Recent graffiti on the public sidewalk in front of The Black.
Where is the anti-graffiti task force when ya need them?
Friends have noticed a new swath of red graffiti on the sidewalk on Newport Avenue. Calling the graffiti removal squad! There’s a job for you – or anyone else with a little compassion and heart.
And we had thought that the series of community forums and all that attention on the “bums” and homeless in general had brought the community together, and that the harsh rhetoric and actions around the original “don’t feed” sticker had died down.
Guess not! Someone (maybe the Black?) wants to keep all this going, all the hatred, all the discourse, all the intolerance, all the conflict, all this crap – for that is what it is – going, and going.
We’ve been told by friends and foes alike – “Give it a rest!”
Well, we call on whoever is stirring the pot – “Hey you! You give it a rest!”
There is another in a series of community forums on August 24th at the Baptist Church in OB. There’s an alley clean-up scheduled for August 21st.
But the kinds of people who sprayed this graffiti are not the kinds of people who go to community forums. They are not the types of people who join others in community clean-ups. They’d rather just spike efforts of unifying the community with their crap. For that is what it is. Crap. Somebody just crapped on the sidewalk in front of The Black. Somebody just crapped on public space, marring it, defacing it. And it needs to be cleaned up. Or covered up.
We call on the community to stop this trash, to stop this crap. We call on the community to immediately remove or cover up this awful display of the ugly underside of Ocean Beach.
We’re better than this.
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
At least you can clean up the other kind of crap with a shovel and a water hose.
It would be nice if graffiti removal would take the name BUGSY off of the bridge going over the river as well.How long does it take to cover up 5 letters? The longer it stays,the more it intices graffiti “artists” to tag it again.If it were removed immediately
it would not be worth the paint or the effort. You fulfill their idiotic fantasy of name recognition when you take 3 to 6 months to remove it.
kenloc, it used to say “MONEY”.
I have observed a few things since this all began. First the homeless seem to be less aggressive in there demand for money and the alleys are a bit cleaner. I think it is fair to say this is from all of the negative press and public outrage. As this battle continues I have seen accusations and name calling of the people in opposition to your opinion, mainly from this blog. As a long term resident of O.B. I take offence to and as well as many of my friend and neighbors in being labeled a hater when in fact we simply do not approve of what a group of people are doing. I am of the belief that in any community, group or organization you have to contribute something in a positive way and those that only take will eventually become unwelcome. I know there are several here that are in a position that are unable to but for the most part the majority of the homeless merely take. I think those of the OB Rag could accomplish far more without the name calling, and accusations. Nothing will ever be accomplished until we are able to understand and respect each other. In closing as a matter of point this article was brought to my attention by a neighbor who stated that if that graffiti was of your sticker it would be called free speech and art.
Mark, you said, “I take offence to and as well as many of my friend and neighbors in being labeled a hater when in fact we simply do not approve of what a group of people are doing.”
Does it matter that some homeless may take offense at being called bums because of their situation or because of the actions of some of them?
Bum is a mentality, not a person. The other day a “Bum” in a brand new Mustang convertible was hitting up a homeless woman for a smoke. My kid and I both saw it and it was…what they say….”A teachable moment”.
bum 1 (b m)
n.
1. A tramp; a vagrant.
2. A lazy or shiftless person, especially one who seeks to live solely by the support of others.
3. An incompetent, insignificant, or obnoxious person: The batter called the pitcher a bum.
4. One who is devoted to a particular activity or milieu: a beach bum.
There are those that fit definition #2 here in OB, and I know homeless here that take offence to have some lumped into the same as them i.e. homeless. Being so thin skinned and PC solves nothing. I say if it walks like a duck it’s a duck in other words those that take this definition from a noun to a verb. If people do not come together and arrive at a common solution this is not going away. And who really suffers not you or me.
I do have to agree with Mark on the less aggressive panhandling and cleaner and quieter alleys. I have noticed those things as well. I don’t know about the sticker being art though,dude.I think it’s kind of lame looking…..
Maybe we should put a ban on paint all together? But wait we’ve tried to ban drugs and hand guns etc. That did not work. This subject has bothered me for years what pleasure is derived from defacing other peoples property?
TopDogTom
It would have been super cool if nobody had mentioned this in the press and someone else just quietly cleaned it up.
We give way too much airtime to crap these days.
Yeah, you’re right there. But no one did clean it up, and it’s crap and someone might step in it.
Sarah
In some regard, I agree with you. By giving something like this “air time” we only encourage the narrow minded. But…..
A few years ago, the American Nazi Party and a few of their in-brethren the Klan, decided to hold a rally in Skokie, Illinois. At the time, it was estimated one of every six Jewish residents of Skokie were either Holocaust survivors or directly related to one or more victims of the Holocaust.
After much litigation, including a Jewish attorney from the ACLU representing the ANP, the march was allowed to go forward. In the end there were more counter protestors than ANP members.
When I discuss this with my Constitutional law students, I tell them I think it is great the ANP can march around in their silly clothes and spout their ignorant rhetoric. For one thing, it demonstrates what fools they really are, but more importantly, it reminds us all, “They are out there.”
If the kind of graffiti which appeared in front of the B_____ (no free advertisement here boys and girls) were do go undiscussed, we might forget, “They are out there.”
What is important for us to remember, just what kind of people engage in this sort of activity. We should not allow them to get our blood to boil, but rather remind us we have a ways to go on a journey for peace and social justice. And each time something likes this happens, and it will time and again, it renews our opportunity to engage our community and fix things, rather than let others tear it down.
Those are my thoughts on a Saturday afternoon….
Peace, Jack
Hi Jack and Frank –
Frank, well, who sent the picture? Please ask them to let me know if they see any more hateful graffitti on the sidewalks to either clean it or call someone who will clean it. Unless their purpose is simply to rattle the cage a little more.
I appreciate your sentiment but I still stand behind my original post. Quietly cleaning it off in the early morning would have made a far more impactful statement and would show a bit of community pride that is much needed of late here in OB.
But we’d not be getting any publicity or opportunity to beat the stinky dead horse.
and Jack…. it’s not gone undiscussed!
Sarah
Your reply to my post is snotty. Where is your anger at me coming from?
I am simply suggesting if we quietly remove this sort of graffiti without discussing its presence in our community, then we give a free ride to those who do such things. And in a case like this, it is continued hatred in our community.
So is it your position, we should discuss something once…and if it happens again ignore it? Because after all, we already discussed it once and that should be enough.
And if you think about it Sarah, why did you even post if you think we should stop discussing this issue.
If you feel the need to attack someone, attack the vandals and haters.
Peace, Jack
Jack,
My apologies for being snotty. It wasn’t my intent. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I have a great deal of respect for you and would have attended your forum with bells on had it not been held at a catholic church. My terse reply to you was an afterthought, more along the lines of, “hey, I forgot to mention to Jack that we’d been discussing this for months and there is no sign of stopping”.
What you “saw” was an expression of extreme frustration over two things.
One: the endless ranting about this subject on this blog. As I mentioned to Frank, I believe that the OBRag might be single-handedly responsible for making a couple of people rather wealthy for all the wrong reasons.
Two: I felt that your response to me was slightly belitting and patronizing in your suggestion that I might not understand free speech, hate-filled organizations or the differences and/or similarities between the “haters” in OB and the Neo-Nazis in Skokie.
I do think it is time to stop talking about this on THIS forum because it is counter-productive to getting anything done. Not a single mind will be changed and all we’re doing is giving more airtime to this stuff.
I can just see it now… all the surf punks and homeless-haters standing around on the sidewalk lookin’ cool and smokin’ cigarettes and wishing that the “old hippies” would come back and spice up their boring afternoon.
“I wonder where they went”
“I dunno, but it sure is dead around here”
“Hey, I have an idea…. let’s make a stencil….”
Yes, I do believe it would have done far, far more good for someone to go clean it up in the quiet of the night and NOT talk about it here. Your forum on homelessness in OB was met with a great turnout, there are good and decent people involved in the process and that is to be commended.
Let’s put a feather in our cap and start being the change we want to see, instead of ranting online.
Peace back at ya!
Sarah
Sarah
You apology is accepted, and I hope you accept mine for being overly sensitive. And I certainly was not being patronizing to your opinion.
Believe you me, I wish I could wake up one morning to a world of dancing bunnies, butterflies, singing flowers and all the rest of the things which supposedly indicate the world is right (or heavily medicated). But the fact is we probably will not, at least in our lifetime.
My involvement with social justice through my faith, and my community work has taught me many things, not the least of all we must be diligent and expose the hate and injustice for what it is. Ignoring it only allows it to spread. And if it means keeping it alive on this blog, so be it.
But we are making progress. The forum was a start…my walks in the beach seem to be met with more “hello’s” and “how are you today” than they have in the past. I have actually stopped and had conversations with a number of residents, business owners, other eclectic types over the past few weeks on the sidewalks of OB. Friendly talks about where we are going to go from here, and it is all positive.
I am sorry your dislike of the Catholic Church kept you from the first forum. The next is at the Baptist Church, I hope you can make it. And please, introduce yourself to me at some point. It would be my pleasure to meet you.
Peace, Jack
Oh, as an aside…on my walk through the beach yesterday, I came across of the stencil. Someone has erased the word “don’t” from it. Irony perhaps?
Jack,
I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Bunnies and butterflies were out in abundance this morning.
No apologies necessary and we’ve met a couple of times. You came to my home for a meeting on how best to address this “homeless” situation several months ago.
Sarah
Oh, you are that Sarah….
I have at one time or another fit #1 and #4 of the definition listed above. Thankfully I’ve never been insignificant or shiftless.
I was tryin to change the subject a bit with my 1st post.Heeeeeeeeere we go again…….
maybe it’s time for a “crap in” at the B_____. No, I’m not suggesting that anybody drop trou and leave a Cleveland steamer on Newport; but maybe people could “loan” their collected dog poop to that establishment’s frontage. It’s a form of artistic expression, you could say, protected by the 1st amendment, yada, yada. …I’m just saying… what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Or they (The B____) could do the right thing and clean the “advertising” for a product they sell off the sidewalk.
Looks like it was done with a stencil to promote the sale of stickers.
Like, everyone in America knows where the former paraphernalia purveyor is located and now they are famous for this kind of commercialism.
Why BUY an ad?
Nice … when the “sticker” just won’t do ….
Just another petty “entrepreneur “- taking & exploiting the profitable lesson from “the Military Industrial Complex” enterprise of hate – fueled by fear & greed.
That lesson? HATE is – & always has been – a very, very profitable commodity.
Especially for those devoid of compassion & humanity – & who are ready, willing & able to exploit that personel defect.
Evolved?
Hardly.
imo
I was a semi-homeless person in OB for some years, it was the first place that I lived
when I came to San Diego. Sorry about you guys who choose to be uptight about the
homeless. I loved being a beach bum! It was a fine time in my life – now I’m a health
care professional and my memories of OB in the ’60s are treasures. Frank, it’s grand
to re-connect with you after all these years and the thousand-odd miles between me
& OB now. I’m forwarding the Rag to other OB expatriates all around the country that
I’ve stayed in contact with.
You miss the point, be homeless enjoy it no problem. Just dont be a taker. Just dont litter. Just dont beg. Just don’t crap in places that don’t have a flush handle. Just don’t steal . Just obey the law.
And buddy we are not ” uptight” just tired of the S#*T.
so many feel the same way.
You are uptight, sorry. And blind to the realities of being homeless – unable to understand that your comfy, privileged world just isn’t available to everyone.
It’s middle-class complacency. I don’t miss the point at all. OB is not an uptight
suburb quite yet, altho there have always been those who strove to make it so, at least since the ’60s when I first came there.
Plenty of homeless folk are assholes, true, and one reason they are homeless is a lack of social skills or the mental ability to follow the rules. Often they are full of anger – they have nothing to reward them for following your rules. Many of them are mentally ill, obviously, but the complacent middle class backed Reagan, who dumped them on the streets.
If you choose to get angry over this reply, I will understand that you find anger easier than thinking.
So your saying people shouldn’t get uptight about,in your words,”Mentally ill assholes who are full of anger and lack the social and mental skills to follow rules” hanging around our town getting drunk,doing drugs and causing problems. At some point folks have to say enough is enough.If you want to help the homeless then “yay you”.If you want to preach tolerance of homeless people f@#$ing up our town then go pound sand.We’ve heard enough of that already.The “I’m more tolerant than you” stuff gets old.You have “athousand odd miles”between you and OB.Don’t pretend you know what it’s like here because you were a homeless hippie here in the 60s.
ahhhh.name callling.old enough to remember the 60s but still act like your 12.I really like your line about finding anger easier than thinking.Too bad you don’t practice what you preach.Of course if you were thinking you’d be working without tools.Probably one of the more offensive posts I’ve seen make it though the filter.Perhaps because you are on the editors friends list? Doesn’t matter.I’m glad your ignorant comment made it through so folks can see exactly who it is you are.
perhaps you should read my posts again.No profanity,no name calling.I’m a democrat,donated to Obamas campaign.I don’t understand your line about anger when you are quite the angry person.Some of us tire of the routine we have to put up with in regards to the homeless here.If that make me a bad person in your mind so be it.I’m not sure I’d want a person such as yourself to like me anyway.Your assumptions about me are wrong and your language on a public forum is lame.We can only hope to avoid contact with a “healthcare professional” such as yourself in the real world.Now go eat some shrooms and flashback to the summer of love,the last time you were a happy person.Peace
Word, Jon.
profanity is the language of the ignorant
Deen, your posts are way outta line buddy. Where’s our editor on this one??? We’ve banned others for cursing and demeaning people on this blog. You just can’t come on here and curse at people and call them names. Kenloc was making good points, and respectfully, without calling you names. Also, Sarah is spot on. If anything, you’re the uptight one. Get a clue.
Hey! You can’t say Bum!
I say hit up the sea wall.
We heard that the stencil nutjob has been covered up.
Frank, et al.
Now I completely agree with Sarahs original post.
All that has been generated over the past day or two is vitriol and animus, and as always, it is between several of the chronic instigators. It does not help what the rest of us in the community who are actually doing something, to read their rants.
Peace, Jack
I’m a brand new instigator!
Pleased to meetcha.
I really hope that you are doing something constructive.
Normally I would apologize to any decent people who were wounded in the crossfire.
I do have better manners, and I use them when they are called for.
Jon, you are right on some of your points – I did go over a line.
I knew that when I did it.
However, obviously, I disagree with you about Kenloc & Sarah.
I saw no good points in Kenloc’s comments, and your saying there were does not make it so.
Self-righteous hypocrites with middle class attitudes drive me over the brink.
If you read the other threads on this site, you will see that many times people are in disagreement on a range of issues.What you won’t see is childish(well, usually)profanity laced rants directed at one another. I’ll debate you on issues anytime. The self-righteous hypocrite,middle class attitude stuff is quite off base and a bit tiring. Ask yourself why you are the only one on here who feels the need to act this way. Or,to quote the great Icecube”Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”
I’m sorry, the editors have been away this afternoon. I have unapproved several comments so several replies to those comments will seem totally out of place now. If you left a reply to any of the comments that were taken down contact us and we will remove them also.
My apologies.
Just when you think we’re old enough to be left at home alone!
Well, I did have to put someone on timeout!