New Haven Independent

Posted by: Nan Bartow | May 22, 2007 9:47 AM

Cogratulations to the Solar Youth kids from the Martinez School chapter. You are performing a great service to New Haven and to the neighborhoods where you are painting over the graffiti that soils the walls and the signs in the area.

More more to you!! May you prevail!!

Posted by: Ben | May 22, 2007 10:29 AM

Snug also destroyed State st and Ninth Square.
Aside from being a terribly untalented artist, he has no respect for very public commercial and residential properties.
Snug and Crayon(though I doubt you read this):
"Why are so many artists willing to suffer for their work, but so few are willing to learn how to draw?"-Bansky

It would be a lot of fun to catch one of these kids in the act. :)

Posted by: MARYROSARIO | May 22, 2007 12:42 PM

great job solar youth.keep cleaning to teach kids respect for property.

Posted by: Choices | May 22, 2007 1:01 PM

The legal walls that kids used to be able to go to and practice painting nice stuff at Congress Ave and in the Ninth Square have been taken away by redevelopement. If fancy buildings and skyrocketing rents are more important than giving kids a legitimate place to continually express themselves IN PUBLIC, then you are going to get a handful of young people who will be tagging for the thrill as an anti-socail behavior, rather than a creative contribution to the community. Dont criminalize hiphop, respect it, and you won't that sort of rage.

Posted by: Joanne@Solaryouth | May 22, 2007 5:27 PM

I agree. There is an amazing organization in Brooklyn (founded by a best friend of mine) who does just that: Checkk out http://www.groundswellmural.org . Let's bring them to New Haven for a project!

Posted by: KAMB | May 23, 2007 8:18 AM

Fair Haven's wlals have been littered by someone spraying the tags of TTK and EAZY all over the place. It looks like hell. TTK and EAZY have been making Fair Haven, especially James Street and the Wolcott area look horrible. If anyone knows their true identity call the NHPD so they can stop the defacing of our schools and buildings. The bike cop for Fair Haven, Officer Manware has an open case and he is trying to identify TTK and EAZY. These two kids shold spray paint their own houses.

Posted by: jade | May 23, 2007 9:20 AM

i for one would love to see kids participate in something like groundswell. look at the streets of philly, where there are vibrant, colorful murals everywhere! any creative, positive activity for kids should be considered viable.

Posted by: Fr Jim | May 23, 2007 12:01 PM

Monday night our sidewalk in front of Saint Rose of Lima School, the street, 2 city garbage cans, and a Mutual owned house in front of our school on Richard St was tagged. Not with art, but with harsh words in red paint, disrespecting another neighborhood and claiming terrority.

Not here.

Fortunately a neighbor saw the kids who did it, identified them, and alerted our lead organizer, who was arriving at a meeting in the parish.

What some folks do not know is that we have a pretty tight neighborhood. Since our march in January, we talk alot more to one another. Monday night we also had 33 parish leaders for a follow up meeting on some parish leadership development we are doing. The 33 leaders and I turned out on to Richard St.

It was explained to the teens the disrespect, potential danger to our neighborhood that their tags represented, and that the neighborhood is working hard to improve things.

There was understandably some attitude, but atleast one of the teens, (and later the other) helped remove (not completely) one of the tags off from in front of the principle entrance to Saint Rose of Lima School.

I called the police so that a report could be atleast made. Like most low priority calls, we, all 34 of us, waited for about an hour. Meanwhile the 33 leaders parish leaders conducted their workshop and made it into a practicum of public life.

The police took the necessary information. No arrest was made, as our neighbor did not want to go to court and "point them out," as the officer said.

The leaders of Saint Rose of Lima and I realize that for community policing to work, we too have to support the police and come forward, especially if we are sick and tried of moving from one neighborhood to another, in the hopes of finding a little peace. We also expect to receive the support from the police when we do act. We know that when we are in relationship with one another, talk to each other, calling one another by name as neighbors, we will not only be able to identify the problems, but more importantly, come up with some solutions that fit our neighborhood.

I guess the most important solution is for neighbors to get to know each other, youth and adult alike. Everything will flow from that.

Liviable City Initiative and Mutual Housing were contacted asking them to promptly remove these tags.

These tags were not art, but harsh racist words disrespecting certain people, aside from disrespecting St. Rose of Lima School and our Richard St neighborhood.

St. Rose of Lima parish leaders continue to remain committed to developing ourselves to be more effective leaders, stengthen our faith community, and put our faith into action to postively impact our neighborhood. We are excited about working with our neighbors, Mutual Housing (who now owns the majority of the houses on Richard St), and our other allies and friends to have a great summer.

Posted by: Fr Jim | May 23, 2007 12:46 PM

Such a long prior post, but I want to say that I do not hold it against my neighbor for not wanting to testify, and thus no arrest of the vandels.

I understand and respect the decision. I am grateful that my neighbor said something. We at St. Rose of Lima have a lot of work to do, so that we all feel secure. The cool thing is that we are talking to one another and about it.