Using one's art publicly to reclaim space from advertising is one thing and I certainly prefer it to advertising. But displaying one's "art" in public by damaging someone's property is vandalism. You know how many sandwiches my friend has to make and sell every month just to provide a $1500 piece of glass for some graffiti "artist" asshole to etch his tag in acid on that glass. That isn't art and the asshole isn't an artist.

Most graffiti has no artistic merit at all. Running around town scratching and carving and etching and spray painting a scribbled tag is not art! It's juvenile vandalism and requires no more skill than a dog marking his territory by pissing on things.

There are ways to display art publicly to counter advertising without damaging the property of the working class.

Beutiful. Its funny no one complains about corprate grafiti such as bill boards abd constant overload of of corporate advertisment. But some one who displays their art pubicly is a criminal

"not everyone can afford to pay for advertising space. Graffiti is an outlet for people that feel it is their democratic right to share their art with the rest of us."

I agree wholeheartedly! But when it is done in a manner, like with spray paint or acid etching glass or carving in a bus seat that destroys property it is not art; it is not democratic expression; it is vandalism. I have a friend who owns a small sandwich shop. Every few months he has to replace a $1500 front window because graffiti "artists" tag the glass with acid. That type of graffiti is not a democratic right. It is being a thoughtless destructive asshole.

Spray paint, especially on textured surfaces like brick, is particularly destructive. Most of the graffiti I see is not art but mindless and childish tagging.

Some People see Graffiti as Art, some see it as a Crime, like it or not, it is illegal. 'When art is a crime'.

Many views in the film 'Peace, Love, Unity and Havin' Fun', state that nobody asks us if we want to see huge advertising boards everyday, but not everyone can afford to pay for advertising space. Graffiti is an outlet for people that feel it is their democratic right to share their art with the rest of us.

It's not the art that is the crime-it's the property damage from the paint and the acid used to etch glass. I put up stickers and posters on public property and on the storefronts of large wealthy corporations. The damage to the property is very minimal-if any. My work is usually political and I make an effort to create it with some artistic merit (as opposed to simply scribbling a tag on something) so I feel justified in putting it up as my political voice is so small compared to the wealthy elite who run my community.