Skip to main content
Donate

'Artrageous' Campaign Tagged as Inappropriate by City Council

By Mary Beth Barker
September 8, 2011
Support Provided By

Labor Day advertisements for Aaron Brother's "Artrageous" graffiti art campaign may be the last after the Los Angeles City Council approved a resolution Wednesday asking Aaron Brothers to end promotions for urban art events that included giving away free graffiti started kits and selling a how-to graffiti book.

The resolution (.pdf) also renewed debate about graffiti policy in Los Angeles.

In addition to addressing the problem with Aaron Brothers, the council approved having the LAPD look at Oregon's regulations that control access to spray paint and materials associated with graffiti tagging that may be relevant to future policy in Los Angeles. There was also a request for an update on LAPD's new graffiti tracking program, a database that helps track, arrest and prosecute taggers in the city.

Arnold Sachs stood up during public comment to defend the campaign, saying graffiti is also considered art, not just a form of vandalism.

"I have nothing against art, but when you are tagging walls and destroying public and private property I don't consider that art," said Councilman Dennis Zine.

About $7.1 million was spent on cleaning up graffiti in the city last year.

Also approved was a decision to request that the art supply store post a "prominent message about the ramifications and penalties of graffiti vandalism and the detrimental impact it has on our community." Details of what the message would say and where it would be posted were not mentioned.

The "live urban art events" drew criticism from city council members such as Zine who said he believes the program encouraged children to participate in an activity that was an act of vandalism and detrimental to the community. He and Mitchelle Englander wrote the resolution detailing problems with the "graffiti starter kits" that was seconded by Tom Labonde, Bernard Parks and Bill Rosendahl.

The company said their art events were meant to encourage art with proceeds being donated to the Boys and Girls Club of LA. A promotional video featured artist Scape Martinez demonstrating graffiti basics by drawing an Aaron Brothers logo on an outdoor wall.

Aaron Brothers cancelled their campaign events scheduled at stores around Los Angeles County for September after being contacted by Zine in August. Zine commended the store on their quick response to the issue and said the art store would still make a donation the Boys and Girls Club of LA.

annenberg-school-of-journalism

Mary Beth Barker is a graduate student at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, which has partnered with KCET-TV to produce this blog about policy in Los Angeles.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
By Emma Foehringer Merchant, Inside Climate News
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
By Marisa Kendall, CalMatters