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Connor Merriman
Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
1 December 2014
Graffiti: The Illegal Art
Not only has the rise of the graffiti on public buildings become immensely popular in the streets
of world renowned cities, but also has been the target of vandalism. To some, the act of graffiti isn't so
much an act of artwork, but an act of vandalism. Each year, thousands of people are arrested and charged
with vandalism for sharing their personal art on the side of a building or a train. Although there are people
who spray paint gang signs or profanity, the number of people doing legitimate artwork exceeds those
who paint the profane images. Those who do legit artwork, then become grouped in the same category as
those spray painting negative messages. This isnt fair only for the good people being targeted as
criminals, its not fair to the public eye who want to drive down the street and see all different kinds of art
that comes with the city itself. As the image of anyone who does graffiti is shaped into an automatic
criminal, the public's view of graffiti will be all grouped as negative images and never positive art. Even
though there are some works of art that contain profanity and vulgar, I still believe that graffiti should be
a legal way of art, a way for different people to express themselves.
Graffiti has become the new way for todays generation of young adults to express themselves and
their artwork in a public way. Yes, some kids will go and mark up a building full of profane exposure to
the rest of the world for no reason but that shouldn't mean that all artists are like that. In spite of those
who do it with the intention of spreading negative signs, there are still people who do it with the intention
of using the world as a public gallery to show off their work. Though some graffiti has been on display in
buildings over the years, It has been exhibited in museums and art galleries across the world since its
earliest stages. (Eric Felisbret) Despite the fact that graffiti teaches younger kids its okay to be
rebellious against society, some think that works as a good thing. New York artist Lady Pink says A bit
of rebellion is something we should champion as a society. Somebody has to question the status quo or

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we'll grow stagnant. (Lady Pink) Despite the ways of life in which people are raised into, the world is a
public place, people are always going to bend the rules and act according to their own personality. While
graffiti does test the law, "it can simultaneously serve a public good through its nuanced social
commentary and its artistry. (Lu Olivero) Although graffiti has been illegal for over 30 years now, it has
yet to slow anyone down from displaying their artwork. Despite the fact that there are many people out
there who think graffiti should be legal and who continue to do it on a regular basis, there is still that
group of people in society who think differently of graffiti and its values.
While graffiti has become increasingly more popular over the last 20 years, so have the laws on
it. In addition to the pressing of the hardened laws, the people's voice on the street style artwork has
grown more harshly as well. Heather Mac Donald, says that Graffiti is always vandalism. The argument
made is that of which Graffiti is something that one celebrates, if one is juvenile enough to do so, when
it shows up on someone elses property, but never on ones own. (Mac Donald) No amount of passion
and love for the artwork can in fact un-associate the word vandalism with graffiti. 44 years ago, John
Lindsay, (mayor of New York 1966-1973) has left New York city stuck in what seems to be a no win
war on graffiti. Each year, thousands of artists in New York alone get arrested, charged and fined for
vandalism, within the same week they are back out on the streets adding new pieces of artwork. Not only
do the police not permanently stop the artist from tagging up a subway, but that same artist will have to
do his passion in fear of being arrested. While there are some public art museums like the Museum of
Contemporary Art in Los Angeles or the Museum of the City of New York, neither would allow its own
premises to be defaced for even one minute. (Heather Mac Donald) Some art works end up on paper in
famous museums, some on public property. Graffiti is what you make it, either artwork, or an act of
vandalism.
I recognize that some graffiti is done in unsuitable places like on peoples personal property and
may contain a lot of vulgar and profanity, but by no means does that constitute the right to categorize all
graffiti artists as criminals that that only spray paint swear words and gang signs. There are many other
artists out there that do put up murals with the intention of getting their work seen only. I think that

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graffiti should be legalized, but limited to specific sections of a city. I don't think it'd be okay for a person
to go and graffiti on the 9/11 memorial building in New York City, but I do think it should be okay for an
artist to do it on the back of buildings in alleys or in the subways. It gives people a good opportunity to
express themselves and what their artwork means to them. Out of more than 317 million people living in
the United States, the majority of those people don't have the skill to be able to make art like some do.
The ones who can make it deserve a free public way to display it, a way to reach thousands if not millions
of people. I think graffiti is a good way to reach that many people. Not only do I think the laws on graffiti
are immensely harsh at the moment, but I believe the way the laws are against graffiti, give the artists
who partake in it, as criminals. Without the laws being lessened on the street art, the artists have no
freedoms to practice their art without being in danger of getting arrested or labeled as common everyday
criminals.

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Works Cited
Felisbret, Eric. Legal Venues Celebrate Graffiti as an Art Form. New York Times: Room For
Debate. New York Times Company, 16 July 2014. Web. 20 November 2014.

Pink, Lady. Graffiti Is Young, Cool, Creative Let It Happen. New York Times: Room For
Debate. New York Times Company, 11 July 2014. Web. 20 November 2014.

Mac Donald, Heather. Graffiti Is Always Vandalism. New York Times: Room For Debate. New
York Times Company, 16 July 2014. Web. 20 November 2014.

Olivero, Lu. Graffiti Is a Public Good, Even As It Challenges the Law. New York Times: Room
For Debate. New York Times Company, 11 July 2014. Web. 20 November 2014.