Carl Zehr Square renovations

[danbrotherston]

I'm not saying it's a silver bullet, and it takes effort to get right, but it's a constructive empathetic inclusive solution, rather than an antagonistic oppressive and exclusive one.

Ultimately there are two problems here...a surface one...the bridge is getting tagged...and a deeper one...there are people in our community who feel so excluded and disconnected as to be motivated to tag parts of our community.

This is a good way of thinking about it. I think where artwork helps the issue it is probably at least in part the social context as you say, rather than simply the presence of art vs. a blank space.

I’m a bit unclear, however, on what you are referring to when you characterize something as “antagonistic oppressive and exclusive”. I don’t think anybody has suggested any draconian responses in this thread.

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.