Quote of note:

Though some consider the graffiti look a legitimate — even hip — form of art, others, including city leaders and police, remain convinced it is a symbol of blight and crime.

Mural or Graffiti? City Draws Line
L.A. is cracking down on wall art, ordering businesses to redo or remove works.
By Daniel Hernandez
Times Staff Writer
August 25, 2005

Los Angeles is often called the mural capital of the world — and no place is this truer than on the streets of Boyle Heights, where hundreds of walls at pharmacies, general stores, guitar shops and even churches have been transformed into urban artwork.

The murals depict Mexican American history, advertise businesses and take the form of abstract art at the hands of graffiti taggers.

But now some residents complain that they cannot tell some of the murals from the illegal graffiti that have long plagued the area. So the city is cracking down.

Using a little-known ordinance that allows the city to regulate murals that abut public property — including sidewalks — officials have notified some property owners that they must either modify or remove their murals.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began the pilot program to enforce the ordinance while he was still a councilman representing the Eastside. But the effort, which targets murals that lack city permits, has divided residents, reflecting a divergence in views about graffiti and art that is playing out in cities across the nation.

Though some consider the graffiti look a legitimate — even hip — form of art, others, including city leaders and police, remain convinced it is a symbol of blight and crime. The debate has also roiled New York, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently tried to revoke a block party permit for fashion designer Marc Ecko featuring taggers spray-painting graffiti on replicas of subway car panels. Ecko insists tagging is art, but Bloomberg argued the party would encourage vandalism. A judge this week sided with Ecko, and the party occurred Wednesday.