Also not activism: Thinking up new ways for the police to abuse the citizenry.

@1 If you really feel that way shouldn't this graffiti artist(?) be painting on the police station or perhaps a cop car? The Stranger has been a supporter of graffiti or it's euphemism, tagging, ever since I can remember. There was a fine example by DAPKILO only a short time ago.

A ton of money? For some paint and a roller?

I do wish these graffiti taggers would turn to blog posts instead. They would quickly realize how very, very little people are interested in what they think. May I suggest Twitter #nobodycares.

Now Im just spit-ballin here, but maybe if we had a economy that supported everyone and not just the Amasoftville folk, then maybe regular folks could turn their efforts into something more productive. People only work with what they have and if they dont have a good paying job then they're going to go out and create mischief. If they dont have an adequate education then they'll use words on walls instead of pictures on walls to get their point across and if they had a little dignity in their lives, then maybe they wouldnt feel so persecuted. Humans talk the talk but rarely, -really- walk the walk. If they did, then this would truly be an altrustic society. This kind of tagging - it may not be "Banksy", but its telling nonetheless.

Angry teens (of any age) are going to act out, unfortunately there's no way to prevent it. And trying to justify this kind of thing by trying to minimize the cleanup costs, please - Paint and a roller don't fix a paint stained brick or stone surface, that costs thousands of dollars.

"Fuck Cops"? "Fuck Cops"? Fuck You. You shit. Wait until you call 911. It would be Poetic if the 911 Call Center says aren't you the guy who spray painted Fuck Cops? "Well Sir, since you've made your hatred of Law Enforcement known. We won't be out to serve you".

No one cares about what you think.

Maybe the tagger has a sexual fetish for police? Maybe it's more of a directive. Maybe he's saying we should all go out and have sex with the police.

Be specific, graffiti dude!

Graffiti is lowest common denominator and pathetic 99% of the time. But if you're going to do it, say something witty and interesting. Or artisttic. FFS At the very least don't be vague.

Guess who has really stepped up patrols in the neighborhood? That's right, the fuzz! They took a keen interest in your most recent act of stupidity.

Bullshit. I highly doubt graffiti is a reason for stepping up patrolling in the area. The police have limited resources and I'm pretty sure they have bigger fish to fry than some kid with a can of spraypaint.

@7 Have you ever called the cops for anything? Before you do let me tell you what they will do before you waste your time. They will fill out a pice of paper and hand it to you. Maybe they will call yo in a few weeks and you will have to take time off work to answer some more questions. Thats it.

AND WHAT ABOUT MY PROPERTY VALUES, HMM??? If I'd known I'd be living with a bunch of HIPPIES here, I'd have spent my million on a sweet place in Kirkland instead!!!

but the "woo girl" guy deserves an award? would it be ok if the vandals put "fuck cops" on paper with a clever cartoon cop on it and glued it to a wall?

Fuck you.... Fuck this....... Fuck that... Fuck off...... go fuck yourself....... Fuck me..... who fucking cares.......? fuck an "A" .... no wait! Fuck a "B" it has more holes..... really thought "I, Anon. would have a better one out than this.. what happened to when they were all ( I Anon.)really good and had everyone looked forward to reading the next weeks issue. Now they kinda suck, are week or something that only a pussy would bitch and scream about? What happened to the days when it meant something? What changed and why? Fuck it ! Who cares?
When and if responding to this comment please be brutal and cruel. No one wants to read about something everyone agrees to . So in advance to your response,if any, Id like to say, " fuck you" with all do respect, of course..
no wait again! Scratch that last part, save the fuck you though. Peace bitches.

If "riot is the language of the unheard" then graffiti belongs in the toolbox of the disenfranchised and disenchanted in an unjust world where the police and powerful operate with gross impunity.

Next time just spray paint "Cops fuck," and the cops will be cool with it.

I am a white male and I have had to call the police a few times in my life. Sometimes it was because I saw fights break out, another was because some people wandered into my apartment complex drinking 40oz malt liquor. The police responded quickly and professionally.
I have also had the police called on me over a disputed transaction at a gas station. Again, the police arrived promptly and acted professionally as the dispute was sorted out.
The problem with police is not with policing in and of itself, the problem is that they do not extend the same level of professionalism and regard for my safety to minorities.
Spray painting "FUCK COPS" on buildings only forces the owner of the buildings to shell out money to fix the vandalism and gives the police a legitimate reason to feel that there is a contingent of people out there who will harass and threaten them simply because they are police officers.
The vandal can do to himself what he said the police should do.

@2 no - those are huge, huge risks, especially considering who the target of the message is - hint, it's not cops, it's the rest of us.

I feel this is mostly sour grapes. I'll yell fuckda police with the best of em, but I'd probably be irked if it were painted on my business/home.

@10 literally victim blaming.

Real action involves spraying it in Comic Sans on The Stranger building.

@5,15

The vast majority of people obey our laws, whatever their socioeconomic background. What we call those who don't is criminal.

And in this country everyone has a chance to be comfortable. Choosing poverty is a personal right- whether that choice be by refusing to learn a trade or profession or refusing to work or whatever caused it. Asking others to subsidize that choice is not.

Vandalism is absolutely a form of activism in some cases. The type of people who have good reason to hate the coos usually can't afford things like advertising. And really, fuck cops.

That being said, some political vandals really do choose terrible vandalism targets. There is no shortage of luxury condo and apartment buildings that I would have zero problem with being vandalized.

@21: Stop right there, criminal scum! (And yes, by your own definition and your own free admission, you are criminal.)
"And in this country everyone has a chance to be comfortable. Choosing poverty is a personal right- whether that choice be by refusing to learn a trade or profession or refusing to work or whatever caused it."
So, underfunded school systems that don't give kids from impoverished families the guidance they need to get a proper education never threw a roadblock in anyone's path to prosperity? Nobody ever fell into poverty because the industry in which they worked went into a downturn? No man or woman ever saw their life savings drain away to pay for their cancer treatment?
Yet again, Seattleblues assumes that because he's had certain advantages (or at the very least, the absence of disadvantages) so has everyone else, and those who haven't attained the success he's enjoyed are simply lying in the beds they themselves made. Born on third base, thinks he hit a triple.

I AM BECOME ZERO, ADDITIVE IDENTITY OF REALS

Having lived on a busy pedestrian street on the Hill for 10+ years, I so identify with the author. Graffiti is an ugly, useless plague on Seattle with no abatement in sight. In my hood, it was tagging any available spot just like walked dogs refreshing their pee marks. And @ 3, the graffiti I've attempted to remedy is a BITCH to remove especially on stone, brick, and siding, not to mention how environmentally unfriendly effective cleaning agents are. Finally @ 6, I call BS on graffiti being inevitable: two years in Edmonds - no tagging to be seen.

@25 I've been to Edmonds recently, no edgy tag kids want to hang around what amounts to a retirement community.

Dear Haters: When you "don't care" what someone has to say, you don't publish thousands of copies of an essay about how much you don't care about what they have to say.

Dear Stranger: We all know your staff writes the "I Anonymous" column. Go yell at an advertiser some time. or maybe print a few thousand copies of your news tabloid with the headline "Fuck Cops" on the cover, so that you can hand those out to the would-be graf artists out there with that sentiment. Be part of the change you want to see!

neat. maybe next time the vandalized will be painting over blood splatter from the next murder victim of the blue shirts.

I've had to deal with graffiti clean up, it's a total pain in the ass. Someone just tagged a bunch of spots in the park by my house, it's lame. I'm not really sure the best way to deal with it, but it's definitely on the rise around the city and it's something that every small business and apartment building has to deal with.

At least the messaging was spot on.....

f everyone in this comment thread get sprayed and get out of seattle