VOICE OF THE PEOPLE--RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE-- SHOULD THE COUNTY REMOVE GRAFFITI ALONG THE BRONX RIVER PARWAY OR HAVE AN ORGANIZED COMMUNITY ART PROJECT ALONG THE PATH?
THESE ARE THE RESPONSES I HAVE RECEIVED
Received a number of thoughtful responses from residents to the questionnaire I sent out about graffiti along the Bronx River Parkway path. Shortly after I issued my statement volunteers met on the parkway path and started clearing the path of graffiti. But---there is still graffiti. It probably will take months to clear the graffiti. Is an organized art initiative a more practical approach?
I appreciate your feedback!
Paul Feiner
What do you think?
Option 1---the county of Westchester should remove the graffiti along the Bronx River bikeway.
Respect open spaces.
Option 2---a volunteer graffiti busters group should be formed to remove the graffiti.
Option 3---The county will never be able to completely get rid of graffiti along the path. The county
should approach artists and create a community art project along the path.
From: Lois
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2017 6:01 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 3 appeals to me.
Lois
From:
Sent: Tuesday, May 2, 2017 10:23 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
option 3 makes the most sense and least costly
From: DEBORAH
To: "pfeiner@greenburghny.com" <pfeiner@greenburghny.com>
Sent: Monday, May 1, 2017 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Dear Mr. Feiner,
Regarding the graffiti issue: it is greatly disturbing that there are actually advocates for this type of vandalism. I was a member of last year's volunteer graffiti squad--yes, there is one already in place--and we personally eradicated graffiti in certain areas along the Bronx River. I also wrote to you at the time to suggest that this "expression" be channeled into healthy outlets, like the use of vacant properties in White Plains, for example, to establish community based venues where these budding "artists" can paint and draw without violating property or the rights of others. Nature is no place for graffiti--period. The fact that this is even being discussed is a dangerous precedent. The random squiggles and defacement of beauty should never be countenanced or encouraged.
What I suggest is the use of a government agency to eradicate this continuing problem. What we have done is a band aid approach at best. Volunteer three hour sessions once in a while doesn't even begin to deal with this problem. If this became a part of an agency task force, however, there would be constant care. Also, as I suggested to you before, graffiti removal should become part of community service for those convicted of certain crimes. Unless you catch the vandals in the act, or have surveillance in all of these areas, catching graffiti miscreants is next to impossible. As we don't have the resources for that type of surveillance, the only way to combat this problem is to get our existing government agencies involved as part of their normal duties. That, combined with dedicated volunteers, will go a long way to getting rid of this problem once and for all.
From: Sean
Sent: Monday, May 1, 2017 4:46 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: RE: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should
county remove or allow organized art?
The graffiti looks terrible and should be removed immediately by whatever
government agency is responsible for its maintenance. This is a quality of
life issue. Furthermore, this is a perfect example of the "broken windows
theory."
From: Christine
Sent: Monday, May 1, 2017 1:50 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
I'd say option 1 but offer this as a community service project to the local schools. Lots of high schools in the area require community service as a condition to graduate.
From: Anne
Sent: Monday, May 1, 2017 1:56 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
I often think that people building things pay inadequate attention to their esthetic effect on neighborhoods. I suspect being surrounded by featureless concrete encourages young people to take matters into their own hands
From: Elio
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 11:41 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Cc: Kimberly Giuliani
Subject: Re: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Paul
My wife and I also bike on the County trailways.
My thoughts on County operations:
There has been some limited hiring to replace some of the 1,000 fewer workers presently in Westchester county govt. But too many of the hired people are not real workers (such as needed laborers in the parks dept) and instead are do-nothing politically connected people who fill needed real budgeted positions in offices throughout Westchester depts. Some work on politics or get their degrees during the day with on-line courses using the partial tuition reimbursement program.
Since RPA took office in Jan 2010 the county work force is down 1,000+ workers from 2 retirement incentives and approx 300 layoffs also.
Maintenance and projects have suffered.
His publicity machine has not. Example:The County web site has become basically the RPA publicity web site to further his public visibility.
Many departments have created events and flyers that feature RPA to continue to get his name out.
Many of us predict those garish 7 large LED signs on the County center and the traffic island will soon be showing RPA's face on them. Currently they seem to show his name on them every third notice in the sequence.
Did you notice the rain covering for the front steps of the County Center was removed to allow installing the center LED sign months back? The center one was installed after the covering was demolished and removed.
Selfish ! Costly ! see attached pictures I found using Google search of the entrance steps currently and before .
We noticed the Putnam portion of the trailways are in much better condition. We biked them also.
From: Antoinette
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 12:28 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: set..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
I prefer option 3 to encourage creativity among our youth. Of course, we will never be entirely free of offensive graffiti but perhaps young artists might be given the responsibility to paint over or at least identify offensive or ego centered graffiti ( tags consisting of sloppily painted names just to be "up" rather than artwork) and to maintain the beauty of their own art. In this day and age when art programs are being defunded by the federal government, perhaps our town can support young artists.
From:
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 12:58 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 1---the county of Westchester should remove the graffiti along the Bronx River bikeway. Respect open spaces.
Option 1---the county of Westchester should remove the graffiti along the Bronx River bikeway. Respect open spaces.
From: joy
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:24 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
I agree with you Paul. The path gives people an opportunity to enjoy the all the beautiful nature this county has to offer. It's why we live here and not the city. Anything you can do to facilitate the removal of the graffiti would be appreciated.
From: Naomi
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:24 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 1, the County should remove the Graffiti and clean up the debris as a first step, then Option 3, the idea of young artists decorating the underpasses would galvanize their creativity and give purpose and beauty to ugly grey stone and metal.
From: Anne
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:46 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Graffiti seems to accumulate on very ugly surfaces. Sometimes it's an improvement. Organized art sounds like a good idea
From: Patricia
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:48 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Re: graffiti - I’m in favor of option #1 - have the County try to remove it. The best solution would be to find the offenders and have them do the work. But, that will never happen!!!!
From:
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:51 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Opinion 1
From:
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 7:57 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Dear Paul,
Community-based efforts to improve and preserve public spaces are commendable and should be encouraged. Such efforts serve to create a healthy sense of ownership and to cultivate civic pride.
However, the County has an obligation to maintain these areas in a manner consistent with its service responsibilities and befitting the taxpayers' expectations. For many reasons, Westchester should demonstrate that it meets a higher standard in all dimensions of citizen satisfaction. Situations such as your photos depict send a message of "we don't care".
On a different subject, when you are next driving that way, you might also take a hard look at the Cross County Parkway roadside maintenance, which is unsightly to say the least. Whether County, State or Yonkers responsibility, it shouts neglect, from the Henry Hudson to the Hutch. Missing light posts, fallen tree trunks, road litter, weeds and assorted other detritus put a poor face on this much-traveled artery.
From: Robyn
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:15 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Please choose option 1 or 2. The graffiti "art" looks messy and garish. When people are out taking a relaxing bike ride, I don't think that is what the majority wants to see.
From: Cynthia
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:18 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
On Graffiti -- Options 1 and 2.
From: Jerrilyn
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:30 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 3 would be a positive approach to the problem and give community artist visibility and users of the path additional beauty to enjoy.
From: John
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:34 AM
To: Paul Feiner; gblist@cit-e.net
Subject: Re:..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
I am against graffiti on the path using inappropriate language and imagery.
However, I am a proponent of participation and think option 3 is the way to go.
Art is a powerful thing and if done by and for the community it could make the path even better.
I have also ridden on both paths recently and would recommend paving the Bronx River path.
Some parts are little more than dirt.
Thank you.
From: Murray
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:42 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Paul,
When they paint over graffiti they need to use “spotted” paint, a paint with a random design, so the “artists” don’t have a clean, new palette.
From: Debra
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 8:52 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: FW: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Good Morning,
I like Option #3 - approach local artist I grew up in the Bronx and when local artists were involved with painting community property, it was a sense of pride and the property was not vandalized.
Also, as another point, most vandalism is done as the sun is going down and at night (when the paths have less people on them). Maybe random police patrols (checks) in these areas would prevent the wall tagging.
From: Khema
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:06 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Hi Paul,
I agree with option number 3.
From: erna
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:12 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: RE: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
If/once graffiti is removed ..how will it not reappear? the "canvas" is very inviting!
From: Burke
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:35 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: RE: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Graffiti is Graffiti - Option 1---the county of Westchester should remove the graffiti along the Bronx River bikeway. Respect open spaces.
From: Stephen
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:36 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Try and get in touch with Victor Dipierro a NYC POLICE OFFICER who over the years successfully implemented the removal of graffitti and logging of "art work culprits"
Hey may be assigned to the 49th pct
He was very successful and featured on 60 minutes TV show He spent many years dealing with this issue I think it should be removed and I also think if it's so popular then we could find a space for these kidsto show their art work perhaps acknowledging them and at the same time preventing the distraction and damage to public and private property
From: Katherine
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:40 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 1
From: Michael
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 9:48 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 1
From: Bea
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 10:03 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
Option 3 seems the most practical
From: TJ
Sent: Monday, May 1, 2017 7:09 AM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: ..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county remove or allow organized art?
#3.... if you have ever been to Philly this is very common and is a wonderful thing for the community. Plus if they graffiti again on same spot much more likely that artists will quickly return to beautify than the county.
Creating and Collaborating Broadens Street Art's Reach
Street artists were invited to create on the 69th floor of a skyscraper.
Posted Feb 22, 2017
On February 21, 2017, the New York Times described a radical experiment: the 69th floor of 4 World Trade Center Tower is currently welcoming renowned street artists to express themselves inside—and legally. The next day, February 22, 2017, the entire issue of Figaroscope, a weekly compilation of events in the Paris region, was dedicated to street art in France's capital—that which shows up in subway corridors, on walls, sidewalks, pavements, trucks, almost anywhere in outdoor and often public spaces, with or without permission.
Source: Roni Beth Tower
Such recognition of the talent and creativity of those who work in the genre marks a shift in its official acceptance. What began with graffiti, expanded with Basquiat in the 1970’s, broadened to new targets inspired by Keith Haring’s images and with the inclusion of new materials in the 1980’s (along with increased official metropolitan resistance), has now seen the rise of new masters in the new century. In Paris, a major exhibition at the Musée Maillol of the work of renowned street artist Ben was a blockbuster; huge murals such as the one incorporating Dali-inspired themes presides over the plaza outside Centre George Pompidou; and Art42, a museum devoted specifically to street art, opened in 2016. In Manhattan, the building at 190 Bowery whose owner encouraged street art was designated a New York City Landmark in 2005; Bansky made his way around the boroughs in 2013; in 2014 JR covered the Promenade floor of the Koch Theater with larger than life dancers, silently inviting interaction.
Clearly these artistic expressions, disruptive of traditional notions as they may be, hold intrigue and appeal to today’s public. They have also fascinated neuropsychologist Yoav Litvin who, after publishing Outdoor Gallery: New York City in 2014, harnessed his training as a psychologist to that as a photographer (blending disparate skill sets as do so many street artists) and embarked upon a project that he documented in 2Create: Art Collaborations in New York City.
Source: Yoav Litvin/Cover by Dan Michman
Litvin had captured the vibrancy and compelling nature of the murals, collages, silk-screens, graffiti-centered or imbued compositions and other street art in his first book. He realized that, by preserving images of the pieces in high quality photographs, he could become part of their story, especially since they were often painted over. But, always the psychologist, he could not resist wondering how the artists had claimed the street art path and, even more, how their relationships with other artists evolved. To further explore these questions, he convinced nine pairs of street artists to allow him to document their creation of a collaborative work in 2Create.
In his second book, Litvin explores how the artists can come to create, collaborate, and communicate within inevitably close relationships. His artists were born in places ranging from Montreal to Santiago, from Sweden (of Finnish origins) to Queens. They had almost boringly stable childhoods or chaotic ones and everything in between. They were born across decades into families of 16 different ethnic backgrounds. (Two were brothers; two others claimed similar Italian heritage.) Some knew they were artists nearly from birth; others discovered their passion in college. Nonetheless, they each found their calling once they discovered the excitement and freedom of street art. All cared passionately about the work they made and agreed on its essential components:
article continues after advertisement
• Creating. No matter whether their style was fluid or detailed, their process organic or planned, all the artists had mastered their materials and had a preferred medium to work in, whether paint, collage, silk screen, or spray cans. They each were thus able to allow the bulk of their energy to go into artistic expression rather than mastering a technique. They all valued expanding their repertoire but also had an internal aesthetic. They also knew that they needed to make art, that doing so was an essential part of who they were. Finally, every one of them shared a commitment to music and movement as well as to graphic art. An alternate source of expression could bring them joy, inspiration or respite when the creative process got stuck.
• Collaborating. Because art is such a personal expression, creating in teams with comfort and joy was not a given. History has given us many examples of artists who learned from one another and expanded their horizons through their relationships, but true collaborations — perhaps Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely are a notable exception — have been rare. All nine of Litvin’s artist pairs were enthusiastic about and pleased with the process. They all realized that the boundaries of their own perspectives had been broadened. But they also attributed the success of their collaborations to:
o Respect for each other’s work.
o Trust for each other’s goodwill and integrity.
o Willingness to work out differences of opinion
• Communicating. As in most teamwork, the key to potential conflict resolution was in communication. Some pairs did it through discussion, one through nonverbal exploration of possibilities, others through reminding themselves that the integrity of the whole was more important than the way either one of them saw it. And if words failed, their shared love of music and movement could provide an alternate language until they used words or time to again share the same page of perspective.
With the arrival of Litvin’s book last fall and now the assignment of a floor in a World Trade Center Tower to recognized street artists, the medium is set for another jump into respectability.
Copyright 2017 Roni Beth Tower
From:
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2017 1:28 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: Chuck Bronz memorial set..graffiti on Brx River Parkway-should county rem...
Option 1 - Westchester County should remove all graffiti from the Bronx River Parkway.
Phil
Paul Feiner
