How would your parents react if you sprayed paint on your walls at home? Would your parents applaud you or get really mad? Most people in New York City, especially the government and police, were not happy when graffiti started spreading across the city in the 1970s. Cleaning or repainting subway cars and buildings cost the city and businesses huge amounts of money, and many people thought graffiti artists were criminals who were also involved in drugs and violence.  

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New York in the 70s and 80s was a tough place. Many manufacturing companies had moved out of the city leaving people without jobs or money. Crime, homelessness, and discrimination were out of control. The situation seemed so hopeless that even President Gerald Ford gave a speech refusing to pay any federal money to help the city. He basically said “New York – Drop Dead” 

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A city that doesn’t have enough income from taxes or other sources like tourism can’t provide the housing, hospitals, schools, and other services its citizens need. Citizens who already face discrimination, such as blacks and Hispanics, are often the first to feel the effects of a drop in a city’s income. 

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If people in this situation seek attention through writing and drawing on walls and trains – is that art or vandalism? 

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Art is a form of communication. A painting, a book, a concert, a sculpture in a museum or on the streets can all be art. No matter what form it takes, art is meant to foster thoughts and emotions in those who see or hear it. It is an artist’s way to show us how he sees the world or what is going on in her country or in her life. 

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Had the writers used paper for their works would it have had the same effect? And hadn’t there been a message, would graffiti today be considered an important form of street art? Think about artists like Banksy who’s work is worth millions of dollars.