Graffiti Is A Crime In The Capital Federal

jantango

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The graffiti makes the city look like a slum. It's visual contamination.

One day a few months ago, I asked a policeman on duty in my neighborhood Balvanera if graffiti is a crime. He said it is, and told me what I could do about it. He said they have to do community service and pay a fine. All I had to do was see one in action and call the police.

I thought I'd have to go lurking at night in the neighborhood to find one of these graffiti artists (I use the term loosely). Much to my amazement and delight, I found one yesterday evening at 6:30 on my street just as he completed the damage to a factory. He was prepared with lies to justify his crime(delito). It was perfect timing when a police car drove by, and I asked them to stop. I didn't hesitate to say that I wanted to make a police report (denuncia) and see him arrested. The two officers called in and waited for another one to arrive (as if this was a violent crime that needed backup). A neighbor walking her dog informed the police that the factory owner is the owner of the garage around the corner. An officer went to investigate, but the owner wasn't there. While we're waiting, one officer has our DNIs. I didn't get the name of the perpetrator. Another officer is across the street chatting with the criminal whose accent is not Argentine. He was proud of is work in the 2200 block of Chile. I had to ask what those View attachment 3094letters mean, not that it mattered, and so did the police. The final outcome was an excuse that this was private property and only the owner could file a report. That is simply not true. The police didn't want to deal with the situation.

I decided to research the law because it concerns me and found an article.

http://www.lanacion....-en-las-paredes

It is a crime to paint graffiti on public or private property in the capital. It's increasing at an alarming rate because citizens don't take action when they see a crime being committed, and the police are too lazy to make an arrest. This needs to change. One officer made excuses that Argentina isn't like other countries. True, and there is lots of room for improvement; Mayor Macri is doing something about it. I pointed out that this beautiful city is deteriorating with the graffiti and garbage situations because people just don't care. A change of attitude is the only solution to these problems.

Article 80 of the City Code states the punishment for this crime is 1-15 days of community service and fines of 200 to 3,000 pesos for damaging public or private property with graffiti.

If you see someone painting graffiti, use your cellphone to document it. Take a photo of them in the act. Then call 911 for the police to come to the scene of the crime. You'll be asked for your DNI and to accompany them to the local police station to file a report.

Palermo and Belgrano are favorite neighborhoods of "grafiteros" at night. They're ruining your neighborhood. The only thing that will deter them is more arrests.
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=graffiti+buenos+aires&rlz=1C5CHFA_enAR506AR506&espv=210&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=n5c5U--tO-TB0QHWmoEI&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1213&bih=798

I don't think that graffitis necessarily make the city "look like a slum". Quite the contrary, BsAs is next to East London one of the cities I've lived in where I saw quite a few really good graffitis that make the place more colorful...
 
Wasn't it in New York where they discovered that cracking down on petty crime (speeding, rolling stop, jaywalking, graffiti, etc), that you could get that great police state vibe going and general more serious crime rates would subsequently fall? That's all very well and fine, but honestly the anarchic feel of BA is one of the things I actually enjoy. Admittedly I might (or might not, depending on the artwork) sing a different song if that was my building - but does that rolling door really look any more ugly now than it did to start with? I think some graffiti is very interesting though I can't always differentiate if it was actually graffiti or something permitted/commissioned.

Agreed about the letters. I usually can't even tell what all the letters are, let alone what they mean. I like some of the stencil ones. Am often curious what the monkey is all about that you see everywhere, and there was one I especially liked that said something like, "I'm not a tourist, I Live here!" in English. You seriously find none of it has any artistic value? I mean yes, most of it is juvenile crap, but all of it? You don't ever enjoy the rebellious spirit of it? The city wouldn't look a little boring without it?

It's a fine line - I would like to be able to look out the train window and know what station I'm at for example. Not sure why they don't at least clean off the windows, but oh well.

As you can see I'm riding the fence on this one. Probably not going to join your bandwagon to clean the city though.
 
Well said, Eric. I don't have a problem with the graffiti either, I agree that the anarchic feel of the city is grand, and there's no way I'm ever calling the cops on anyone for something like that.
 
I think the issue of whether you like the graffiti or don't like the graffiti is second to the fact that it is painted (mostly) on private property as well as most public monuments. Unless the owners have agreed then it should be a crime.

If you own a building and want random sh*t painted on it then no problem. Just let me know ... I have this awesome Falkland Islands stencil in Union Jack colors I'm dying to try out in the city!
 
https://www.google.c...iw=1213&bih=798

I don't think that graffitis necessarily make the city "look like a slum". Quite the contrary, BsAs is next to East London one of the cities I've lived in where I saw quite a few really good graffitis that make the place more colorful...

It makes the city look like a "slum" when they paint swastikas, and there are many of those all over the city painted on the buildings. The graffiti painted on the A lines is artistic, but when it's mean spirited it makes the city look like a ciudad de quarta.
 
I live in Bariloche and I hate graffiti, I think its a great reflection on the state of society, one in the way it shows the youth don't respect private property and two that businesses don't even make an effort to pain over it.

I live near 2 big businesses in Bariloche, a 5* Hotel that has graffiti at the back of the property but because their clients generally don't go round the back they don't bother paining over it, graffiti on the front of the building get painted immediately. The other company that is a large chocolate factory that wouldn't dream of leaving graffiti on the front of their store but their factory (which don't have their logo on it) has such ugly graffiti including penises. The street is one with many hostels & hotels on it so there are tourist waking past this eyesore on a daily basis, what impression does that give them of the city.

I live in a building that also gets lots of graffiti on it. I asked the building consorcium for 18 months to provide me with the paint and I would paint over it for free...they never produced. I ended up buying the paid myself. I think I'm the only one on the street that regularly makes an effort to remove graffiti...
 
I agree that I like the nice, colorful graffiti that's all over town. The random letters and tags I could do without, and monuments/statues/etc are not the place for it. But, the well done stuff does give the city a certain something, and I think that's true in most cities.
 
I don't think that graffitis necessarily make the city "look like a slum". Quite the contrary, BsAs is next to East London one of the cities I've lived in where I saw quite a few really good graffitis that make the place more colorful...

I agree that I like the nice, colorful graffiti that's all over town. The random letters and tags I could do without, and monuments/statues/etc are not the place for it. But, the well done stuff does give the city a certain something, and I think that's true in most cities.

Do you have graffiti on the building where you live?
Would you welcome graffiti on the building where you live?
 
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