Budget creates havoc at Lowell - The Lowell

*$
Sneaking out at 2 am. and
shoplifting from hardware stores
are par t of everyday life for taggers
By Mike Sicken
?-'rpiHEHEAVY SMELL of acn-Iic
?.'• . I floats through the cold air at
• JL three in the mommy. As two
: (aggers work fast, only the wit hiH-
£ing of the spray paint is heard.
;- . 'lagging is one of the most popu -
Jar forms of vandalism in America
todav'.Tcensgooutalnighttoillcgally
. write ihcir names on buses, buildings.
bathroom>,and variousotlier public
spaces.
Graffiti art is known lo uggcrsas
. "piecing." Pieces are wry much like
muials, the paintings done on the
sides of buildings. They may go into
graphic detail or be completely abstract
and wild.
"MutaU are the oldest form of
painting," «id Mark Johnwn, an art
professor from San Francisco State.
"The cave paintings art as old as
30,000 years."
"I did it just to l>c ctKil," one S.in
Francisco tagger said."Ju!.t lo try misty!::.
No real reason." Terns lag lo
hcconie known in (heit neighborhood
and bt*)"ond(teiriioryi,or simply
for ariistic uasoiu, Ittil mosl
tagyeniand graffiti .irlistsall over the
ll.iy Arv.i put up their ta^s lor Jdlow
•o.idntiri;.
Vine tag^-is no .is I.II .!•. ifiimi
liu- vigilance of the I*«»IKL* .uul u:\itt
authoritative figures. They vv^ii fora
'x>!iccman to turn around, ami tljcn
put up their tag right behind his hack.
According to one tagger, this action
adds a defiant thrill to the hobby.
Surprisingly, mo*l taggrjs art; neva
fnughL"*\Mien a tagger ii caught,it's
usually l>eta use of ihrirf-M-nr-xklessncss,"
he said.
In many neighborhoods, graffiti
artists are paid lo put up murals th.it
cover cii.irc walls. Most serious
taggers call it "punking out" when a
tagger is paid for hjstalent.Oihrr wy
X'a il if you're that j.'ood at rttai you
like fo do, then why no! ge( p.iid tor
.11 ;tij>ht
; (J«iii (Ac many tt^ur\ io
I'lfce t'i'"«art-pi.t-«: ihr
i.'i iiiti!.-i;;r iu t)u.tt:mK l.i t?
ii'S): t.»..i p .1 lot .it -.kill .tn.f
. iin.i-: tinn unr r.ij'ht in
A i."HJjwi uvj.illy need* J
;V^f^,;;
SSoipqis, Muni spend millions
^ By ?ason Hoist'
r^-Graffiti is a major problem
[takes a lot of
py
cam'pus". "It's like the
spe'nrt abadng graffiti could bit
used ta'buy.LOnipuUas forthe
schoolSv.srJii Enrique ftdaribs,
wbo "ivories ; n thcBuildingiorid-
,Grotui'isd>jpjrtmentbftheSan,
Francisco.UhifiKl School, Dis-_
irict. % ~-\ . ! t-': - '-•' ."'•••,,-•
: usually b:t-jk inlo
the bus \itrds arotind two to fi\r in the
morning, when it's te.il|y ijuiet out,
.ind tap up the whole bus VJT J," a
Mum I iris driver wid. "Kusrs JH* the
mo\* tair-vicd pbtts to Lty" He be
li'jvc"»d;ot t.iggiTidolliL'ix-lt.irii t.ig^
.
Surprisingly, wiih .ill liie piece-
it i^ 'I llifbus y.mk*'< ',r il'jiii u-.c .1
!•!};}«(14 Jrtn 1.1 *(ji'.ir.Mtit»ilt,nJ Input
lr.'n"f> -md liiiv stMtnily gti.infs .U
ii«nic Ai'jf>n»,"\aid Hill M.ilwiu'.iutuliiti
Mun: bus driwr, "litIT 30
vujf UTS ..^Ui and rcpu
ot takers."
TtuO'ij;h different siyks,
cm «-i»'w mf their lUtistic talent ustnynJac{':-uj>
cartoon Lh.H.'i.U'is and
'V.opyriyhied" i.t\; names, t'nee a
u^er u^-s his l.ij; twine, :t is iiit insult
for another ta^cr in copy 01
"bW hU style.
Taggers join citwa A> tlu'v \UJ>:
to back ifurm up. "It
cx-taj;i;cr irom Ual> t.itv. J^oplt
would put up tor y iu. Wwn wu Man
ou! ii's rcatiy luid \n ^r known."
Hvii'ijf in a H-JW is nm always inn
and jf-r.r.es. "Our> got ptvttv bip. but
tti«»>t: !?w> haw etjiht m tai peopii. 1 .
It -'t't'i vioit-nt when you j;o over
MtmC'iiU*. or triji 1 . sontt'oni* out
Sunu'iir.its. ui-:n.'> J i.i^ »vjf." AIMI
\iii'.
SVbcn a tag war starts, uppmini;
la^pn'ji crewsciostout t»t p.iintovcr
i-jth ctlicr, putiini: th.-ir own upm
piete* m place of otiu-r*. .Nuch a war
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LICENSED INSTRUCTOR: HANG YUNG YIP
SPECIAL LOW RATE FOR TEENS
SIX HOURS BEHIND-THE-WHEEL
DRIVING TRAINING
'.vtll ;;o on unii! ore of the involve!
Lri'ivs i.ssttrnvrtvbclmed tn p the com •
|>cliuon tlul Uicv "i