Sight, Graffiti Artist on Cover of LA Weekly, Suspended From His Job for Speaking Out Against L.A.'s War on Graffiti

@timmaughan FFS why is graffitti a felony. It doesn't hurt anyone.

hope a graphic design firm reads this and snaps Sight up. 

On this day the dept of Planning will be meeting yet again to vote on the proposed Mural Ordinance, before passing it to the City Council.

September 13, 2012 8:30am ROOM 350, City Hall 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

Our city is bombarded with billboards and yet our murals are being erased, no new murals are staying up before graffiti abatement comes in and destroys them and artists are being cited and doing time, lives have been ruined, jobs have been taken away.  Lets speak up..don't be complacent...

LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD!! ART IS FOR EVERYONE!!  TEACHERS! COMMUNITY MEMBERS! BUSINESS OWNERS! ART BASED ORGANIZATIONS! COMMUNITY LEADERS, ORGANIZERS, ACTIVISTS! PARENTS! STUDENTS! ARTISTS!!  OUR VOICE IS OUR WEAPON!!! USE IT!!!

"On July 12, 2012, the City Planning Commission (CPC) heard and deliberated on a proposed ordinance to allow the creation and preservation of Original Art Murals. 

Thirty speakers spoke on the proposed ordinance and expressed concerns regarding: 

(1) digitally printed images being permitted as murals;  (2) the registration fee for new murals;  (3) the registration fee for existing murals;  (4) the 100 foot height limitation, and;  (5) the mural ban on residential buildings with fewer than five units." *Dept. of City Planning Recommendation Report.

ART IS HEALING, BEAUTIFYING, LOVE FOR THE EVERYONE.

Sign the Petitioning Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles City Planning Department Stop the "Second Final Draft Mural Ordinance" as is from passing. https://www.change.org/petitions/los-angeles-city-council-and-los-angeles-city-planning-department-stop-the-second-final-draft-mural-ordinance-as-is-from-passing

This petition will be delivered to: Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles City Planning Department. mural ordinance as it reads

now: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/Misc/MuralOrdinance.pdf

updated staff report as of July 12, 2012: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/Misc/supplementalmural_StaffRpt.pdf

Here's the solution for graffiti fans:

* Graffiti makers should designate their own houses, garages, sidewalks, walls, driveways, windows, etc., as graffiti zones.  Let them put graffiti on their own property.  They can spray and etch as much as they want all over their own homes and cars.  They should invite others to do the same to their homes and cars.

* People who think graffiti is art should also designate their own art galleries, houses, garages, sidewalks, walls, driveways, windows, etc., as graffiti zones.  The fans should invite graffiti makers to put graffiti all over their property like their houses, businesses, cars, sidewalks, windows, etc.,

That way the graffiti artists would not put graffiti over other people's property.  Those art galleries in the expensive neighborhoods who've been paying graffiti makers should welcome every graffiti artist to their gallery buildings.  That is the very obvious simple solution. 

Please print this in the LA Weekly and please print your address so that graffiti artists know where they can start putting graffiti all over your business, sidewalks, vans, windows, walls, gates, etc.,  If you don't think this is a good idea, for graffiti artists to come to your business and home, please explain why.  You said it was art, right?

In the words of EVERY Building  Owner, and manager, in Los Angeles:

   FUCK "sight"..   right up his  scrawl-happy culo!!!!

If LA weekly can explain to its readers the  positive role Graffiti plays in any society, maybe their reader would show a little more compassion. It is unfortunate that his person was fired - no one wants to see a family man out of work, but I'm not quite sure if he gets it. Graffiti is a blythe on society that no one from any respectable neighborhood or environment wants to see... That is the message the Weekly should be sending instead of printing and article defending this unsightly act and the people who do it while villifying the men and women who work to protect our society from it. 

L.A. Weekly: you guys are like the Mom we see on TV saying "my boy is GOOD boy, he would never do anything like this". Well, he did. And now he has to face the consequences of his actions. It might be a new concept to your staff, but it's called accountability. Try looking it up and see if you understand.

Enough with the graffiti.  It's ugly, bad for the environment, and a waste of taxpayer money to keep painting it over.  Nothing wrong with officially approved street art of any style, but painting on other people's property - it's just not cool, period.  This guy is paying the price for things he did earlier in his life, but saying things like "I hate painting out (illegal) graffiti" shows he still has one foot in that world.  How would the author of the article feel if his/her car was scratched with gang graffiti, or house tagged?   And even if you say, "OK, this is ART" - most of it is on the level of velvet painting art or dogs playing poker art.  Tacky and bad taste.  

The last paragraph in this story reads like a pet adoption ad. What the hell? 

The man spoke his mind and lost his job!  That does not strike me as very American.  While the First Amendment applies to the government and not to private companies, most Americans expect private companies to respect the American value of Free Speech.

I do not even see where he said anything negative about the company itself.  It was a personal comment about how it was emotionally stressful for him to remove what he considers works of art.

If his company had been hired by the City as a subcontractor, then there may be a constitutional issue since the government may not violate First Amendment rights by hiring someone to do the violation for them.   The Labor Lawyers will look at the facts and compare them to measly protection California law provides workers and then they'll do what they'll do.

LA Weekly should hire him to make illustrations for the articles. This article would have been way better if he made a really sick painting for it.

He lost his job for this article that shows how much of a good person his employer was.

Sight is the man. Eric and Benjamin people like you are losers, people I hate.

SInce Simone helped to get him fired, Simone and the LA Weekly can hire him to work at LA Weekly.   Good Job Simone, I hope you can sleep at night.

SIGHT DOES NOT DO ANY ILLEGAL GRAFFITI  ANYMORE HE JUST DOES LEGAL IN HONOR OF HIS FAMILY AND COMMUNITY. ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS LEGAL ART AND MURALS.

Maybe he can sell his art? You could throw him a gallery opening!

Calling all rich angels. How about asking Sight to do commission work? Sight have you thought about doing your art professionally? Is there a design firm out there that would hire Sight?! Here's a question for Sight and other street artists. Would you be willing to do street art if it were legal? Let's say there were particular walls in LA where artists were allowed to put up temporary installations...would you be game for that? The city of Tokyo does this and it is very popular. There are different pop up installations where street artists can show their work. It constantly changes as other artists come in and paint over work so it's really exciting. Also, Sight I'm so sorry to hear you were incarcerated for 4 years for a non-violent crime. There are some many overwhelming inequalities in our justice system.

dont be mad, son....UPS IS HIRING

The reality of this article is, the city wants to make it seem as if they are combating a big problem such as graffiti. OKAY?? Where do i begin..the city has money to lock people up for minor non violent offenses...will go to great lengths for a prosecution..defame the person that is allegedly involved in graffiti make themselves look as the hero's and put a curtain and a cloud of smoke infront of the normal every day joe in society...and the puppets that are speaking out of that hole they call a mouth believe every single thing ... that is fed to them..BUT thats what society's leaders are here for..The blind leading the blind..Money to stop graffiti put people away for years for non violent cases..but cant stop methlabs..cant stop poverty in skid road and clean up certain areas of downtown only when people are up for re-election...cowards that wake up in the morning to "protect and serve" but cant solve child molestation cases or create lanes for people to follow ...so maybe in the future their are few inconveniences with the law... "IF WE TAKE CARE OF OUR YOUTH TODAY WE DONT HAVE TO PUNISH THE MAN IN THE FUTURE"..but its all a profit to the city...and the state.... they get paid off a crime..do they really want to stop it?? DOUBT IT..do they want to take credit for something so small as graffiti being "prevented" why not take credit for real crimes..solving murders..rape..child molestation..child abuse...gay bashing...etc etc....no no no...thats too much hard work..lets go after graffiti ..yeahh thatll make us look like we are on the ball and the tax money is going to the right place and we are doing the minimal amount of work to protect these streets..FUCK EM...

I much rather see well done graffiti than the mass amount of media driven materialistic impulse driven advertisements that are bombarded at you form all angles. In fact I barely notice any of that graffiti included. How many of you "tax payers" ride the metro. Mad because you have to pay someone to clean up some refuse, not mad enough when you pay the pockets of corrupt racist cops. and props to lizgarcia1995's point. That man did his time and he is entitled to his opinions. 

All you people judging him act like if your shit don't stink and you live the perfect life. He went to jail and did his time now let the guy work and be able to support his family. There's worse people to worry about out there than a tagger.

Ur propertys Next!!

Why would it take any time to find out who he was?  You put his picture on the cover, the company he works for erases graffiti - how could they NOT know in 24 hours exactly who he was and what his record was?  I'm not saying they should have fired him - I just can't understand how you could think there was some kind of conspiracy involved in this.

"We did not reveal either Sight's name or his company's name in the story, so it would have taken an immense amount of digging -- in the single day since the issue came out -- to discover where he worked. So his company's alleged reason for firing him (that they may have lost a contract over his comments) are hard to believe."

Lets see...he works for a company that removes graffiti then publicly states he loves graffiti and would rather do anything else in the world and doesnt want to take it down. They are just honoring his wishes. Welcome to the real world and not the imaginary one where it's ok to destroy others property.

How about hiring him at the LA Weekly?

This guy obviously isn't reformed. I feel bad for his family but not for him...

No. He's unemployed for consistently making bad choices. The younger crowd should learn from this.

that sucks but then again why did you guys show his face common now. He should of just stayed annonimous.

I hope he finds a better job! One that makes him feel good!

" It's like me going into their mama's living room..."

DUDE, SHUT UP.

UPPIDY ASS "PROPER" CITIZEN.

THERES A GREAT DEAL OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO UNDERSTAND THIS CULTURE. YOU DONT HAVE TO RESPECT IT, BUT ATLEAST  TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUE AND THE REAL PEOPLE WHO'S LIVES ARE AFFECTED.  ALL OF THEM, NOT JUST THE "VICTIMS" OF GRAFFITI.

Yea its tough all over i cant even beg for a throwing i feel for you brother

this is terrible..

SAND.ONE ....peace MAD LOVE'

Sorry. I gotta call this out here. I just read thiings in this article like:

"It's a beautiful experience." In reference to being outdoors in the peaceful evening, tagging.

That the "cat and mouse game" between police and taggers is "part of the excitement to it."

The "wealthy" Metro Transit Authority. (Ha)

...and lastly,  the Sherrif's Transit Services Bureau is one of the "most ruthless and effective anti-graffiti task forces on Earth."

Is everyone high here?

99% of the tagging in Los Angeles is shite that no one wants to look at and it takes months to clean it up. Ask anyone what it's like here now compared to 10 years ago. If the Sheriff's Transit Services Bureau is one of the most effective, then we all should kill ourselves now.

These are not "false" bad guys, these are bad, bad guys-- unless they stop tagging on property that isn't theirs. It's like me going into their mama's living room (or their wife's or boyfriend's), painting it purple and saying, "Dude, you have no taste in design, purple is it. It's a better match to your sofa. If you want to prosecute me then bite me." Graffiti coats the 10 freeway, all over passes, public and private property, and is a ridiculous blight on the Eastside. A blight on even old people's homes who have trouble paying a light bill much less buying paint and painting over such garbage every week.  I have a wall that faces a major street in LA and the coats of paint are peeling off from having to paint over it. It's not my job to decide if it's art or not. And like I said, this article is about the 1% that may or may not be decent art, but still isnt' fair if it's done rogue.

If they get a pass from a building owner, it's up to the owner to get the proper permission from the City to keep it legit. End of Story.

Saying that you are allowing a culture permission for self expression or you're making kids "act out" by enforcing the law Is total BS not owning responsibility for your actions.  Typical. The parents of these kids are absent. There is total lawlessness here, and only glorified and trivialized  in Los Angeles where the politicians have not a pair in sight. Ask New Your City about its "street art" now.

There's a place for "self expression." It's called an "Art Gallery." If you're really innocent, next time an undercover cop comes to your opening, consider it a complement, give them a discount on a sale. If they aren't buying (cause cops are cheap)  then politely say, "Bite me" and greet your next guest.