Tuesday - September 2, 2014 - San Francisco, California - Mission District
HARMLESS & INSPIRING SIDEWALK TAPE ART ATTRACT TOURISM DOLLARS vs. HATERS & BEATERS WHO DON'T
For the past several years, we've been
studying art and graffitti all over our city. We watch and see how
folks react when they 'see' the messags posted everywhere.
Most agree that any mark or writing that they can't read or understand
or any 'picture' drawn that is too vague or doesn't inspire us or
motivate us to think, do or be better today, than yesterday falls into
the graffitti category.
Often folks who tag their own names or other messages only for themselves or tiny groups is not considered art, per se. It's graffitti.
Also, when folks use permanent chemicals, scratches or paint on other
people's property, buildings and has no political
statement, protest or helpful message for the masses - its also
considered graffitti.
And it is destructive of property that other
people have to pay for cleaning and fixing, who often don't have several
hundred bucks lying around to pay city ordered cleaning costs every
couple weeks.
We came across some of the best messaging,
thought provoking and valuable ART WORK in the form of the use of non-permanent chalk or
masking tape to express one's self on our public sidewalks.
Unfortunately, we had a nice 19 year kid doing colored dust chalk
(removable, easily washed away with water) on the sidewalks, but one
day, he was beaten down brutally, by the former owners of K & H
Liquors on 16th Street & Valencia in the mission.
In
that case, the old man (known to be violent on many occasions without
provocation or just cause) came out of his liquor store, punched from
behind (on the kid's back) and kicked him under his belly while the kid
was simply expressing art with chalk on a public sidewalk.
The
asian S.F.P.D. Patrol Officer (Chan? - who responded just like a robot)
REFUSED to listen to or take a report from the person who called the
assault in or from outreach volunteer from the Mission SRO
Hotel Collaborative - wearing an S.F. Department of Public Health Badge for
Outreach Work who saw the whole thing.
His utter lack of any sense of truth or justice and in
doing right by the teenage boy, really disgusted us.
That transgression
of victim's rights and neglect of duty by that officer have been well
documented in year's past.
Anyway, we digress.
Biased, hate filled control freaks & art haters are but one small danger of doing cool, safe, fun street and sidewalk art.
Mean, angry, hateful control freaks who THINK they own the sidewalk and
have the right to use brooms, mops, fists or uniforms & badges to
PICK ON folks in criminals ways.
Beating on folks whose only crime is to share the art they express to
improve our communities.
When it comes to this 'SF Masking Tape Art' on sidewalks... it's
truly amazing.
We've witnessed hordes of TOURISTS SPENDING MONEY HERE
gawking and snapping shots of this art work with great pleasure and
amazement.
They actually repeat the phrases aloud and start sending text/photos to their friends, families and social networks.
We've seen tourists,
locals and newcomers come back often to see the messaging change and
they bring their friends with them.
Wherever eLVis CHRiSt posts his
puzzling, goofy, enlightening & game changing 'thoughts' and unique
phrases in and out of context, folks keep flocking back to see more and
when they do, many of them buy coffee, indian food, pupusas and tacos at
the LOCAL ONLY spots where he's been doing his posts at.
This means more people stop,
look, share and spend money at and around our mom and pop spots like El
Cafetazo Cafe; Panchita's #2 Pupuseria on 16th Street & La Cumbre Tacqeria,
Muddy Waters Cafe on Valencia and both the Indian/Pakistani Restaurants on 16th & on Valencia.
ART ON PUBLIC SIDEWALKS = POSTIVE ENERGY, LOCAL CASH FLOWS & GREAT APPRECIATION & INTEREST BY TOURISTS.
We caught one 'local' who said he's lived here for more than ten years, trying to tear up the masking tape art and we asked him to compare it to the unreadable scrawls with permanent paint on the walls of local shops.
We asked if he KNEW THE DIFFERENCE between graffitti (that costs us money, causes harm and doesn't value to the public and is hard to get rid of) and STREET ART (which is done with non-permanent paint/chalk, has messages and value to the general public, and is done on public spaces, not on private property). He did not... he insisted this wonderful art was graffitti.
He went away mad because he is LOCKED INTO IGNORANCE & HATE which makes him attack anything he does not like and label it graffitti and his type always want what they want and do not care about what is really important, helpful or valueable to the rest of us.
Support Art in public spaces in all forms.
All pictures posted remain the 2014 Copyright of a man we know as eLViS cHRiST of the mission district and san francisco, known for his art work for decades here. All rights reserved worldwide.
Use of these pictures in any For Profit purpose or promotion or for 'graffitti prosecution' schemes or 'evidence' are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
By David Ventura
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