ANYTOWN (CNS)-- It appears that hundreds of unknown individuals have initiated a relentless "COPWATCH.COM" graffiti/tagging campaign in scores of cities all across North America. Evidently, the words
COPWATCH.COM
Curiously enough, there are no reports of any damage to privately-owned property (that is, property owned by individuals or non-megacorp businesses).
Reached for comment, a spokesman for COPWATCH.COM cautioned that defacing public or private property with "COPWATCH.COM" graffiti is illegal, and might even be unethical.
"I am forced to say that we are absolutely appalled that anyone would have the temerity to challenge the cops in such a brazen manner.
"The mere fact that an unacceptable number of bad cops are rampaging virtually unchecked through society is, (at least according to a certain uniformed segment of the populace), insufficient justification to publicize the existence of COPWATCH.COM by any other than lawful means.
"Just imagine how the cops must feel when they see such grafitti. They're probably so upset that they cannot completely enjoy a leisurely coffee-and-donut break. Perhaps the awareness of COPWATCH.COM even influences their job performance, causing them to hesitate for a moment before engaging in unethical behavior.
"Such results are unacceptable, are they not? Bearing this in mind,
PLEASE PERPETRATE THIS HEINOUS CRIME IN YOUR AREA.
"After all, such graffiti will only anger bad cops... and who could possibly want that?"Thank you for your active cooperation."
After interviewing the Copwatch.com spokesman, we were contacted by a participant in the underground graffiti-writing campaign. He gave his name as “X”, and proudly declared that he created Copwatch.com grafitti whenever and wherever the opportunity arose.
“I carry an indelible felt-tip pen with me everywhere I go. When I find a suitable spot, I leave a message for the police: “Copwatch.com”. I must have tagged 15 public bathrooms and 45 bus-stops last month alone. I don’t think this activity is wrong or evil. To the contrary- I think it’s beneficial for society. Me and my friends are like Johnny Appleseed, planting the seeds of anti-authoritarianism wherever we go. Especially in these times, I feel obligated to do anything I can to rein in the excesses of the Police State apparatus. Creating Copwatch.com graffiti is how I fight “the system”.
“When I think of the cops who screwed with me, it makes me smile to realize how angry they’ll be when they see the grafitti I created.”
As of press time, no further statements were forthcoming from either the COPWATCH.COM spokesman or the anonymous grafitti artist, and no additional information concerning this underground campaign was available.
UPDATE:
Recent reports indicate that COPWATCH.COM grafitti is becoming increasingly common, despite the efforts of authorities. The law-enforcement community can only hope that this subversive activity doesn't develop into a massive trend that dwarfs the "Pokemon" phenomenon.
COPWATCH.COM has done all that it can to prevent this unfortunate state of affairs, and cannot be held responsible.
COMMENTARY:
Take note of how quickly your local government removes COPWATCH.COM grafitti. A speedy coverup could indicate that leading members of your local power structure are heavily invested in perpetuating a corrupt status quo. Why else would taxpayer funds be made immediately available for the eradication of COPWATCH.COM grafitti, while serious problems, such as the potholes which undoubtedly plague your city or town, remain eternally neglected?
Does your city or town place greater importance on shielding bad cops than on maintaining the public infrastructure?
If so, perhaps your displeasure should be made repeatedly and redundantly apparent. But whatever you do, don’t follow the example of the individual depicted below, because it would violate “the law”.
ATTENTION:
There is insufficient evidence to evaluate the persistant rumor that people who produce COPWATCH.COM grafitti enjoy more and better sex than those who don't.
NOTE:
Pictures of "COPWATCH.COM" graffiti may be prominently displayed on this website in a well-intentioned (if uncertainly effective) effort to discourage anyone else from creating similarly offensive and illegal works. Submit your digital photographs to copwatch@lokmail.net. Anonymity guaranteed.
We have no idea who did this, and of course we are shocked (SHOCKED!) by the blatant contempt of authority evinced by such urban decorations.
BREAKING NEWS:
A recently-published report reveals that 4 out of 5 dentists agree that there is a very strong correlation between the creation of COPWATCH.COM grafitti and a marked increase in both the intensity and the frequency of sexual encounters with remarkably attractive and sensual partners. Dr. Ruth, Dr. Drew, and Dr. Jackson have yet to comment on these findings, despite repeated attempts to reach them.
THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL… (analysis and perspective)
- "COPWATCH.COM" graffiti as defiant political expression
- "COPWATCH.COM" graffiti worries the police
- Sending THEM a message...
- IBM hires PR company to paint advertising grafitti on city sidewalks
If it's good enough for corporate America, it's good enough for the rest of us! - Political graffiti displayed in Microsoft Art Collection: legitimized and seemingly sanctioned by billionaires. Create your own museum-worthy artwork today!
- "...tag a police car or a justice building..."
- Countering statist, monolithic corporate media: grafitti as subversive mass communication.
"When a relatively powerless individual or group's ideas come into conflict with the main elements of society, graffiti remains one of the few ways available to express unacceptable commentary. A sociologist from Simon Fraser University (Martin Laba) believes that … graffiti is a reflection of increasing governmental restraint legislation."
"Police monitor the entire graffiti sub-culture, all of the magazines and underground videos, as well as all graffiti discussion on the Internet. They also employ sociologists to study the culture. Police also monitor the political content of graffiti very carefully. Political graffiti is very rare; say police, but they are alarmed by a recent increase..."
"As I roll down the street, with the night completely engulfing the city… [t]he adrenaline already starts to flow. Tonight I will strike a blow, I will wage a battle, I will represent the less fortunate and most of all I will out wit my enemy. *** A few non-conspicuous passes of the target area determines whether or not tonight is a good night, or whether I will be risking too much. Tonight the police sit on the street no more than a block away. They are harassing two male and one female youth. Rage emerges from my already exasperated mind state. Although the risk is high I am guided almost entirely by emotion and I park my car in a not too obvious spot. I'm out of the car like a ghost, cans in hand, ready to initiate the battle. "
"I slip into the entrance of the alley, just outside the sight of the police, a quick 360 degree glance to assure my privacy, the lid pops, almost too loudly. Another glance. My heart is now beating with a trip-hammer beat. The spirit of revolution and graffiti take control of my body and the paint leaps from the can. *** There. Finished. The caps come off the cans and the cans hit the trash bin. I attempt to attain a mellow demeanor to camouflage into the city landscape. I step out onto the street. *** A quick glance around reveals a relatively empty street. Hiding my paint covered hands in my pockets I begin to relax as I meander past the police toward my car. I can't help a chuckle from escaping my lips."
"In an embarrassing marketing snafu - or a brilliant ploy - hundreds of "Peace Love Linux" logos have been painted on city sidewalks [in Chicago and San Francisco]. *** IBM initially said it had nothing to do with the graffiti but later fessed up, Chicago city officials say. *** Guerrilla marketing is a good way to appeal to... "hippies" who don't associate themselves with Corporate America, says Katharine Paine, president of consulting firm Delahaye Medialink. *** But the street campaign stumbled last week when Ali Morsy, 20, was arrested for painting IBM graffiti at 2 a.m. in Chicago. According to police, Morsy said he was working for Ch'rewd Marketing & Promotions. Ch'rewd admitted it had a contract with Ogilvy & Mather, IBM's ad firm, but said Morsy was not working for it that night. No one at Ch'rewd could be reached. Ogilvy & Mather directed all calls to IBM."
"The graffiti-covered Berlin Wall section given to Microsoft by Daimler-Benz AG will join nearly 2,000 other works in the Microsoft Art Collection. However, if you customarily think of graffiti as little more than urban vandalism, you may be wondering, 'Is this art?' In the case of the Berlin Wall, the graffiti was often painted on it as an expression of protest against the Stalinist East German regime that built it. The graffiti became a way to symbolically breach the Wall and to challenge its legitimacy."
"Writers as delinquents, however, are able to 'overt,' rather than subvert, this process by deforming the visible structures that house inside the reforming of bodies; a writer's ability to tag a police car or a justice building exposes the limits of control these structures have in appropriating crime and using it, marks the failed structure of deploying failure."
"To begin with, Graffiti has a long history, which could be stretched to the cave paintings of prehistoric man. Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable tells us - '(Ital. graffito , a scratching.) *** A collection of graffiti of Pompeii was published by Bishop Wordsworth in 1837 and it provides a useful insight into the life of the ancient Romans. Modern graffiti *** are usually crude and mostly erotic, but political graffiti are quite common and were much in evidence in the 1930's.'"
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- WATCH OUT FOR SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS!
- Interesting ideas to ruminate upon...
"There are 129 cameras in and around Times Square, maintained by either the police or private companies, Brown says. A member of the troupe distributes to passers-by a hand-made map of the area in which the cameras' locations are indicated. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, there are at least 2,500 surveillance cameras in Manhattan alone. *** Standing in a line, the actors raise their panels one after the other. 'You are being watched for your own safety' -- 'Who's watching?' -- 'Who watches the watchers?' -- 'Cops with guns are watching' -- 'Cops will shoot pictures like cops shoot guns' -- 'No more invasions of privacy.'"
"Maybe you walk obediently by the surveillance cameras by day, then return at night to shoot them out or spray-paint their lenses."
Here's a few samples of the countless cases of cops who've committed the crime of rape.
-
Police officer convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl and sexually accosting a woman during traffic stops. Sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison.
Police officer, convicted of raping a woman he met on a domestic violence call, faces up to 15 years in jail.
Police officer sentenced to 3.5 to 15 years in prison: pleaded no contest to charges that he forced prostitutes to have sex with him.
Police officer found guilty of repeatedly raping a girl starting when she was 12 years old.
Police officer charged with 11 counts of rape of six girls under age 13.
Corrections officer convicted of sexual misconduct with underage female inmates: flees to avoid jail.
State trooper accused of groping two women and a 10-year-old girl in a hotel hot tub on New Year's Day: fired from State Patrol.
Police officer indicted for rape, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition. Victim was 17-year-old girl who volunteered for a youth police program.
ART IMITATES LIFE
