First, Senders has the right idea...don't call them 'taggers'. That is by far the most rediculous thing I've heard. They are unsupervised kids with too much time on their hands that belong to gangs! They are disrespectful, thoughtless juvenilles that should be held accountable for their actions. Not praised by giving them a 'mural' to paint on. What does this crazy woman BARBARA think they are....frutstrated artists?
But ya better watch out people....Barbara and Mr. Kosiur may come up with a new law that will state that any kid under the age of 18 will not be allowed to be 2000ft from any establishment that sells markers or spray paint!! And then watch out cause Kosiur will add that to his political platform like he is doing with the sexoffender law. He wants to make the sex offender law state wide if elected. He may just go a little over the edge here and add the marker spray paint law to his statewide ploy too!!
And that is how crazy these people in power are. They must not have enough to do...they just make up this sh** so we think they are doing their job. NONSENSE I say...NONSENSE!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
On Good Morning America this AM there was a girl and her parents on who were fighting the school district because their daughter got suspended for 4 months and must attend a school for trouble making kids because she wrote a heart with I love Alex in the middle of it. This girl has never been in trouble b4 and is being treated the same as a student who wrote a terrorist note on a wall or who had committed serious harm to another student. Doesn't the school districts today have any common sense when it comes to how to handle situations with students? It's either one extreme or the other, either too strict or no punishment at all.
There just should be stronger consequences for the kids who spray paint graffiti all over. And I don't agree with a mural for them to draw on. I think that is also and eye sore. And these kids are really vandals. They are not artists.
just give them big sheets of butcher paper and use some of those storefronts on Jay street to display their work,,,,each 'group/person' gets a certain amount of days to have their stuff exhibited.....I'm sure the Art at 440 could facilitate this........
AND ANYONE OUTSIDE THIS BOX OF RULES----TOO BAD,,YOU'RE CAUGHT AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE????????---THAT WOULD BE UP TO THE CITY/RESIDENTS......A TIME OUT??
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I have to wonder why there is such an uproar by the powers that be about the defacing of property by graffiti artists. Are they not aware that they promote this in Central Park? It seems anyone with a can of spray paint and a running program is allowed to paint permanent arrows, smiley faces, start and finish lines on the paths and roadways. This can be viewed for years to come by anyone walking the most beautiful park around. There is the Fireplug 500 course that is marked with spots on the grass so it can be mowed and erased, there are bike races that use plastic ribbon tape that is gone minutes after the race. Is it impossible for a foot race to be run without green, red,and blue markings every fi ve feet? I would like to add that someone named Dean painted his name in 1982; it just faded this spring! ROBERT R. TAYLOR Schenectady
Sch’dy fight against graffiti must be multi-faceted
We applaud the city of Schenectady for trying to do something about its growing graffiti problem. Anyone who watched the first installment of the ESPN miniseries Monday about the 1977 New York Yankees, “The Bronx Is Burning,” and saw once again all those graffiti-covered subway cars, was reminded of what a quality-of-life issue this is. It’s ugly and depressing, and can’t be tolerated. To do so will only encourage more graffiti, more vandalism, more lawlessness. That said, we’re dubious about one aspect of the ordinance that the city council is considering: the one that would make shop owners criminally responsible if they allowed spray paint cans or permanent markers to be stolen from their store. It is reasonable, though, to require them to check ID and not sell these materials to anyone under the age of 18. The ban on sale to kids can help, but won’t by itself stop the bespoiling of walls, signs and buildings that is occurring all over town. Underage kids can still get the spray paint cans and markers from older siblings and/ or gang members, who also do some of the the “tagging” themselves. That’s why the city is right to be thinking in terms of a comprehensive approach. One excellent idea is a “rapid response” team, perhaps made up of teen-agers, that would remove or paint over graffiti within 24 or 48 hours after it is reported. There should also be a hotline for neighbors to report graffiti — ideally, when it is happening. Those caught should be subject not only to a fine of up to $1,000 and/or jail term of up to a year, as the law calls for, but to community service that includes cleaning up their own, and others’, graffiti. The murals that some people are suggesting are also worth a try, especially if they are done sparingly and right — which is to say with real neighborhood input and with the involvement of real artists. But the main thing is to do something; and, fortunately, the city now appears ready to do that.
I’m responding to the July 10 article in the local section about the growing graffi ti problem in the city of Schenectady. I live in the Stockade, where I’m a board member of our neighborhood association and where we too have experienced a recent problem with artistically inclined vandals. However, advocating that minors should not be allowed to purchase spray paint or permanent markers and imposing fines to innocent property owners is absolutely absurd! What’s next, outlawing chalk? Society has been dealing with graffi ti since ancient times, so why penalize the masses for the actions of the few? I implore [Councilwoman] Barbara Blanchard and company to sensibly manage this situation rather then unwisely taking away even more of our ever-dwindling liberties. This law will hardly stop these hooligans who will prevail by using other mediums, or driving or taking public transportation to nearby communities and purchasing supplies there. I imagine the ambitious teens will run black market Rustoleum businesses or, better yet, become organized and fight for their right to legally purchase spray paint here in Schenectady! ROB GAVEL Schenectady
Couldn't have said this one better myself. Oh perhaps not as polite! It is one of the most idiotic laws I've ever seen and anyone who supports it is just as idiotic!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
SCHENECTADY City Council to reconsider proposed anti-graffiti law BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
The city’s proposed graffiti-busting law is going back to the drawing board. The Schenectady City Council will reconsider the law at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at City Hall. Among the items likely to be scrapped is the proposed fine for property owners who do not promptly remove graffiti sprayed on their homes or businesses. Also being rewritten is the section requiring business owners to erect a locked display case for their spray paint so that children cannot steal it. “A locked glass or metal door, this would be a cost burden to them,” said Councilwoman Denise Brucker, who argued that small businesses would not be able to afford it. “They don’t have the staff, the time, the resources that the big boxes do,” she said. But Councilwoman Barbara Blanchard, who proposed the law, said the small businesses are the ones that must lock up their graffiti-drawing materials. “The real problem is the dollar stores and small businesses that sell small quantities and don’t keep an eye on it,” she said. “That’s the point of the legislation.” The heart of the law is a ban on minors buying spray paint and wide-tipped permanent markers. Business owners have not expressed any opposition to checking IDs before selling those products, but Brucker said two small businesses told her they can’t afford to lock up their spray paint. Blanchard proposed allowing them to use an alternate security system if police felt their system would be effective. Councilman Frank Maurizio suggested just letting each store come up with its own way of keeping spray paint out of children’s hands. There was no clear consensus on how to rewrite the rule. As for the fine for property owners, Blanchard said she never wanted that in the law. “I don’t like the attitude it conveys,” she said. Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen agreed. “It adds insult on injury,” he said. “I understand you want to make people get it off their property as soon as possible… but in many cases it’s financial.” Olsen’s crews inform property owners about graffiti and ask if they need help removing it. In many cases, the owner agrees to clean it off; in others, city workers provide the paint and the elbow grease. “We ask for voluntary compliance,” Olsen said. After a lengthy discussion about the law, Maurizio took it off the agenda for next week’s voting session and scheduled it for another committee discussion. “It’s clear we’re not ready to move on this,” he said.
I can't believe that the city council would even consider fining a resident for not removing graffiti from their home/business. The resident gets victimized twice once by the vandal and once by the city. What's wrong with this government that they think that they can take the rights of people away anytime the feel like it. We need some new people on the city council that have half a brain and instead of trying to come up with useless laws go after the real problems in the city.
I can't believe that the city council would even consider fining a resident for not removing graffiti from their home/business. The resident gets victimized twice once by the vandal and once by the city. What's wrong with this government that they think that they can take the rights of people away anytime the feel like it. We need some new people on the city council that have half a brain and instead of trying to come up with useless laws go after the real problems in the city.
It then becomes a "living in the city" type tax. Isn't it wonderful?
After a lengthy discussion about the law, Maurizio took it off the agenda for next week’s voting session and scheduled it for another committee discussion. “It’s clear we’re not ready to move on this,” he said.
Perhaps they should put this entire stupid law to bed now! There should be NO FURTHER DISCUSSION necessary. Everyone of those elected officials need to be put to bed permenantly and new, smart, common sensed ones put in their place. This city council takes absolutely NO responsibility for anything. They push the graffiti law on the residents/business owners and they push the sex offenders on the surrounding counties. Guess they want to make life a little easier for the overpaid, underworked cops! Cause this is clearly jobs for the COPS! If they want the residents/business owners to do the cops job...then perhaps they should be getting the same salary and retirement benefits!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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