Area superhero cleans up these streets one window rap at a time

SF Mission Protector” posted this video busting a local graffiti artist last night:

In all fairness, the dude knocks on the window twice to let the guy know that he’s gonna call the cops. But this kid just waves and carries on putting a bird on it (“it” being a wall in this case). The cops show up and grab him.

Who is this mysterious “SF Mission Protector”? Does anyone know any orphaned billionaire business owners around the ‘hood?

[via Uptown Almanac, Mission Loc@l]

77 Responses to “Area superhero cleans up these streets one window rap at a time”

  1. scum says:

    I would have sniped him, then called the cops.

  2. blah says:

    jump to 7:00 for the arrest. Dunno if I woulda dropped the dime on this guy, in spite of my previously expressed opinion that so many SF taggers, including this guy, are talentless hacks. It’s not a crime to suck, after all.

  3. void says:

    They had to roll three units for this?

  4. okeydokey says:

    BWAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAH.

  5. jesse says:

    Holy shit – really? This is so lame on so many accounts that I just threw up in my mouth. I expected better of you Vic.

    • Vic Wong says:

      Uh, relax. I didn’t take sides and “Superhero” is used in jest. Who the hell calls themselves a “mission protector”? Clearly this guy is a lame-o has too much time on his hands.

      Still, not very smart of the artist to stick around after the fact.

      • SFMission Protector says:

        Hey Vic – I created the Youtube account just to remain anonymous for the purposes of posting this video. Thought it would be funny to play the role of undercover crime-fighting citizen :) Sorry it wasn’t up to your standards of cool, and I’m sorry you don’t think I’m using my time purposefully enough. I’ll try to do better by you from now on. You mean so much to me.

    • scum says:

      Relax bro, a punk ass vandal got busted. Nothing more, nothing less.

    • marco says:

      Are you joking. That piece about “Sorry bout your wall” is the most obnoxious tag I’ve ever seen. This prick goes around trashing the whole neighborhood and letting the rest of the community clean up after him like he’s some kind of little baby or dog shitting on your stoop. Yea this tagger IS so lame on all accounts and I hope that they’re able to charge him with all his little ego-tags, and not just the one caught on video.

  6. Steve says:

    Eh, seemed a bit excessive, though hopping the fence into a backyard (even though it was under construction) was not a smart move.

  7. none says:

    I don’t think this guy is a lame-o. I hope anyone else who sees a crime in progress takes action like this. It would make the area safer for all of us, in general.

    Sidenote: the police advise to *not* alert the tagger to your awareness of them, because a) they’d love to catch them in the act and b) you never know when that tagger is going to get real angry…

    • Vic Wong says:

      Agree it’s not lame to report a crime to your property at all. I agree you should do something about it if you have a problem with it.

      But a bit much to post a gloating 10-minute video about it under the title “SF Mission Protector”. That’s all.

    • SFMission Protector says:

      Yeah, that’s why I knocked and then hid. He never knew which window the knock came from. But I was torn – I kind of wanted him to run when he heard the knock because I really didn’t want to call him in. But at the same time I saw what he had already pulled on a couple of nearby properties. It wasn’t until after he was arrested then I went around the hood and saw and photographed the extensive tagging. Then I knew I had done the right thing.

  8. Oswald Cobblepot says:

    Well that tagger certainly has a reason to be “real angry.” And he definitely knows where Bruce Lame (Tony Narc?) lives, now that he’s posted a video letting every graffiti villain in the city know which building to tag next.

    Way to safeguard your secret identity, jackoff.

  9. osamabinlatte says:

    I applaud the neighborhood crime fighter for taking the time to provide a context in the video for being frustrated. I think that on the spectrum of vandal vs. artist, that dumbshit falls into the latter category. And, I’m guessing “SF Mission Protector” is a self-conscious joke. I wish he were closer to me. I’m personally tired of painting over stupid tags on my doors/wall. How many of you posters here know what a pain that is?

    • Oswald Cobblepot says:

      Very few of us know what a pain that is because we are renters.

      • Alex says:

        I rent, but never liked cleaning up other people’s messes. I appreciate good street art, but never cared for those who tag for the numbers.

      • marco says:

        “Are renters” and therefor couldn’t give a shit whether you live in a heap of trash or not? Huh?

        • osamabinlatte says:

          I’m a renter too… with a lease that stipulates that when there is graffiti -it’s my job to paint over it. The landlord buys the paint, and I’m out there once or twice a month with a brush.

    • Daryl F. says:

      You guys seriously need to be more in tune with the pains of being a wealthy property owner.

      • wrybread says:

        Or a broke ass car owner? I drive retired metermaid cars that are super super clearly not metermaid cars anymore, and they get tagged all the time. And for work I drive a white boxtruck, which I have to pay to have stored since it gets absolutely bombed by these shitheads.

        Its a major major pain in the ass cleaning off some graffiti scrawl, and no, it has nothing to do with income bracket.

        Nice try though.

        • Daryl F. says:

          Yes, I forgot that everyone can afford to own cars. Again, this is a problem exclusive to people that can afford to own things which get tagged. I’m not saying it’s not a problem, I’m just saying your not gonna find a lot of sympathy from broke-ass renters.

          • scum says:

            I am a broke-ass renter and I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with that shit. Hell, I can’t stand to even look at it.

          • Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

            In this country, the vast majority of people CAN afford to own a car of some sort (whether or not they choose to own one). If your measure of what makes one a “wealthy property owner” is ability to own some sort of a motor vehicle, your standards are skewed to the point of absurdity.

          • blah says:

            Who asked for your sympathy?

          • Daryl F. says:

            Veggie, you should read through the conversation before replying, makes you look foolish. Also if you think your ‘most people can afford cars’ generalization applies in SF, you must live in a beautiful little bubble.

          • wrybread says:

            @Daryl:

            Wow by your definition I’m rich! Awesome! And I live in the Bayview, where lots of people own cars, and you’d never have thought to look at them and their broken down hulks with temp tags that they’re rich, but now I know! Thanks for that!

          • Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

            I read through the conversation, hence my specific response to your crazytalk.

      • sx says:

        How about respecting people regardless of their wealth? I wouldn’t mess with a homeless guy’s shopping cart any more than I would mess with a rich guy’s home.

  10. osamabinlatte says:

    shit. I meant former category. Vandal.

    • SFMission Protector says:

      Ah, I thought so! I was so confused by your comment. Took me a minute to catch the “self-conscious joke” bit too. I thought you were calling me self-conscious, and also that I am a joke! ha ha, then I figured it out. Yes, it’s a mock superhero title of course. I had to come up with SOMETHING to put this video out there!

  11. Fyodor says:

    I’m actually more outraged that some tagged on a tree like that than anything else…

    But clear something up from me… How does the “Mission Narc” know that the graffiti artist he dropped a dime on was the same one who painted those rabbits and toy ass squiggly things? I’m just asking because the styles look pretty different to me, and the good lord knows that empty construction sites tend to attract a wide variety of taggers.

    Furthermore, if he really wanted to get the guy to leave he should have just said something, rather than the rather vague gesture of knocking on the window.

    • Ryan says:

      good points, i was thinking the same thing.

      the guy said he was there for “quite awhile” checking out the place before he started spraying. if he already did that whole rabbit, he would have been much more familiar with the area and just go in/finish it quick it quick.

      oh well, he was stupid enough to come back to the scene of the crime if it was him. also, don’t most taggers go out at night? doing it in the day seems too risky.

    • SFMission Protector says:

      Look at 0:38 in the video. You see the rabbit with his signature swirls. And again at 0:54, the swirls with the cute little pacman head guy. Again at 1:14. The connection is easy to make.

      Yeah, I contemplated yelling, but the part of me that was aware of the other damage he was doing in the neighborhood wanted him shut down for good. I don’t think one disgruntled resident saying “hey stop it” would change his larger pattern of behavior.

      • Fyodor says:

        Oh, no doubt that the bunnies and the squiggly things are being made by the same guy. Not a doubt in my mind. It’s just that I didn’t see any connection between the bunnies/squiggly guy and the spray painter in the video (other than the fact that he was painting on a wall that the bunny painter had obviously hit already). You absolutely sure you got the right guy there?

        Yeah, and doing it in the day seemed particularly ill advised… Although due to the guy’s demeanor and poor reaction time I wouldn’t rule out that he was on drugs and not making the best decisions at this point.

  12. 7day weekend! says:

    You nimbys suck, maybe u should move back to the mariana or marin if you wanna feel safe in your expensive condos? Vandal vs artist? What u consider “street art” sucks. You guys are prolly the same “marks” freaking out taking pictures when bansky was in town, bandwagon hype. Anyway graffiti in the mission is not going go away, and im sure you precious walls are gonna get smashed way worse now that u made a video about being a rich bitch snitch. It looks like the inside of yet another luxury condo going up, it would have been gone within a few days tops. Anyway Keep your camera rolling, trust fund baby. Alot worse shit goes on in the mission, maybe u should join those guardian angels, red beret dorks sf mission pocket protector? U can stand around on your high horse and try to report real crimes, like idk crack deals, stabbings and prositution? Again dude u suck

    • GG says:

      Hey 7day weekend, I know junior high makes everyone kinda nuts, but please try and spend the remainder of your spring break doing something more constructive than surfing MM.

      • 7day weekend! says:

        Hey GG, I am older than you, and i actually rent/live in SF. You shouldn’t jump to assumptions. Trust me when i was in college i spent my spring breaks doing alot better stuff than lurking MM or taking numerous shitty picture of Sutro tower on my iphone. I jumped on here to say its basically a waste of everyones time/money to arrest one tagger, when actually crimes or going in the city. Kinda Like how u got ur shit took, for leaving it unattended, that sucks but what did u expect?
        Anyway I Hate to break it to you neighborhood do-gooders but i guarantee the kid that got busted was out with-in a few hrs. If it doesnt get dropped, He will at most pay a small fine and do alittle community service. He cant be linked to those other tags, and the cops didn’t actually see him do that one. So there’s your taxpayer money( if you actually live here) at hard work there.

        • RyanW says:

          , alot , picture its or going took , , Hate with-in alittle.

          college eh? you must have been doing http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lers23zgSN1qajpw3.jpg

        • jvis says:

          I think GG assumed you’re in jr high because of your digital chicken scratch. Are you writing this post from your nokia brick cellphone? no? Cool. Y dnt U go ahead N spell shit out like a grown up.

        • SFMission Protector says:

          7day weekend: I’m an active member of my community and I look out for my neighbors. The small business owners in our neighborhood have thanked me profusely for reporting this guy. The city will fine property owners and business owners if they don’t clean up graffiti on their property. Now that they have a suspect with photographic and video proof, they are able to actually compensate the property owners who had tags by this vandal. So the prosecution is very much worth the taxpayers dollars. This kid would just continue costing residents and business owners more and more money and time. I am not looking for the kid to be locked up or have any harm done to him – I really just want what everyone in this community wants – is for him to stop what he was doing. And he has stopped. It’s been over a month now and not a single mark from him – at least not in this neighborhood. Linking him to those other tags is super easy – see my comment above on this page to someone else who made that comment.

    • revenge of the nerds says:

      While you’re out there tagging and keeping it real, there’s a kid somewhere learning something useful that somebody is gonna pay them real money for. They’re gonna gentrify the fuck out of your neighborhood and there isn’t gonna be shit you can do about it.

      Wake the fuck up. It’s already happening right now and you’re focused on thumping your chest like anybody gives a fuck.

    • Alex says:

      Haha, gotta love the internet tough guy. I’m sure he’s checking out the mission blog in between court appearances! Hahaha.

      • 7day weekend! says:

        Yeah dude ive had 6 court apperances today, im checking MM on this new iphone i stole hahaha broseph

    • Language Please says:

      There is an English word Polly and an English word probably. Prolly ain’t no word Holmes.

    • Laughing says:

      7 day is a bitch. So tough behind a keyboard. keep on cracker.

  13. GIL says:

    San Francisco spends more than $20 million annually on graffiti cleanup on public property.

    On top of that, San Francisco’s Graffiti Ordinance requires property owners to abate graffiti from their buildings within 30 days of receiving a citation. If the owner does not clean up the graffiti within the 30 days of receiving a citation, s/he will receive a $250-$500 fine.

    So yeah, thats why people care.

    • GenevaTower says:

      especially when they pay that fine every month like it was their goddamned rent.

    • Tuffy says:

      Seriously. We have to paint Pop’s EVERY week inside and out. The fines from the city are one thing but it also has other implications — like independent insurance assessors that report tags as evidence of a criminal element in the area and report that back to the insurance company so our rates go up.

      That’s hundreds of dollars a month to clean-up after taggers and, so far, we haven’t passed that cost on to our customers.

      It’s really frustrating coming in every week and seeing the same douchebag tags. I know they think it’s a funny little game but is writing your name in the bathroom really that important?

      That’s why I find it frustrating when blogs like this promote tagging. It’s not a victimless crime.

      • No fish today says:

        please don’t get rid of dollar days

      • SFMission Protector says:

        Here here. We have enough windows in this city that we should have more Neighborhood Watch organizations. But nobody needs a program to just be a responsible member of the community and to call it in. I don’t suppose hidden cameras in bathrooms are legal? ;)

  14. En-Chu Lao says:

    He’s a small fish; the real tagger to nab is JAST. That MoFo has damaged more property in San Francisco than anybody I can think of.

  15. marco says:

    And his name is?

  16. batman says:

    BATMAN IS OFFENDED BY THIS POST ! not due to the topic, but the fact MM would dare insinuate that I CALLED THE COPS ! batman has more important matters to deal with… like the mission chupacabra !

    Please dont use batman in vain…

  17. Laughing says:

    SF police could identify most taggers in the mission via facebook and flickr. The losers take photos of each other and their tags. Euro, Jast, and all the spoiled white kids in BKF.

  18. Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

    Oh, sweet, sweet schaedenfreude.

  19. SomebodyElse says:

    Society gets the graffiti it deserves.

  20. truth says:

    In fairness, he did try to get the kid to leave before calling the cops. That is way better than just calling the cops.

  21. manfreckles says:

    nerd snitch

  22. Derf says:

    Wow that kid gives writers a bad name. What a femmy little wanker daylight vermont trustafarian art douche. Just my opinion of course.

  23. Nigel Mansell says:

    Shit head has seen Exit Through The Gift Shop one too many times…
    “Sorry about your wall?”
    Borf you are not.

  24. BAYdaze says:

    End of the day u taggers r just a bunch of sneaky punk bitchs getting kicks at someone elses expense.who the hell R you to be fucking up someone elses home putn up sum scribble scrable bullshit.AND why,jus 2gain sometype of name for yourself that dosnt mean A FUCKN THING ANYWAY, i mean where the fucks it gettn you. the way i see it I should have right shoot you motherfuckers on the spot or at least break the hand used 2 spray that crap.Jus a bunch of pussys anyways goin round ruining some persons property in the dark n every1 alsleep. you disrespectful assholes run evertime i catch u tryn to fuck up my familys fence,I mean wat the hell weve got enough problems already without having to worry bout stupid ass kids runing round getn a hard on by paintn our shit up. Ive managed to catch beat the shit out of a few of you but shouldnt have to even worry bout that.Honestly i encourage others to do the same, fuck it if the police cant take care it then we should whenever possible, appearantly the current fines/punishment arent cutting it. Its time to make an example let em kno were not gonna take this bulshit.These bastards want to fuck up my familys property fine ill jus fuck up the assholes physically wellbeing. Let see you bomb my fence afer Taking a hammer to your hands mother fuckers.Im done wit it

  25. DirtyBelle says:

    Fucking snitch

  26. leviathan says:

    private property blah blah blah eyesore blah blah blah vandalism blah blah blah

    Graffiti art (I include random tags in this category) is one of the most powerful cultural means of expression that our backwards society has had the good fortune of being subjected to in the past 40 years. A wall is a wall is a wall is a work of art.