Ridiculous Amount of Graffiti in Duluth
Is it just me, or is there an insane amount of vandalism in Duluth this spring? It seems like everywhere I go there’s a bunch of random scribbles on everything. I’m even seeing it on the sides of people’s houses! I went for a walk down in the ol’ Canal Park this morning, the first time this year since the thaw, only to be pretty disappointed by what I found.
I mean, really? Why?
I just saw a report on one of the local stations about a whole section of the Lakewalk pavement that had to be painted over due to some jack### laying a bunch of spray paint down. The city allegedly spent 70 grand last year in clean-up?
Perhaps I’m overreacting, but perhaps not. I’m seriously annoyed.
I’ve seen the spray painting on the Lakewalk and, if I were to guess, that vandal is the same person. It’s always messages like “Make Art Not War” and “What are you doing with your life?” and “Peace this way.” Same pretentious stuff, mostly the same areas.
I actually think graffiti can be a form of art, but random spray-painting just doesn’t qualify. It’s just the same as littering, which is rude and stupid, not an expression of creativity.
Just morons, just like liter and like crapping in their own backyard. No respect for where they live. Duluth is a great place. They should move to Cleveland or Milwaukee.
Please just tag and graffiti in the Graffiti Graveyard. I strolled along the Lakewalk today and only noticed some on that ship house bike rental building. Later I passed by the entrance to the Graveyard peering into a sea of art. There appears no effort to paint over that place (except by graffiti artists) because it’s out of sight. Maybe the Graffiti Graveyard should have a boardwalk running through it.
According to the DNT, Whisky at the Gallows (which is what the graffiti repeatedly says) is a two-person bluegrass band from Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Perhaps everyone who’s ever been to a Whiskey at the Gallows show should be sent to Guantanamo Bay and they can sort it out there.
I’ll bet it was skateboarders.
I bet the Whiskey at the Gallows next show (5:30pm at Legacy Glassworks on June 1st) will have some extra attention now.
99.9% of grafitti is vandalism, but .1% is art.
For the projected cost of the NorShor, the city could clean up graffiti for 106 years.
Here’s an example of real graffiti (my cousin):
https://ryanquirt.com
In the tunnel beneath Central Avenue.
Graffiti is people ruining other people’s property.
The typical dumb ass with a can of spray paint does not own any property and has no frame of reference for maintaining property or the value of said property. This is why poorer neighborhoods have the most graffiti, there is less personal investment.
Kids are stupid and there is no cure for youth. If you see kids tagging things they do not own, breaking one of their fingers usually helps to get my point across that their behavior is unacceptable.
It really pisses me off when it’s in some of our beautiful city parks. Chester Creek has a bunch of new stuff this year — sprayed on rocks, etc.
Both Chester Bowl and Hartley Park have a fair amount of spray paint on rocks. Sad.
Chester is where I first started noticing it in excess this year. The overlook on Sixth Street is covered, and the house closest has a bunch of garbage tagged on it, including the word “Hemp.”
Yeah, that’s awesome.
Make it stop, it hurts.
@ B-Man. Well said
Banksy was in Duluth?!? Awesome!
There has been much on the Miller Creek Trail which starts in Lincoln Park for the past couple of years. Both the graffiti and vandalism to the few old stone walls that remain are heart breaking.
People that tag are dirt balls. No life, no respect and likely no jobs. I love Chester park and that area. Trashing the rocks is sick.
Just walking down to the local park in Lakeside – random scribblings on the rocks… Bad form. Somebody should hide out and paint the hands of these vandals red – and then do this to them the next day:
Just read on the interlink that Whiskey at the Gallows cancelled their show and are upset with the person who did the vandalism.
Two words: Paintball guns. See how they like getting tagged. I have an urge to hang out on the Lakewalk afterhours this week to see if I run into these punks. Something tells me I will.
Only problem with paintball guns is if the person being hit by the paintballs is not wearing goggles. I am all for giving the punks a few welts, but the possibility of blinding them not so much.
Also airguns are illegal in the city of Duluth. There was an incident with some guys getting drunk and shooting out most of the shop windows along Superior street in the late 50s or early 60s.
It also constitutes a certain degree of assault. I can’t be sure to what amount, but a quick check with the local constabulary would probably shed some light on how much trouble you could find yourself in.
IMO, time served and a hefty fine (at the very least) seems a little disproportionate to the insult or injury caused to the perpetrator of the crime. Just your luck the tagger is the child of a somewhat well off family with a good lawyer. Crime or no, a civil suit would likely take a larger chunk of your money.
B-man- I’m really beginning to like you. Instead of snapping a digit though, how about taking the can away from them and spray painting their face? Obviously they’d have to be caught in the act, but I can see some vigilante dressed up in a black nylon body suit springing out from a corner, surprising the shit out of the little monster, ripping the can out of their filthy little jimmy-deans, spray painting their face and then ending the meeting with a “tell all your friends that no-grafitti man is watching…” Now THAT would be cool.
Hey, I played guitar in the group, we had nothing to do with this. I lived in Duluth from 2007-08 and was as upset as anybody, if not more so, that our name and several other great musical act’s names were defamed in some punk fan’s attempt at idol worship down the Lakewalk. We canceled shows in protest of this, and addressed our fans that this isn’t cool. Art is one thing, but petty crime is another. This event actually sent Whisky at the Gallows into a spiral causing us to break up. I’d appreciate it if the link to my Facebook would be removed. Thanks.
Forgive me for potentially being blind, but where is the link to Facebook? I don’t see it.
Whiskey at the Gallows tagged the heck out of the city of Menomonie, Wisconsin, too. Word has it that Josh Grose himself did all the tagging. He should be held responsible.
It appears the graffiti’s lasted longer than the band.