Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Vandalism?



Would the NYPD consider the above piece of sidewalk chalk art as vandalism?

I lived in Manhattan as a child and I remember great times at the park on Riverside Drive. One day, I was writing Haiku with chalk on the park sidewalk and an elderly couple came by and praised my work.

That was the New York I remember. Sadly, it seems to have changed much since my childhood...

6 Year Old Girl Cited By NYPD For Sidewalk Chalk Drawing

Has the whole world gone batty?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to Kevin Flynn, writing for the NYT, “. . . the Brooklyn District Attorney's office has assembled a task force of investigators to pore over the files on each of its 168 murder cases, looking for clues to explain the surge in fatal violence. Overall crime in Brooklyn remains down, but the homicide rate has climbed 28 percent this year and is largely responsible for the 7 percent jump in the number of homicides citywide. Indeed, 6 of the top 10 precincts for slayings this year are in Brooklyn, including the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, which has been the scene of 20 killings, more than in any other precinct in the city.”

Perhaps the authorities should focus more on the important things and leave the six-year old to her creativity. Little Natalie Shea isn’t likely to appear as one of the case files on Law and Order.

nanc said...

no, the world has gone <^..^>y - you're still fine. well, fine in my terms - which could very well mean something entirely different...you know what i mean.

isn't that sidewalk chalk artist awesome?!?

cube said...

mustang: I agree. Going after that child is an outrageous waste of taxpayer money.

nanc: Are you saying the world is going catty? ;-)

That chalk art is so realistic that I'd bet people avoid walking into it for fear of falling.

nanc said...

>^..^< this is a cat.

<^..^> this is a bat.

cat.

bat.

in french chat, chauve-souris

in spanish is el gato, and a batee

and no, i'm not going to give dr. seuss a run for his money.

cube said...

nanc: Oh, I get it now. Emoticon art isn't my forte.

BTW bat in Spanish is murcielago.

nanc said...

then there is no competition between me and dr. seuss - i used a very bad translator in my son's favorites.

dang his hide!

Unknown said...

I agree with you.Leonardo DaVinci did not have a sidewalk to practice on. Art is in the eye of the beholder and in this case they cant see the fact that children start to develop artistic desires early and where-ever they can. Maybe someone could buy her a notebook? I dont know what the chalkart is hurting-it will be gone in the rain. I saw some beautiful artwork years ago when I visited Toronto. No one bothered about that.

Anonymous said...

This is really sad. I know that many of the things we did as children and were considered a normal part of growing up and learning our boundaries would probably put us in juvey hall today.

cube said...

jill: I'm sure the kid has notebooks. I think she thinks it's fun to draw on the sidewalk with chalk. My girls used to love to draw on the carport.

jan: Sad, but true.

David Amulet said...

That sidewalk art is AWESOME. It looks just like my body-sized tattoo.

-- david

cube said...

d.a.: I'm assuming this is the evil david amulet twin?

Stacy said...

That is absolutely nuts! I totally agree about waste a tax $$.

Jamie Dawn said...

Yes, the whole world HAS gone batty... except for me and you. :-)
That little girl's chalk drawing is a real menace to society, isn't it?? Give me a break!!

That chalk masterpiece is awesome!!!

Caz said...

Soooo, I guess drawing hopscotch squares on the sidewalk and playing hopscotch are a hanging offense these days.

What utter codswollop, 'ey?

Surely police aren't being trained in the finer art of detecting six year olds brandishing chalk in public places.

Surely, surely, there are far more dangerous "criminals" to occupy them.

Like seven year olds, disposing of chewing gum under public seats.

Brooke said...

Methinks that the neighbor who reported this "graffiti" needs his kneecaps rearranged.