Carl Zehr Square renovations

[danbrotherston]

I was referring to our current discourse and policy around tagging namely erasing and trying to eliminate it by force and persistence without regard for the reasons why it happens. 

I am trying to be empathetic to how people in that position feel and relate to the broader community. 

Someone tagging, no matter how primal and base it is, is expressing themselves. We may disagree with the method and message but that’s what it is. My opinion is that they likely don’t have another way to feel hear or express themselves in our broader community. Hence they may feel excluded. By erasing their tag that is silencing and erasing their message which I’d argue is oppressive. And being angry about tagging (as I am) is antagonistic. 

Or at least my thinking on it.

Thanks, I appreciate the perspective. It’s the sort of consideration that needs to be included when considering how to respond to a crime problem — it’s more than just finding and punishing the specific offenders or “offenders”.

However, I have to say that I think using the word “oppression” to refer to painting over graffiti is insulting to the victims of actual oppression. I just can’t see it as “oppressive” for a property owner to maintain their property. It might feel oppressive to the person who made the mark, but that doesn’t mean that it actually is oppressive.

I mean...I would argue that it is oppression and it is just an issue of severity and impact. But maybe you prefer the word repression? For the life of me, I'm not clear on what the distinction is.

Whichever word you prefer, I think there is a difference between public and private property here. The public property does belong to all of us. Unlike someone's private property we are all entitled to some say in how the public infra works, and I do think not everyone gets the same say in this.

That being said, I doubt taggers have this in mind when they are vandalizing public property, nor do I doubt they would distinguish between public and private property much. But I think it's more of a general experience in society than a specific grievance with specific city policy, as, for example, I might take issue with. But my ability to articulate my grievances more clearly doesn't entirely invalidate other grievances.