An interesting comment was left on Kevin’s 23rd/Capp graffiti post from a few months back. Commenter “The Property Owner” writes:
To hear that we as the Owner let the graffiti sit there is absolutely ridiculous. We paint that wall at least once a month, and it is tagged before it even dries!
This is a letter sent to the tenants of the property:
December 9, 2009
ALL TENANTS
3241-3247 23rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94110RE: Mural Project
Dear Tenants,
As you are well aware, for many years we have been dealing with a graffiti problem at the property. In the past we have always covered up the graffiti, but in some instances the paint is not dry, before it is ‘tagged’ again.
In an effort to stop this nuisance and contribute to the neighborhood, we have begun working with the San Francisco Arts Commission in hopes of having a mural on the property rather than ugly graffiti. We have taken all the preliminary steps in this process, but would now like your input as well. Being that it is your home we have included a package of three artists who are the current candidates for a mural project. Please review the package and give us any feedback as to your preference of artist, we are also open to suggestions as to the theme of the mural.
We appreciate any feedback and patience as we work on this project. We are the first such property and owner/management group working with the San Francisco Arts Commission, so there is not a step by step guide for us to follow!
Should there be any questions, please feel free to contact our office at the below-mentioned information.
Sincerely,Nicholas Scarabosio
Jackson Group Property Management
A mural! Three artists to choose from! Wouldn’t that be totally bitchcakes if the three artists to choose from were BNE, ORFN, and Dick Chicken?
Either way, I hope this helps the situation. I was just reading over on Curbed that San Francisco spends $3.7 million a year(!) painting over graffiti. Sheesh. We should send all these vandal kids to live with their aunties and uncles in Bel Air.
For the artists mentioned in this post, we would love to hear from them! If they have any ideas let us know.
sir, you do NOT want your building covered in Dick Chicken’s “art work”.
As a neighbor and dick chicken lover, I absolutely WOULD love to see it.
That said, a more practical mural artist would be: http://www.sirronnorris.com/
Don’t know what makes it more practical, but it sure is tired—so in that regard that choice might be successful.
Olu, why do you think so? I saw their projects and they look and feel pretty well..
I live on 22nd and Capp and am amazed at how much our neighborhood taggers have it out for this building.
I’m thinking motion detectors and sprinklers (loaded with paint.)
Or paint guns across the street. You could get nice Hiroshima-like silhouettes of the taggers.
Wait a minute! This smells like an opportunity for some virtual democracy (not to mention PR for the SF Arts Commission). We should have an online vote for the artist(s) we want to paint the mural.
That would be a great opportunity if it were not a private residence. Maybe we should take this up with the building owner and tenants? Make it so.
shit will just get tagged even before the mural is finished. i got 5 on it
You got $5 on being a Dick Chicken.
I nominate Girafa.
Precita Eyes probably would charge a lot of money, but they are the heavy hitters in Mission murals.
Mildred?
I want Girafa vs Ribity battle scenes drawn by Shitty Kitty.
I live here- have full support from me for this mural!
I don’t think the $3.7 million figure for the cost of graffiti abatement is even accurate for the wasted costs associated with graffiti. The figure does not include any of the costs of covering graffiti on private residences since the property owners have to pay for that, and that is the bulk of the costs, which I’m sure runs over $10 million. Of all the productive and useful and helpful activities that are available for people to do (including, dear progressive “artists”, helping homeless people for example — why not make sandwiches all night instead of slink around the city with spray cans — and feed people who are starving), taggers are among the lowest life forms and really offer no contribution to society.
Marco: I agree 100%. Public bare-ass whippings for these vandals would be too good for them.
Ditto Marco and David. Tired of hearing outrage over criminal charges being brought against taggers who’ve been caught. Felony charges against “Girafa” feel excessive to me and I think I’d like to see some sort of plea bargain that would result in misdemeanor charges. But I’m not going to be outraged on his behalf, considering how he knew precisely what he was doing, what the penalties are, and chose to commit vandalism anyway.
When people bitch about how there are better things for government/LE to do aside from crackdown on taggers, I wonder if they’ve ever had their property “decorated” by a stranger, unsolicited, and in a manner they don’t appreciate.
Would they be trumpeting unbounded rights to free expression if someone acid-etched their iPhone screen with their shittily-drawn initials?
Murals are nice, but it’s fucking pathetic that property owners feel forced to commission murals in order to avoid perpetual repainting.
I wanted to share with this group that the actual cost the City of San Francisco spent last year to abate graffiti was $22 MILLION. That is more than TWICE the actual budget that the City spends in funding the arts in one year. This problem has reached absurd proportions, and that is why we are working with the Dept. of Public Works to initiate some proactive pilot programs to combat graffiti and Street SmARTs is one of them.
I commend the Mr. Scarabosio and Jackson Group Property Management for working with us.
Luis
QUALITY I really like this blog, now im not 1 for adding links in my replies but I feel this is a great exception, I read a blog like this on http://www.graffiti-art-murals.co.uk by a graffiti artist called Banksy & another great bunch of graffiti artists called the Graffiti Kings.