Alan Ket

The most recent post by Alan Ket was 6 days, 8 hours ago…

Alan Ket
Alan Ket

New York, New York

This is the worst case of a judge gone wild that I have heard of in a graffiti case yet. Please see the article below that talks about the sentencing and the case of 22 year old Mfone from Pittsburgh. The case was brought to my attention by his good friend, Josh Wiechmann, who like me is appalled by the sentence. It is unusually harsh and unfair, I venture to say that the punishment is cruel and unusual as well. If everyone that reads this can please call or write the judge and let him know this is too much and just plain wrong it would be appreciated by him and his family and crew. The judges information is:
Allegheny County Judge Kevin G Sasinoski
office 412-350-2910
507 Courthouse
436 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

The kid has 10 days to appeal and needs support.

Article below:
Prolific graffiti vandal sentenced to state prison
Thursday, July 24, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Prolific graffiti writer Daniel Montano was sentenced today to 2 1/2 to 5 years in a state prison, five years probation, a restitution of $232,582 and 2,500 hours of community service.

The 22-year-old Highland Park resident and a former student of the San Francisco Art Institute had a previous conviction and two cases pending last year when he was arrested again for the vandalism of 20 more properties in the city. He often used the tag “Mfone” on his writings.

His defense attorney, William Cercone, made the argument that addiction to numerous drugs set a talented, good son on a destructive course and that, after six months of incarceration, which included drug-and-alcohol treatment, “I see a different young man on my right than I did six months ago. Give him the opportunity to keep it going.”

Matthew Robinowitz, arguing for the Commonwealth, said Mr. Montano “has been given chances before. After arrests in 2006 and 2007, he said, “when he got out, it’s bigger and better than ever. . . What he learned was ‘I can get away with it,’ so he extended his operation. I think Mr. Montano is not going to learn his lesson. This is an issue of punishment, regardless of his talent.”

Allegheny County Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski called it “a very difficult case with a lot of unique issues,” including the fact that both his parents as well as family friends showed up in court to speak well of the defendant. He doubted the defense’s contention that substance abuse was a cause. “I’m not sure about the nexus between drug addiction and vandalism. You appear not to have any respect for anyone else’s property.”

Addressing the defendant, the judge said, “Mr. Montano, good luck to you. You still have the opportunity to pay your debt to society.”
More details in tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

First published on July 24, 2008 at 1:23 pm

Posted by Alan Ket on July 25, 2008 at 08:44 AM

  • 42 Comments
  • Digg

42 Comments

The latest comment was posted 9 months ago…

d.s.k. wrote… Comment #1 posted on July 25, 2008 at 11:33 AM

thanks for looking out and posting this, any help danny can get i’m sure is appreciated. pretty astonishing that he got slapped harder than your average child molester. unless people wake up and say this isnt gunna to fly it could be come the norm

- wrote… Comment #2 posted on July 25, 2008 at 12:46 PM

I heard about this story a while back on the news. As i remember they originally tried to stack the charges so as to give this guy life in prison, CRAZY.  And not to knock anyone, but as far as pittsburgh goes, prolific is not the word to describe this case as compared to other names around the city. Once again pittsburgh is trying to set an example. As disgusted as I am, this is all i have to say, heres where this judge’s morals are, property over life…

MAN ACQUITTED IN ROOMMATE’S DEATH
POSTED: 4:02 pm EDT May 25, 2006

-PITTSBURGH—A judge has acquitted a Carnegie man in connection with his roommate’s death.

Joseph Larkin was charged in the shooting death of Chad Mulvin in July 2004.

Mulvin’s body was found buried in Ohio Township.

The judge ruled Larkin acted in self-defense after the two men struggled over a rifle.

Prosecutors had alleged that Larkin went to great lengths to cover the crime.


you can read the rest of the story here…
http://zoltanzion.blogspot.com/2007/07/chad-mulvin-never-forgotten.html

junk yard kids wrote… Comment #3 posted on July 25, 2008 at 03:27 PM

hey - we all appreciate your support.
This is one of danny’s best friends and crewmate. Could you drop me an email please? I have some questions I want to ask you about some fund raising we are trying to get started
peace and thanks

ya boy wrote… Comment #4 posted on July 25, 2008 at 05:13 PM

man living in pittsburgh, no one is up anymore since this cat went down. the city is installing 250 cameras around “graffiti hot-spots.” theyre merely trying to make an example. shout to HERT for rolling through and throwing kliing shit around the city. it sucks so bad for MFONE though. originally when i read the story last year, he was facing decades in prision and 500,000 dollar fine.

green eyes wrote… Comment #5 posted on July 25, 2008 at 06:13 PM

In case you don’t have time to write yourself, feel free to copy and paste. I thought it’d be best not to play the art card. This monster’s clearly got a thick skull.
Judge Sasinosky,
I am writing to protest what I believe to be a grossly inappropriate sentence in the case of Daniel Montano. While I completely understand the desire to “set an example” for other vandals, and believe that this sentence would deter criminals in the future I DO NOT believe that, in this case, the ends justify the means. If your goal is simply to give vandals a “reality check,” why not extend the sentence to 15 years? 25? The sentence MUST be appropriate to HIS crime, and I believe that it has been made unfairly harsh in order to make a statement.
On another note, you have dismissed the idea, without any scientific basis, that graffiti is not a compulsive or addictive behavior. You ARE mistaken. Graffiti is an incredibly addictive behavior that damages the property of its victims and can destroy the lives of its perpetrators.
I urge you to reconsider this sentence, and to give Mr. Montano his OWN debt to repay, not the debt of an entire subculture of vandals.
Very sincerely,
________

jjjj wrote… Comment #6 posted on July 26, 2008 at 02:55 AM

^ shut up above, fuck that shit…....nigga.
cant sugar coat crimes my nigga!
otha niggaz done way mo time and came out on top.
-5000

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #7 posted on July 26, 2008 at 01:05 PM

The point isn’t about whether people do more time or more crime. The point is that judges should not treat property crimes with such harsh penalties. Basically, the judge is trying to ruin this guy’s left to set an example. What kind of sense does that make? Write the judge, call the judge. Sugar coat crimes. I don’t even believe that half the things he was charged with should be crimes anyway! Painting on a wall that is bombed or abandoned a crime? I think not.

josh wrote… Comment #8 posted on July 26, 2008 at 08:10 PM

check this out: http://burghreport.blogspot.com/2008/07/yes-vandal-gets-prison-time.html

this is how some of pittsburgh’s finest residents are handling this after the fact. I am continuously grateful for all the support and positive feedback. I hope we can make a difference, and I hope we can send a message. But I suppose at this pont it’s a uphill battle, but one worth fighting for. thanks again all!!!

the don daadaa wrote… Comment #9 posted on July 28, 2008 at 02:15 AM

Newsflash: Graffiti is a crime punishable by jail, restitution, fines, etc. If you are going to go out and fuck up private or public property then prepare to go to jail. If Graffiti was not illegal it wouldn’t be cool. Half of graff’s appeal is the risk and weighing of odds. Stop fucking complaining about sentencing for graffiti, if you cant do the time then dont do the crime!!

the don daadaa wrote… Comment #10 posted on July 28, 2008 at 02:46 AM

2.5 years sounds about right for a repeat offender who has done a significant amount of damage (in monetary terms) to property owned by non-consenting citizens. The punishment is not cruel or unusual—it is jail. Just because graffiti may be artistic or otherwise meritorious doesn’t change the fact that its a crime/invasion of another person’s right to enjoy their own property as they see fit; nor does its addictive nature detract from the fact that an actor knowingly and intentionally creates graffiti with the purpose (at least to some extent) of damaging property for the sake of it. If your going to do graffiti just accept the fact that its not something society tolerates and there will be a price to pay for your actions, and please stop bitching and whining about jail time—arent graff writers supposed to deal with jail? i always thought that was just part of the game.

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #11 posted on July 28, 2008 at 10:12 AM

Yes, street bombing is a crime and repeat offender should be prepared to deal with the consequences of his actions because he has been warned. However, I disagree with the notion of graffiti as"fucking up” private property. In my opinion the property doesn’t get “fucked up” if it has a tag or a piece on it. Many times the property actually looks better. When a tag is placed on the wall the wall does not lose any of its structural integrity and can continue to do what it was designed to do.

As far as graffiti not being cool if it wasn’t illegal, that may or may not be true. Legalize it and then we can talk about that one. There are crimes out there that I believe deserve jail time; graffiti in my mind is not one of them. When I was growing up writers did not go to jail. Graffiti was not a “jail” crime. Now its out of control.

And as far as the bitching and whining comment goes, well, if we didn’t speak up, protest, or take action about things we are passionate about we might as well be dead. If we don’t agree with the system we should act up, not roll over. Jail should not be part of the game.

Jake 182 wrote… Comment #12 posted on July 28, 2008 at 03:18 PM

I’m a former graffitti writer and now, landlord. I don’t appreciate it when my properties are vandalized. I spent over 10 thousand dollars in the past three years to remove graffiti from my buildings. Not to mention, had to have a company van repainted. It’s not cool at all. Do I want Mr. Mfone or whatever his name is to do 5 years? Not really, but if it sends a message that vandalizing private property has it’s consequences, then so be it. Graffiti belonged on the trains. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Plain and simple.

Jake 182 wrote… Comment #13 posted on July 28, 2008 at 03:27 PM

Mr. Ket, I just took time to read your response to Don Daadaa and I have to say that I lost a lot of respect for your intelligence or lack of. It’s ridiculous to say that graffiti doesn’t fuck up property and often makes it look better. If I wanted graffiti on my property, I’ll do it myself or pay for it, but it’s not up to some loser to take that liberty on himself. It’s my property. If you really believe in this nonsense, then let me tag up all over your clothes and see how you feel about it. I bet you won’t like it. I should write the judge and ask for a harsher sentence for Mr. Mfone. Let him eat cockmeat sandwiches for 5 years.

dayz er wrote… Comment #14 posted on July 31, 2008 at 05:30 AM

this sentence is absolutely mental, i was given 2.5 years for graffiti but thankfully the appeal judges in my case realised it was crazy and quashed my sentence after 2 months….....but this?? this takes the cake! the judge has effectively ruined this guys life, even when this guy gets through his rediculous jail sentence, he still has years worth of community work to do, and on top of that he’ll be paying fines till the end of his days?? all for what .. changing the colour of a few walls? ..and i thought scotland was bad
i really hope this dude has grounds for an appeal

Cracka Man wrote… Comment #15 posted on July 31, 2008 at 03:29 PM

Y’all all pussies, crying about sum bitch ass time. I did 12 years for blowing the head off a negro and I proudly did my time like a goddamm man. You spraycan kids are a bunch of wussies!

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #16 posted on July 31, 2008 at 04:33 PM

First a response to Jake 182,
It’s always sad to me when former writers cross over and become just like the rest of the civilians, worse when they become part of the elite class of landlords or land owners. Well, thats if suddenly the ownership causes them some crisis in which they are no longer down with this movement. Ultimately, Jake, you choose to be a landlord, that’s your thing. Yes, it might suck for you to have the added expense but this is city life and its well, part of doing business in the big city. Will your buildings fall apart due to the paint? no. Will it make it harder for you to hike up the rents? Maybe. BTW, I am sure that jail time is the wrong message to send to kids. This doesn’t deter anyone. And perhaps the argument shouldn’t be if you can’t do the crime don’t do the crime. In this case maybe it’s the crime doesn’t fit the punishment. All of a sudden you feel like a winner because you own a building and the writer is a loser. Check yourself homie. Owning a building doesn’t make you a winner nor does getting busted make you a loser. Both are temporary. Lastly, its the exterior of the building, not the interior, I say this because your private space is not being violated. It’s the building that all your neighbors have to look at, its part of the shared world we live in. Thanks for joining the elitist class with your attitude and leaving your roots behind.

And to Cracka Man, sorry to hear you take pride in killing someone and that you had to kill anyone. Don’t see how doing time makes you more of a man than anyone else or less of a pussy.

You folks sound like you have been fully indoctrinated into the system. Wake up.

midike wrote… Comment #17 posted on July 31, 2008 at 09:50 PM

Just because jake182 is a property owner - does that make him “elite”? Should he walk around with a top hat, walking stick and a monocle? That sounds silly. Also, do you really feel its okay for people to run around with paint or markers and write anything they want on anything they want?
Is he really joining the “elitist” class because he wants to keep his property free of graffiti - thats HIS choice. Lets say you owned a car and you came out one day and some kids tagged up on it- you wouldn’t mind??? i think you would be pretty pissed off.
We all know that its wrong and we all know the consequences - is the punishment harsh for graffiti - in this case i say no because he was caught twice and didn’t heed the warnings.  We all took risks writing, some of us even died doing it, but we all knew what the consequences of our actions were

larry bird wrote… Comment #18 posted on August 06, 2008 at 01:36 AM

who reads ket’s blog and doesn’t like graffiti??

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #19 posted on August 06, 2008 at 01:56 AM

Yes, just because Jake is a property owner does make him elite.

Fuck the system wrote… Comment #20 posted on August 07, 2008 at 10:52 PM

Ket painting on someone’s home ,building, business etc is straight up wack and thats fact. Your comment above to Jake is very toy and immature.  For someone of your stature I find it really lame that you would advocate people writing on privately owned property.

Graffiti has and alway has been a message against the system i.e.(government infrastructure) subways, bridges , rail lines , so on a so forth. Don’t get it twisted.

John wrote… Comment #21 posted on August 26, 2008 at 10:31 PM

hmm.. that sucks doesn’t it.

Randy Campbell wrote… Comment #22 posted on August 30, 2008 at 08:48 PM

OK, so how many times do you need to be arrested before you learn? After as many times as he has been arrested, it is time for him to be incarcerated to give him time to think about committing crimes. Good lord people, You know it is wrong, you know it is against the law, yet you make the decision to go out and break the law, not once, not twice, not three times….....Obvious that he has no respect for the laws of the land, the property of others, or what law abiding citizens think and feel. It is all about fulfilling his need, and screw everyone else… sorry, I do not feel a bit sorry for him and as more and more judges stop treating these criminals like children, it will help stop people from vandalizing the property of others. Do whatever you want on your own property, just leave the property that does not belong to you, alone! Simple!

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #23 posted on September 20, 2008 at 12:17 AM

wow, sounds like an anti-graffiti thread. All of a sudden writing on buildings is seen as a negative thing in a writer’s thread. I’m not mad, just surprised. And since when does things being illegal or against the law mean anything, really. We send kids to jail for years and meanwhile corporate Ceo’s rip off investors and then get bailed out by the government and not only do they not go to jail but they keep their millions. Or how about the polluters who who poison our air. No jail time. Or the President that illegally approves wire taps, no jail time. Give me a break that we need to put people like this in jail. We need to let him loose in the neighborhoods of the rich who have been exploiting the poor for generations. Write on the corporations who just get over every day.

BILLY FRESH wrote… Comment #24 posted on September 20, 2008 at 02:40 AM

It’s about the flavor of the moment,it all depend’s
on timing - and who’s blowing smoke up who’s ass ....
Doesn’t everyone know by now- Washington
is playing Hollywood and Hollywood is playing the role of Washington
it’s truly a bizzaro world -(it’ start’s at the tip then it’s all trickled down) ...
People shoudnt take it personal -someone gotta be that sacrificial lamb
just prey to God it aint you—-once that lamb is slayed it’s party time again ......
unless that particular event set’s a new presadent and then they congregate n make up some new bullshit law’s
that dont protect us nor apply to them cause they roll around witt special credentials n plaques on ther bumpers
your powerless - allot shit is predetermined why
fight it! stress will kill yah quicker than anything ...
So may as well just breath easy - cause that’s what the fuk they do-
Any experience i ever had in court, i came in ther gun’s blazin, blowin steem n spttin feather’s.
Everyone in ther was lookin at me like i was nut’s ,n ther all chillin the fuk out they just smoked a joint or somthin,
while im red in the fase ...
No more, im easy- like sunday mornng ,fly real low under the radar
i mean even goin to the beach , you know how many rules ther are just to walk down the beach ?
like 15 no radio playin no spittin no scratching your fukin asss!!
let them spit feather’s!! -
fight the power!!!! -
Someday we will over come!
we shall meet brother to another -
we travelled light years mentally we wise;)

IM CLEAR!!!!

BILLY FRESH wrote… Comment #25 posted on September 20, 2008 at 03:31 AM

You wanna play the blame game? who should or shouldn’t write on what?
I agree i was a train bomber and really didn’t care for street bombing at all
you know (shit wer you eatin n all that) ...........
it was once confined to the transit system
then they started making graftti proof train’s
and kids went able to write on trains -so it went on to the streeets - now it’s world wide-
yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah mutha fukkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you got a beef for somone writin on your shit ,takin it up with
the New York city Mta asshole!!!! - ether that or raze JOZ from the dead cause that brotha set if off propa!!!
i used see Keith haring doing his thing with chalk yes CHALK on blank blotters wer they
placed advertising in the subway, n used to laugh n say- this guy is bombin with chalk loll
chalk loll——-THEY ARRESTED HIM 4 CHALK! MORE THAN ONE ONCE -( flava of the moment)
all the causes & philanthropy that man did for children’s hospitals n schools n playgrounds,it was a crying shame
to put that man in jail even for a moment!!!  shame on you all- im pissd off now!!!!!!!!!!
im not blogging any more for a while - i managed to make my self sick to my stomach ...................................

nyc kid that bailed wrote… Comment #26 posted on September 28, 2008 at 12:28 PM

yup the systum sucks. law and order and all that. ya i understand your building got bombed. enyhow easy and joz bring back some memorys. like all the roll down metal gates got killed by.JOZ ...  SAINT TMR and FIB did damage out along the highway thing. i realy liked rideing the ...wack… graff proof metal trains and i would get up in the front car and peer out the front window into the tunels.. ya really deep deep deep in there.. like every light or even like low light stuff. like my train would shine on the tunnel walls. enyhow it would blow my mind to see JAone XTC.  yo.. all over like every tunnel.. tags big throups.. yo.. the silvers and whites worked exelent on the dirt rich tunnel walls.. yo good luck to you.
i hope you can preevale win and also change stuff. KET… eny how this thing like.. there going after you years later.. ya there are meny holes in there charges…
i personaly try to live by OB 1 s advice.. NO IMMPEERREAL INTANGGALLMENT.  basically the pros dont get cought.
unfortchanitly for me i will never by into a bunch of systum bullshit .. theres always a way never give up .. we will eeventully win somehow. one lesson illpasson to you is like crime is crime so yousing fake names to grow money trees is nessary.. money money money always about the fukin money…  MAN I CANT WAIT TO GO BOMBING PEACING TAGGING THRO UP ING.. i hear the montana paint is the shit..  heavy on can preshure and lots of cool collors.. i saw this paint in toronto that was desined to work in freezing cold weather.. so let me tell you im 34 and will notstop writeing at 94.  so when the rooms get pumpin i belive i will have the income to not steel paint but by cases of montana from spain fat caps thin outline caps and all those new school fat mop markers there making now.. and when the sun goes down .. i will go back out yet again and stake my claim on the game….. hay if it makes you feel eny better i did a day in jail and comunity service for hitting funking dead trains. ya they wereint runnin jest rustin away at this ghost yard in qweens.. eny how i had my peace all dun.. but back then ACID was like help me with my peace.. but by this time it was now morning.. i was like dude its time to bail.. but he kept us painting.. enyhow we got raided sundaymorning.. the pigs kept asking me about BRUZ… and bla bla bla .. i tried to tell them it was art.. they dident see it like that.. i dident tell them shit… enyhow i was under 18 first affense so i gess it was light..  as far as holes in a case what ever there doing with your photo alblums .. its hard to proove the time and date on that stuff. and it isnot a picture of you .. so like maybe those photos were done years ago .. like you could proove if nessary you were 16 or 17 a minnor.. jest a thought.. not saying what is what.. or what to do…
so ya the graff thing.. possesed by those moving hunks of metal we call trains. i understand.. ya know if someone took a metal burning tourch into those mta train yards you could do like metal burning fades and thro ups that they COULDNOT buff off.. ya reel hardcore.. and yup your shit would run.. however man they would charge up the dammages cuz the cost of a new train car.. well you understand.. and ya calm down cuz now ones dun it yet..
eny how i thinking about FREIGHTS.. so one day maybe one day soon when i get my money right i will let loose again.. im talkin a non stop run for the chapionship..so peace to the graff seen..the writers.. yes expand the mind….. and i like it fool….......

NYC KID THAT BAILED wrote… Comment #27 posted on September 28, 2008 at 01:37 PM

in closeing im going to add that THE REAL UNNIVERSE IS REAL.. we are curently on a planet spinning throue space right now.. i know cuz of gravidee you might of forgot.. so this concept to limit peoples personal developement controll there behaveyour ect.. cuz of a antiqwated systum like thing .. money and paying taxes to fund a oil war ect..  thrue music and art peeps can develope past the level of robots.. some ones dun it .. reached inlightenment.. the MATRIX wont win..  i personallee bailed up to canada.. and YAAAA.. its much freer up heer.. and less inforced.. like a few less pigs..  the peeps are thinking a lital cleerer up heer outside of ammerica.. good graff seen and stuff is realy hitable.. i cant realy live untill my personal rights to express myself thro art and music non stop are 100 per sent unincumbered..  the dark systum ses NO.. unfortinatlee alot comes back to money..
SO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL KID ......................................................................
THE REAL UNNIVERSE IS FREE….................................................................................

NYC KID THAT BAILED wrote… Comment #28 posted on September 29, 2008 at 11:54 PM

yo yo jest a small folloo up coment. like i sed im uptown in canada.. surfed a bit more web. checked out
support KET .org ...  and yup what it sed on that site is that you pulled it off and hit a HOME RUN.. NICEe….!.......!...
O….. im sure it was a night mare and all that .. and some thing like if you ever get pinched they say they got weight on you. i hope there some kind of time limit on that shit.. but a world series level home run hit on that homeboy. NO JAIL…
COOL…........... painting a mural a upside..  ya my coment about kats photos.. computer data might be sketchee if seezed.. but dam analog photo alblums. ya i would say like you cant prove thats me its another ket.. im not a lawyer man and dont know the ins and outs of the case.
so HOME RUN nun the less.. mad support from from heads is dope… and ya handeled correctlee make a deal and get the FUK out of there..  more time to fight and feed the systum and spin money like a washingmachine. ya get the fuk out of there. NICEeeee…  yo the systum sucked its money down. like i dont no. sounded like over a 100 grand.. but peace the fuk out to the jail thing.. no jail ..  win that shit kid…........................................................................................
and yo the pigs kept my gregory mountin climeing back pack.. off course what paint we had left .. and our freekin video tape and video camera.. and man back then a video camera was like atleast a grand as i reecall.  O… hay but i did my comunity service at this big fine art muesseam in nyc and finished teaching 5 6 and 7 year olds how to do bubble letters on huge rolls of paper down in soho at some art school.. ya you win some you lose some. but i’ll still grab a can and go out and get some.

Maartin wrote… Comment #29 posted on December 31, 2008 at 02:43 PM

wel very quickly…i like u KET respect man! fuck dem niggaz who put a kid n2 jail4 graffiti dats jus redicilous but al i can say is jus DNT GET CAUGHT! an keep bombing!!! i do it almost 12years neva got caught yet always ran away….....wil send sum txt to the judge neway coz its unfair case…anrite now im gonna bomb especially privat houses jus2make d johny boy (above) happy wink peace yaalll

ricky wrote… Comment #30 posted on January 02, 2009 at 05:23 PM

this kid doesn’t deserve the sentence he got but he did deserve the fine. he fucked up alot of buildings with his lame throw-up. I support good graffiti but if you have no original style and bad technique you should stick to sketchbooks. what was he trying to prove? It’s hard to defend graffiti as an art when someone points out one of his pieces. i’d much rather see clean walls then poorly done shit.

Mare 139 wrote… Comment #31 posted on January 03, 2009 at 10:27 PM

In the immortal words of LEE TF5- ‘If art is a crime let God forgive me.’

NinjaGirl wrote… Comment #32 posted on January 04, 2009 at 06:53 AM

All you taggers are a bunch of miserable useless criminals! Look at your posts, you can’t even spell or use proper English - do you think you sound cool because you use street language? That kid is a criminal and deserves to be in jail, property crime or not, whether or not the judge made bad decisions in other cases - that’s not relevant here - he was arrested MANY times! I can tell you I am not an elitist just because I own a house, but I was taught respect for other people’s property - the rule of law is what this country was founded on, and excuses about corporate CEO’s or politicians committing crimes don’t cut it - each of us is only responsible for ourselves, no one else! If you don’t want to be a “fatcat landlord”, then don’t buy a house - but don’t criticize those who do it to earn a living! You don’t even realize that just about the only thing your school did to educate you successfully was to brainwash you that modern Western society is a bad thing - I’d like to see you try to survive in the 1800’s, or even the 1930’s - you wanna talk about police brutality?? Taggers would have had the crap beaten out of them the first time they were caught back then - you wouldn’t even have been able to press the button on a can again!! So quit your whining and get a job, buy canvases if you want or paint up the walls in your OWN house, leave the electrical boxes, curbs, phone poles, highway signs, store walls, etc., etc. ALONE!!!

DESTROY and DESTROY wrote… Comment #33 posted on January 04, 2009 at 02:59 PM

NinjaGirl..go back to your vibrator you dumb cunt..i hope your house burns down.

NinjaGirl wrote… Comment #34 posted on January 05, 2009 at 04:47 AM

Oh I am just SO impressed by your reasoned, logical argument! You just proved my point, you are uneducated and hate anyone who has accomplished anything, and all you want to do is destroy. I bet I can guess exactly what kind of school/church/home environment you were raised in. I don’t say grew up in because you obviously haven’t grown up! The fact remains, taggers are criminals who don’t respect the property of others. Rudy Giulani identified the problem in New York City as the Broken Window Syndrome, and it applies very well to tagging. The more we let this go on without doing anything to stop it, the worse it gets and other problems go right along with it. So I really don’t have any sympathy for taggers who are caught in the act, convicted and sent to jail. Maybe if you want to talk about solutions there is some room for debate but the main thing I have seen is that parents are not teaching their children to do the right thing or they just don’t pay enough attention to their children, period.

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #35 posted on January 05, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Ok I am going to chime here in an effort to place this discussion in a wider and less aggressive tone.
Ninjagirl, you start by attacking “taggers” as “useless criminals” and I am disheartened that you would start a conversation like this. You are writing and commenting on an artist’s and entrepreneur’s blog and believe it is ok to slander the people on here. In any case the graffiti writing community and the artists that contribute to this movement are far from useless. As a matter of fact most are incredibly useful and positive contributors in society in a variety of industries. The main difference between us is that we have a difference of opinion on one, the way we act towards some public properties and two, what we believe is a just punishment for a crime committed.

You continue to state that this country was built on a “rule of the law” and that is entirely false. This country was built by massacring the Native American population, robbing and stealing their land, and by breaking laws to win freedom from England.F For someone that disses people on here for being ignorant for misspellings I believe you need to remember the true history of this nation which you might have or might not have learned.

If we follow your logic and decide to act like the founders of this country or the historic lawmakers than it is up to us to break the laws and change the laws as we see fit. The laws have to work for citizens and for communities not tear us apart. You cite the broken windows theory as a theory that proves some something, namely that it encourages tagging. Well two things to that: one, the broken windows theory is a largely racist theory and it supports a white point of view. Harvard educators and researchers have found this out by doing extensive research on the topic. Social psychologists Robert J. Sampson of Harvard University and Stephen W. Raudenbush of the University of Michigan found that, “White residents were far more likely to report disorder than black or Latino residents living in the same neighborhood—sensitivities that might explain, they theorized, why whites are relatively scarce in many city neighborhoods.” They continued to state, “As the proportion of black residents in a neighborhood increased, white residents’ perception of disorder also soared—even in neighborhoods that the raters had judged to be no more ramshackle than others with a smaller proportion of black residents. The researchers found the same thing when they looked at the percentage of families living in poverty: In neighborhoods with more poor people, residents perceived more disorder, regardless of the objective condition of the neighborhood.” This clearly shows a difference in how people live and want to live. For us graffiti is not a problem or something that needs to be eradicated or treated as a crime. It is the elitists like you and the people in power that are mainly white Americans that come in and create laws that criminalize the poor in order to create jobs, maintain the status quo, and create a false sense of safety for themselves.

A simple solution is to stop the heinous prosecution and jailing of people that do this type of art. We need more outspoken voices in our society not less.

Lastly if we are to talk about people who need to be in jail why not mention or focus on the real criminals in this country. We fill up jails and jail cells with “taggers” while the people in government who commit war crimes daily, who rob from citizens daily, go free. Look at the situation in Israel and Gaza today. American bullets are killing innocent people and no one is going to jail!!

This kid doesn’t need to be in jail for writing on walls, abandoned buildings or anything else. He needs to be free to continue being a productive member of society. The kid was a college student for crying out loud. He was trying to grow!!!!

VS wrote… Comment #36 posted on January 05, 2009 at 12:32 PM

Ket,
You were never really up that much,never went all out but
I agree with you 100% on this, you’re a smart guy.

Truth Serum wrote… Comment #37 posted on January 05, 2009 at 01:28 PM

yo ket, writing on private property is not cool.public property is fine,it belongs to us the tax payers.
this guy jake182 is not an elitist because he owns property,he probably did something with his life
and achieved some financial success.theres nothing wrong with that.you never really bombed that much,
im sure you love graff and are very knowledgeable on the subject but you are not up and never really were.you got arrested and almost went to prison and you are still not up.thats really toy.on top of that
when you did get bagged you begged for donations for your legal fees,a grown man begging and youre
talking shit about jake for owning property?furthermore you contradict yourself complaining about
the goverment and corporations because you SELL graffiti to them.
you are a sell out.i understand you need to make a living and not everyone has a rich movie director father to support their personalty disorders but there are thousands of other ways to make a living,and being a landlord and owning property is one of them.so dont hate on this guy jake at least he isnt selling graffiti to corporate america.
if you like graff so much and hate the system, go out and bomb.

Happy New Year!

graff forever.

Alan Ket wrote… Comment #38 posted on January 06, 2009 at 04:48 AM

Truth,
I’ve said this many times before, everyone is entitled to an opinion and even anonymous people like you. The beautiful thing about being a writer is that you do it when you want to and for whatever reason you want to. When you write you get the gratification instantly not from some toy giving you props or not online. I am glad that I never wrote to be down with cats like you nor have I ever done business with people like you either. And for your information the guy who wrote JAKE is a writer and just wanted to complain and start an argument. Everyone wants to have rules for writing: public property is cool, private is not, things like that, and I hear that and its great to discuss but now you are trying to drag me into the conversation that is supposed to be one started to help this kid out. When I had a case I asked for help because I give it in return. Some people that wanted to help did and for that I am thankful. Those who didn’t that’s fine too. Now if anyone wants to help this guy out it would be appreciated by his family and him. That’s what this is about. Get organized, get involved. Make a living too. Whatever floats your boat. And btw there are better ways to hate on the system than painting if you haven’t figured it out yet.

DESTROY and DESTROY wrote… Comment #39 posted on January 09, 2009 at 04:50 PM

I bet if all those electrical boxes,curbs,phone poles highway signs,store walls,etc,etc had a coke advertisement on it or vote obama or mccain propaganda on it you wouldn’t care..NINJAGIRL,you ARE a dumb lonely cunt.you don’t know your ass from your elbow…

NYC KID THAT BAILED wrote… Comment #40 posted on January 10, 2009 at 03:29 AM

YA.. SO.. coments been made… want to drop in on the vancouver graff seen..? like you care….
(simplee put.. some stuff got stylishlee vandelized?... fun?. yes..))>> nyc kid that bailed.. has investores comeing to fund his next venture.. wich will get him to the next level of graff.. in the meeen time.. rockin 99cent hard ware store brand spray paint.. and real cheep markers.. some hit extentions wer made.. dont be mad if you hate graffiti.. the war continues.. writers take arms.. the qwest moves forward.. the soga bee-gins kid.. so ya i can get loose.. and will post up when the moneys right.. still write-ing!! to see some dam photos… of a bomb that went off up in canada.. google search up .. FLICKR.com FLICKR photo shareing…  jump onto flickr and search graffiti….. YOU must then (narro down search..  click on GROUPS) do a group search for..—-GRAFFITI—GODS——
GRAFFITI GODS should pull up .. theres 60 to 100 photos or so..  after you group search graff gods and open it..
youze the slide show option to veiw picture set.. also enable the commentary in the slide show hit show info..( click on more first…. if you cant find slide show..)) thanks.. thanks..
writeing bolth KES-9 and REEM-9… . see for our self..

NYC KID THAT BAILED wrote… Comment #41 posted on January 17, 2009 at 08:23 PM

HI AGAIN.. took a a bit of time however the site jest got approved.. happy!!..  its jest a bunch of tags and throoups.. and pics from some of the writers that influenced my style.. should you want to see a bunch of burrners check out EAZ
..EAZone.. the future of graffiti.. should you be intrested in a bombing missions.. go to flickr and group search graffiti gods..
1.. search on the net for.. —-FLICKR—-
2.. type in—GRAFFITI—GODS—when on flickr..
3.. then GROUP..!!.. search!! GRAFFITI GODS
4.. GRAFFITI GODS will come up and you can watch the slide show..
peace to this form and to ...  .....  .......  ....  KET!!..  ..thanks again..
(NYC KID UP IN VANCOUVER CANADA)

caged mindz wrote… Comment #42 posted on February 06, 2009 at 10:29 AM

Degrade the more poor citizens and confuse them by not letting them know all their rights…Its the year 2009 and millions of households in America DO NOT know their own rights…I agree with what Ket said about corporate greed and scandals that run smoothly almost daily in our local cities but aren’t penalized…?????—>Well, money seems to be the solution in every case…Not enough money,,then oh well, go to a cheaper college or don’t go at all.  BILLION dollar companies take their BILLION dollar jets to visit the gov’t to borrow money.  It’s still a white man’s world..like it or not and we’re still here fighting for some rights against the cold blooded law makers that punish us for not being as rich..please properly disapprove my statement if it doesn’t meet the credentials for online forums supporting the graffiti movement if your an asshole…Make-Art-Real

Reply…

Respectful opinion and debate is welcome, but comments that are defamatory, indecent, abusive, off-topic, or in violation of any of our rules or terms of service will be removed and your user account will be banned. Read the posting rules here.

Ket grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. From a young age, he fell in love with Hip Hop culture and the graffiti art movement, During his college days at New York University, he founded STRESS, a publication dedicated to celebrating urban communities, Hip Hop culture and educating youth about their rights. This magazine went on to have international distribution and being translated into Spanish language as well. Through Stress magazine, Ket created a program with Riker’s Island prison to donate magazines to inmates and to take Hip Hop musicians to perform at the prison system in order to reduce violence and connect them with the outside world. He was also one of the founders of Black August, a collective made up of Stress magazine staff and The Malcolm X Grassroots movement, in order to raise money and support for political prisoners and exchange music and ideas with youth in countries with emerging Hip Hop scenes like Cuba. Most recently he was a founder of Complex magazine along with Marc Ecko, and started a publishing imprint, From Here to Fame, to preserve Hip Hop’s rich history and to provide an imprint for marginalized writers and artists. He also has served as a consultant to Ecko Unlimited on both their apparel and video game businesses, MTV, Lugz, Vibe magazine, PepsiCo, Timberland, Azzure Denim, and many other brands.

www.stores.ebay.com/the-walls-belong-to-us

Alan Ket's Blog Archive and RSS Feed
12 Latest Entries 12 Most Viewed Entries 12 Most Commented Entries Monthly Archive Subscribe To Alan Ket's Blog
Advertisment
Jump Menu

Select below to jump directly to a specific persons blog.

Subscribe to 12ozProphet
Looking for something specific?

Quick search the blogs or use Advanced Search.

Advertisement
COMPLEXMediaNetwork 12ozProphet | Complex | ComplexVideo | DailyDrop | DasGamer | FreshnessMag | HighSnobiety | JapaneseSportCars | Juxtapoz | Karmaloop | KarmaloopTV | KicksFinder
KicksOnFire | Loud | MoeJackson | NahRight | NiceKicks | OliviaMunn | OnSMASH | Pastapadre | PlanetXbox360 | Sarcasticgamer | SlamxHype | SneakerNews | Streetball
Vdream | VladTV