Taggers abhor a vacuum

The best way to change culture is by making more of it. So, beset by continual graffiti on their Highland Park, LA storefront, the Antonio family hired a crew of muralists to decorate their market with something the taggers might respect. The end result, as LA Times columnist Steve Lopez reports, wasn’t quite what they had in mind, but the taggers stayed away … that is, until the city cited the business for excessive signage and had the mural covered over with dull beige paint. Presented with a blank canvas, the taggers soon returned photo by Jacob Antonio Jr., from the article “Los Angeles thwarts family in fight over graffiti,” by Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times , 13 August 2008