into the classic “broken windows” argument that formed the basis for cleaning up NYC’s image in the 80′s and his skepticism was thoroughly entertaining. Cope2 took a more personal tact when speaking on the book’s relevance, thanking Rivera for “clearing his name on page 12,” after having been accused for many years of snitching out two fellow artists, eliciting a number of laughs from the audience. Mona, who offered the most nuanced viewpoint on the part of the cops during the night, thought the book was necessary given the dubious nature of truth, saying “There’s our side, their side and somewhere in the middle is what really happened.”
While the polarizing topic of art versus vandalism came up again and again, it was obvious that no common ground was going to be reached, but still the panel didn’t prove to be a complete stalemate. Everyone involved seemed to agree that the legal system could stand some improvement, particularly in light of NYC’s five county system where suspects who “get around” so to speak, can be paraded around to every district so that each DA can get their piece of the action. As Ket noted, “They’re trying to get the same kind of attention, just like us.” And though there may be no way to permanently put an end to graffiti — save for making it legal, perhaps — the panel felt there was a real need for more educational programs to better serve the community, a subject that goes well beyond the bounds of this discussion.
Despite the decided lack of the personal anecdotes and the unsuccessful attempts from some members of the crowd to stir up controversy, the panel managed to provide some interesting insights. Considering that graffiti writers and police alike were both in attendance and Cope2 admitting his desire to still bomb a train every now and again, we’re happy to report that for one evening at least, no arrests were made.
