More scenes of OB that we don’t want to see

OCEAN BEACH, CA.  Our blogger/ photographer Dave Gilbert has amassed quite a collection of shots of graffiti, cliff or sandstone carvings, and other images of OB that we really don’t want to see.

Carvings in the sandstone of Sunset Cliffs have been going on a long time. They’ve been there at least since I was in Dana Junior High in the early sixties. So, they’re nothing new, but I could never quite understand why people would do that, although honestly, I would smile at peace signs and marijuana leafs carved.

Our blog’s pages are open to your photos – good or bad – of OB. Just send to us via email: obragblog@gmail.com

Frank Gormlie
A former lawyer and current grassroots activist, I have been editing the Rag since Patty Jones and I launched it in Oct 2007. Way back during the Dinosaurs in 1970, I founded the original Ocean Beach People’s Rag - OB’s famous underground newspaper -, and then later during the early Eighties, published The Whole Damn Pie Shop, a progressive alternative to the Reader.

8 thoughts on “More scenes of OB that we don’t want to see

  1. I actually told some kid’s Mom who was letting them carve in the cliffs to have them please stop it. I’m sucha buzz-kill….

  2. Tagging sucks! the graffitti “artists” (an oxymoron) totally sprayed all over the building i live next door to and then even got my garage. I wish they wouldn’t destroy our scenery and i will def wont hesitste to spray them with my water hose if i see them next time! haha

  3. My neighbior and I are on teh look out for the “artist” that spray paints the little cents signs (as in dollars and cents). We jokingly call this person “no sense”.

    When we catch him I will submit photos of him or her spray painted accordingly.

  4. “No sense” that’s hilarious Shawn!

    I hear ya Sandy and agree, THAT ain’t art!

    The 1st graffiti I remember was along Balboa Ave back in the 60’s where someone spray painted “the kid” on a bunch of the street signs. Nowadays I guess there’s a bunch of “the kids”

    There must be a way to harness this in a positive manner that ends up benefiting all who are involved…there just must be….

  5. I think the gang-style graffiti shown in the pictures is vandalism, plain and simple. But there are paint-sprayers out there who have real artistic talent, and Mr. Gilbert is right – there must be a way to harness this in a positive manner.

    What about some sort of Graffiti Open, where a public stretch of wall is opened to qualified artists, who would have to pass some sort of screening to participate. Perhaps artists would simultaneously work on different parts of the wall, or maybe the wall would assinged to a different artist every month. Just thinking out loud…

    The main idea would be to give talented graffiti artists a legitimate way to express themselves, in a manner that the public might enjoy, and that might contribute to OB’s already abundant charm.

    In my opinion, the community benefits from public art, especially locally rooted public art. (For a 2-minute video of public art on some of the murals and utility boxes near Newport Ave, .)

  6. A couple months ago our car got tagged in front of our house within the 10 minutes that it took to grab a coffee at 7-11. Actually 4 cars got tagged by DUMPY but lucky for all of us we were able to wipe it off because it was still wet!

    What you wanna bet that DUMPY is a kid leaving early for school and tagging as he goes?

    It’s infuriating!

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