Let's be clear, graffiti has not gone totally legit. People get arrested all the time for it, and in some cases they should. Part of the problem is that the word itself gets used to mean several different things. The press calls it graffiti if you paint some nasty slogan or a swastika on a wall that doesn't belong to you.
But graffiti is also art, and somewhere at its core is the notion of illegality. So how do you cull out the art from the vandalism. And once you decide that something IS art and start showing it in galleries and museums, have you drained the vitality right out of the engine block of graffiti? In other words, be careful what you wish for, when you wish for legitimacy. Today, we look at the current state of the art of graffiti and tell you surprising stories of what you can get arrested for. Leave your comments below, email us at colin@wnpr.org. or tweet us @wnprcolin.
http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Betsy/Colin%20McEnroe%20Show%2006-19-2013.mp3