File:AGANY (3656118788).jpg

The other day, they caught AGANY, a local graffiti artist. I'm trying to sort out how I feel about this.

I like graffiti; you've probably figured this out by now. I firmly believe that if someone takes a blank piece of public property, funded by taxes that they probably pay and no one gets hurt by it, then where this harm?

But, when you put your tag up on someone's home, business, or church, the rules kind of change. Public property is one thing. We, the collective we, own that. I'd rather see a tag and some talent over a blank gray wall any day of the week. But if you own that, if you live, support yourself or worship there, then that should off limits.

The only exception to the rule that I can think of is Cornbread, the first modern graffiti artist. He liked a girl by the name of Cynthia, who in turn, liked the Jackson 5. When they flew into town for a concert in Philly, the only thing he could do was to tag their personal private jet.

That shit is just funny.

Anyway, the other part of this has to do with the consequences. According to the news, AGANY cost the city $50,000 in clean up fees. What's the final price going to be? When Danny Montano, aka MFONE, was arrested, he was looking at possible sentence of $300,000 in fines and 130 years in prison. In the end, he got 5 years in prison and over 200,000 in fines, possibly one of the harshest sentences for graffiti in the United States.