SWOPblogger

[karlos says]

Both the Journal and Trib failed to see the larger point of the event - offering young people important, practical information about access to public services, including health care services.

The graffiti battle (SWOP's held 3 to my recollection - including one at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe and at least 2 more at Washington Park, all permitted.) was just a small part of the event's planned line up of local entertainment and young talent. Over 30 non-profit and governmental agencies were on board to offer information to young people and helped coordinate the event. [I won't name them here, to protect the innocent from...well, Mayor Marty]

It was truly a community effort.

The Journal and the Trib also failed to mention free speech as an issue after the Mayor publicly objected to the content of the event during a press conference about denying the permit.

Anyway, happy reading :)

Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)

August 28, 2006 Monday

SECTION: EDITORIALS; Pg. A8

LENGTH: 230 words

HEADLINE: Political Theater: Nixed Graffiti Contest

BODY: What's in a name? Walls full of bad associations when the name of a proposed event at Civic Plaza is "graffiti contest."

The SouthWest Organizing Project sought a city permit to stage a youth event last weekend, promoting graffiti as an art form. That's despite the fact a spokeswoman says the organization opposes its most common form - the defacing of property. In SWOP's plan, contest entries would be painted on panels brought to the plaza.

The permit was denied. Mayor Martin Chávez said SWOP wanted special treatment on security, cleanup and fees. SWOP said it would have followed normal procedures, but the mayor blocked the event because he didn't like it.

While the basis of the denial isn't clear, this much is: The Chávez administration has made quick eradication of graffiti and punishment of taggers a top priority. And the mayor says it is "repugnant" to stage an event that promotes pride in graffiti.

When the mayor took office the first time, the city's landscape was something of a spray-can catastrophe. So Chavez deserves credit on this score.

SWOP should be politically savvy enough to know the mayor could hardly relax that zero-tolerance in Civic Plaza and could have channeled the artistic impulses of taggers in a more acceptable vein. And it could have educated the artists on how appropriating private property for their canvasses creates more grief than art.

LOAD-DATE: August 28, 2006
Albuquerque Tribune (New Mexico)

August 28, 2006 Monday

SECTION: OPINION; Pg. B3

LENGTH: 534 words

HEADLINE: Give kids a graffiti outlet to curb problem

BODY: Permits and regulations aside, Albuquerque officials could have done a lot better job of handling the recent showdown at Civic Plaza over graffiti.

They missed an opportunity to build a bridge, even if a small one, between the often authoritarian world of adults and the free-wheeling, sometimes troublemaking world of adolescents, too frequently expressed these days by graffiti on public and private buildings and other structures.

Too bad, because anything that might cut down on this illegal spray-painting should be welcome.

The SouthWest Organizing Project, which had planned a large youth rally that would have included music, break dancing and graffiti demonstrations, had to settle for a protest against the city's decision not to grant a permit for the rally, originally titled "Rock Out with Your Cause Out."

Monica Cordova, the project's youth coordinator, defended the program for allowing kids to express the "art form" of graffiti on special boards confined to legal areas. The rally would have provided a safe, one-day outlet for graffiti expressions. It might also have provided an opening for future opportunities for kids to have safe and legal artistic opportunities.

Both sides dispute whether the group complied with the city's rules governing use of the Civic Plaza. But clearly, Mayor Martin Chavez wanted none of it, telling reporters the event would have promoted illegal "tagging." Cordova said the denial of permits was personal and another indication that Chavez is "anti-youth."

The event drew the ire of Police Chief Ray Schultz and conservative talk show hosts. Schultz said the event glorified "something (graffiti) that is destroying $1 million worth of property" this year.

But it sounded like a cheap shot at an organization trying to channel kids' energy into positive, supervised activities.

Such verbiage is reminiscent of the long-standing battle between authorities and skateboarders and roller bladers.

While City Hall hasn't ended boarders' and bladers' illegal use of public streets and shopping areas, the city's creation of a sanctioned park for these activities, at the very least, has reduced the conflict and provided an alternative to illegal behavior.

Nobody condones tagging, particularly that done by gangs. When it's found on public or private property, it's illegal, not welcome and should not be tolerated.

What if, however, there was an alternative - a graffiti park - where youngsters could do graffiti legally, just as we have a skateboarders' park, numerous public golf parks, a city shooting range and a model airplane park?

What if the city constructed concrete or wood walls at the edges of some of its neighborhood parks and invited kids to express themselves, if supervised by an adult, who would have ultimate control over the spray cans of paint and ensure that the content was not offensive or gang-related?

Would Albuquerque shudder and come to a halt?

Or would illegal graffiti and tagging go down, and along with it some portion of the costs of cleaning it up and pursuing the perpetrators?

Pssst: Did you know that some in corporate America are actually embracing graffiti - for example, offering colorful "graffiti skins" for all those cell phones?

LOAD-DATE: August 29, 2006

Alibi.com

[LUCKY 7] Rock Out with your Cause Out -- This isn't like the health fair you were forced to attend in high school. You won't be shuffling your feet from booth to booth, staring at pamphlets warning of the potential social repercussions for not bathing. Sure, part of the reason to go to Civic Plaza today from noon to 6 p.m. is for oodles of information about local health care resources, but the main reason is the live music, graffiti art and break dancing. Alt.rock, break-dance battles and health options--it's a win-win situation. 247-8832. (AD)