Sexually Explicit Graffiti Sprayed on Wildwood Road
One of the most heavily trafficked roadways in Wildwood was defaced by art crime.
Graffiti was used to communicate in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire; now Wildwood has a recent example of it sprayed on Fox Creek Road. A female image and words were applied on the roadway just outside the entrance of Rockwoods Range, at one of the Missouri Department of Conservation parking lots for trails and hunting.
The graffiti appeared about a week ago.
This application appears to what's called a "throw-up" in the graffiti culture, also known as a "bombing"—which means it was painted very quickly with just two or three colors, sacrificing aesthetics for speed.
Some of the words painted had what some would consider a double, political meaning.
City staffers since covered over the images with black paint as a temporary measure.
Graffiti is considered vandalism, and is a punishable crime.
The earliest forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 B.C. from prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs made with tools such as animal bones and pigments. The term "graffiti" comes from the Italian word graffiato, which means "scratched."
dan
7:53 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Patch thank you for your reporting but please do not censor substantive material. What specifically was written and why did you feel the need to self censor? Does this occur in other less noticeable cases? I think you do a great job when you lay out all the facts. Thanks.
Julie Brown Patton
8:36 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
dan, thanks for asking. Rest assured careful thought and consideration was given to exactly how to report this subject matter. It had nothing to do with censorship. Every day, journalists practice news judgment, and hopefully good taste, per societal norms. This article reflects the following considerations: 1) Out of respect to women in general, I didn't want to repeat the words painted because they typically would be perceived as derogatory by many. 2) This is a well-read community news site and is seen by viewers of all ages so I chose not to use the graffiti verbatim in case young readers were cuing into the article, and instead let the photo itself communicate. 3) The bottom line is that this was an act of vandalism, about which residents likely would want to know, but repeating the message can be construed as glorifying the vandalism and could encourage more. This development was unfortunate, but is news, per se. Again, I appreciate your inquiry. My site often is referenced as the most detailed, accurate and quickest accounting of local news—I take great pride in that and consider it an honor to serve our community in this manner.
Joe Mueller
9:30 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Anyone who travels on hwy 00 just west of this picture can see a second "throw up" that has changed in the past two weeks. I appears that the vandals left a hint of who they are. There are references to names and arrows pointing to a residence near by.
I hope this helps shed some light on the situation.
joe
barterjoes.com
Julie Brown Patton
9:35 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thanks, Joe, for that additional update.
Eileen Tyrrell
9:41 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Julie:
In addition, the graffiti appears to include the name of one of our Presidents of the United States, disgusting. Don't give them the attention they want.
Debra Rogers
10:11 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thank you for practicing good judgment and good taste in the reporting of this crime. As a woman who accesses the jogging/biking trails in this area, I am concerned about my and my children's safety with these types of activities occurring as the criminals are only beginning to express their dark minds and we know thoughts become words which become actions. With persistence, the Police will find the vandals and help secure our safety.
Julie Brown Patton
10:08 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Your observations/remarks are appreciated, Eileen and Debra.