Article by Leo Schofield
It's time to rub out ugly urban
scrawl
Article by Leo Schofield
When, oh when, will some authority
take action to stem the rising tide of graffiti threatening to engulf us? No
corner of this great city appears to have escaped.
Clowns with nothing but fresh air
keeping their ears apart have defaced every nook and cranny of Sydney, public
and private, often with official approval as in the case of the so-called
"graffiti wall" at Bondi Beach, an eyesore if I ever saw one.
There is another example of this
official endorsment of vandalism out Erko way. Some time ago, Newtown Police and
Community Youth Club's management declared the back of the Erskineville Rd
building a space where so-called graffiti artists could express themselves.
Youths from all over Sydney are now
travelling to the area with their spray cans and, although there have been no
direct threats from these homeboys, residents are feeling intimidated by the
presence of a dozen or so yobs with spray cans and the area has become a no-go
zone for locals.
The idea of a dedicated graffiti
wall is not exactly appropriate to a residential area but, in any case, the
"artwork" has not been confined to the wall.
The entire building is now totally
covered in graffiti to the roofline, much of it obscene, and, having run out of
space, the spray gangs have begun tagging houses backing on to the lane, wheelie
bins, nearby houses, even the road surface.
Flaots in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi
Gras are made in an old warehouse next next to the PCYC and the year before
last, in an attempt to stem the graffiti, the building was painted white with a
blue stencil pattern.
All to no avail. Despite the best
efforts of the GLMG people, the building has once again become an eyesore
because of creeping graffiti. Time for South Sydney Council to pull its finger
out
. A reader reports on a recent
visit to Mitchell Prak in Adelaide where they were astonished not only by spruce
streets and spotless parks but by the total absence of graffiti. Apparently, the
Marion Council has a 24-hour graffiti hotline.
As soon as graffiti appears it is
removed.
The Sunday Telegraph, page 11, October 24, 1999
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