SWOPblogger

Friday, August 25, 2006 - ABQ Journal

City Angers Group by Denying Graffiti Event

Journal Staff Report
A group that wanted to hold a graffiti contest on Civic Plaza is sharply criticizing Mayor Martin Chávez for not allowing a permit for the event.

Monica Cordova, youth coordinator for the SouthWest Organizing Project, said the organization supports graffiti as an art form but opposes defacing property.

The contest would have been part of a youth event Saturday aimed at entertainment and education, SWOP says. Panels would have been set up for the graffiti contest.

Instead, SWOP is planning a rally at noon Saturday on Civic Plaza.

Chávez said he objects to the idea of a graffiti contest, but the permit for the event was rejected for other reasons.

He said the group did not adequately provide for security and cleanup, and it didn't want to pay required fees.

The organizers "wanted special treatment. They won't get it," Chávez said.

He said the group "pretends to want to enhance community pride," but graffiti "has nothing to do with pride. It is vandalism. It is a crime.

"When you tell primarily minority youth that this is something to be proud of, it is repugnant," Chávez said.

Robby Rodriguez of SWOP said the group would have followed the rules and dealt with fees, security and cleanup.

"The mayor didn't like the event, and he stopped it," Rodriguez said.

SWOP is an activist organization that has been involved in a variety of local issues.

City Council President Martin Heinrich said he doesn't know if the group met the requirements for a permit, but it shouldn't make a difference "if we like or dislike groups that want to use Civic Plaza."