Graffitti in Poland

[george]

I was reluctant to post this because i didn't want people to think i was only critical of things in Poland. Before i get into it, i would like to say that i've been to Poland twice and loved it both times. The people were great and the cities and towns charming. Reminded me of towns i grew up with. I hope it doesn't change but i think it will.
However one thing that sticks in my craw is graffitti ( spelling ? ) I noticed it not only in larger cities but even in tiny villages. Its maddening! I live in a mid size city in America and the graffitti here is very minor compared to it in Poland. Caught putting graffitti here and your likely to be sentenced to 2 or 3 weekends scrubbing it off. In Krakow and Warsaw there doesn't seem to have a Bldg. without some that garbage on it. I Don' t for the life of me understand how authorities and aduts in general can tolerate this BS. Even in the smallest of villages! Can anyone enlighten me on this. Is this normal in other Europeon countries? Fill me in please.

[leslie]

George
I can only speak at the present about UK and I can say that wherever you go there is graffiti - some of it is harmless, some even artistic, but some is obnoxious. It is not legal, but, and I can understand this, the police have more serious things to do than go after these 'artists'. I have been to Krakow several times in the last two/three years and I can honestly say I saw no graffiti there. It may just have been the areas I was in or, I was so used to seeing it in UK that it did not register with me. I can only hope that by their letting out their feelings in this way, it is releasing them from doing so in much worse ways.
Leslie

[george]

Hi Leslie...Maybe i was in a different part of Krakow or maybe like you say your used to it. I don't consider it harmless and i don;'t think any of it is artistic. Here in the states its considered " destruction of private property".
It looks like hell, and its a problem that doesn't require EU dollars to solve. Maybe they can take the States example on this and have the little creeps who do this scrub that crap off at no expenise to the taxpayer. I'm telling you it works here. Except in certain bad parts of town in large cities here in the states its a problem but not a major problem in general.There's a solution to use if the people in charge have the B#### to deal with it. Like i said in most towns in this country it is considered outrageous to write this crap on public bldgs. Its a lack of respect for private property plain and simple and should not be tolerated.

[pieter]

George,

Unfortunately I have to say that the same thing is happening in Holland for decades.
People who are caught doing it are punished by forced labour time, but it does not
stop the diehard graffitti "artists".
Buildings, industrial compounds, railways, trains, trams, schools, the Metro in Amsterdam
and Rotterdam. Like in the subway of New York and some getto's in big American
cities you have Tag gangs, and in their competition they mark their territory.
Duch groups of boys, but also Turks, Maroccans, Antillians and Surinamese.
The same thing in Belgium, France and Germany (but in Germany less than in Holland).
I don't know if the Graffitti in Poland is a Polish phenomenon, or that it has flown
over form the West, like Holiganism and Skinheads.

Pieter

[rdywenur]

It is just as bad having body tatoos as it is to have graffitti on buildings. I understand neither.

[Eric]

In Russia, too, graffiti is a major problem. Even historical buildings are not immune - there is a tremendous amount of graffiti even on palaces in Petersburg. Even the Hermitage!

I think it is a response to the Soviet days, when if you were caught defacing a public building (even if it wasn't political graffiti), you would be in serious trouble. The penalty is much less these days, and you're also much less likely to be caught or punished. Plus, there is no more Komsomol to keep the youth well-behaved, so people will do whatever they want to now.

I've noticed that Petersburg for some reason has more of a graffiti problem than Moscow. But, then again, the police in Moscow are more attentive.

[Pawian]

To all,
Graffiti is a problem. It badly spoils the landscape. Those who do it are like dogs, they mark their terrain with their musk (paint).

It isn`t really visible in the Old Town in Kraków where there are always many people day and night and the vandals are more likely to get caught. But it is enough to leave the Old Town and visit neighbourhoods. Old historical buildings or apartment blocks, public or private etc, are smeared with graffitti, almost all of it is signatures of vandals` nicks. In areas with many apartment blocks, notorious for hosting teenage gangs, the grafiiti is mostly football slogans, with curses and threats against the rivals` team.

The amount of graffiti depends on how many teenagers groups/gangs live in the area. In mine there is hardly any graffiti, although there are some apartment blocks. In infamous Nowa Huta district there is a lot of graffiti.

There are punishments for it, of course. But the Polish police is still ineffective in dealing with petty criminals. So, if you have been pickpocketed on the bus or tram, or a radio was stolen from your car or your wall got smeared and you haven`t caught anybody red-handed, then you can forget it.

It is just impossible to patrol all areas. Those graffiti makers are very clever, careful and fast. Before the called police arrives at the site, they are long gone.

Besides, even TV propagates graffiti making. I remember one commercial with graffiti boys smearing the fence wall and drinking some cola after the "hard" work. Drinking this stupid cola and making graffiti was to be considered "trendy."

George,
in the US, can you shoot at people who are smearing your wall at night and you see it? Shoot, even kill, and have no problems with the law? That is probably why the graffiti in your neoghbourhood is at a low level ha ha ha ha. If I had a big gun like you have, nobody would make graffiti in my street ha ha ha ha ha

[Eric]

Yes, in Russia, too, commercials on TV for teenagers makes graffiti seem "popular". Also, the worst-of-the-worst Hollywood movies shown don't help the situation, either.

[piwo]

George,
in the US, can you shoot at people who are smearing your wall at night and you see it? Shoot, even kill, and have no problems with the law? That is probably why the graffiti in your neighborhood is at a low level ha ha ha ha. If I had a big gun like you have, nobody would make graffiti in my street ha ha ha ha ha

Yes, you can. With the biggest, baddest camera you can hold! ;D

Use of deadly force is generally legal in the 50 states (it's individual State laws that are applicable), but only to protect your life or another's from harm. There is no litmus test, only that a prudent person would feel that their life was in great and eminent danger. A few states will allow such force to protect property, such as looting or theft inside the home, but most the rule of eminent harm apply. In no state is such force justified for vandalism.

[george]

I have never seen Hollywood glorify graffiti. I did see a Sprite commericial in Poland that stated after this kids spends a hard day spraying graffiti he needs a Sprite drink. I almost fell off my chair. I realize there is lots of graffiti in certain parts of large American cities, however i bet you can travel thru a 100 small towns or villages in the US and not see a spec of it. Even in mid size cities. They must have a least found a semi solution to this. I have a couple of police friends of mine and i will ask them how they prevent it. I do know our local newspaper will print a defacing of public property of graffiti and people will be outraged by act itself and will usually have positive results from police and local prosicution that will result with the violaters scubbing that nuts off.

[hussar]

It depends on the grafiti. A friend of mine in Poland is into Grafiti and he's actually been asked to do a few murals/walls at local schools with spray paint drawings. I think it's all in how you define it. Grafiti is anything that can be put on a wall or other surface for the public to see. I guess it just has a negative conotation. I agree that the stuff like "J.K.S. Czarni Jaslo najlepszi, a reszta to....." is stupid and ugly but the actual drawings are nice. I know that in Warszawa they have a long wall specially put aside where they let them make spray-paint murals. It's pretty bad in Jaslo where my family is from, but you just can't control everything.

[pieter]

Hussar,

There is a destinct differance between "wanted" Graffitti and "unwanted" Graffitti, the first you can describe as an
art, because many Graffitti artists are quite skilled, but other Graffitti can not be described anything else than
as vandalism, poisoning public or private property. In our countries Graffitti sometimes get a nasty smell,
when it becomes racist, anti-semitic or extremist. In the Netherlands, Germany and France there is White Power
Graffitti in some area's, jewish, christian and Muslim graves were smeared with Swastica's, SS signs and White
Power Celtic crosses. Also Muslim fanatics, and left radicals spray their Arabic and Anarchist symbols on the
walls of French, Duch, Belgian and German cities. Area's that are full of Graffitti, easier attract less good
elements who will easier commit other vandalist acts (destroying things).
In the Netherlands they have special firms that emediately remove Graffitti, when they find it.
Some of the Graffitti I like wehn it has a function, in a Squating area in Holland or Germany for instance,
in the perifery of a city, on special walls (with permission).
Actually I like to take pictures of talented Graffitti with quality, the real beautiful pieces.
I am nearly ambivallent on the subject, because I like the American artist Jean Michelle-Basquiat,
who was a street Graffitti artist, and on his canvas works has the influence of Graffitti image language.

Pieter