Legal graffiti walls not likely an option


KATHERINE ROSENBERG
August 26, 2007 - 9:28PM
Art is subjective, indefinable.

But local officials are trying to make a clearer distinction between art and tagging in the aftermath of the murder of 65-year-old Seutatia Tausili, who was shot to death after her grandsons tried to stop a tagging crew from defacing their property.

The City of Venice Beach implemented “art walls” seven years ago as a means for artists to legally express themselves through spraypainted graffiti art.

The idea is that if artists have somewhere they can paint legally, they will be less inclined to deface public and private property elsewhere, and a tragedy such as Thursday’s murder could be averted.

While the option seems realistic and simple, officials have said that the High Desert has never been afflicted by beautiful spraypainted designs, rather the majority of vandalism here is tagging: gang members marking their territory through signs and symbols to gain notoriety.

“Since I’ve been at the city I’m not aware of any proposal for a law like that,” said Yvonne Hester, spokeswoman for the City of Victorville. “It’s a very interesting idea and it’s certainly something we would consider if it would reduce tagging. We need to consider any option that would help reduce graffiti.”

Still, Hester asserts, the majority of tagging incidents in Victorville that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to cover-up are not art, they are gang signs.

“Those walls serve their purpose in Venice, because it’s an artistic community. Here it’s just gang tagging everywhere,” said Deputy Joe Catalano of the High Desert Regional Gang Team. “And I’m not aware that the art walls have helped reduced tagging elsewhere in the city.”

In 2000, Venice made it legal to paint in an area known as the “Graffiti Pit,” according to Stash Maleski, Director and Founder of In Creative Unity Art.

Still, this year requirements were added that artists must first obtain a permit, and hours for painting were restricted to weekends because of “complaints by Venice area residents of increased vandalism attributed to the presence of the walls.”

For that reason, Sgt. Robert Boyd of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Victorville station said it is bad idea to begin condoning such behavior.

“By virtue of what graffiti is, I don’t believe it to be artistic, meaning I haven’t seen any graffiti of substance. They aren’t being artistic or sending a message, it’s their moniker and gang tagging to mark a territory,” Boyd said.