Graffiti to me is an act of art; it is a way for people to express their feelings and emotions. There are different types of graffiti. A “tag” is the graffiti that is done quickly, sloppily and repetitively. A “throw-up” is a more elaborate tag, it’s usually done in two or more colors. It usually is done in bubble letters. “A Piece,” which is short for “masterpiece,” is large, and it is a detailed drawing. They are colorful and nice and are usually called murals. There’s also generic graffiti that includes random markings, initials, declarations of love, social commentary, profanity, graduation events, and other non-threatening messages. It has no particular style. Gang graffiti is used to mark gang territory or send warnings to rivals. It may include letters, symbols, or numbers known only by gangs and law enforcement.

I do not think graffiti would be as bad as everyone makes it out to be if people actually did it in a better manner. If they actually did it with permission, such as asking someone if they mind their garage or building being tagged on. I have a few friends that go around asking businesses if they want the name of their business written on their building. Community paintbrush murals are rarely defaced by graffiti. I think that it is because it instills a sense of pride among people who live nearby and see it. People know that it was hard work, so they would feel bad defacing them.

            About 80 percent of graffiti is gang or tagger graffiti. I don’t think that is the right thing to do for them. I think that if they did graffiti in a well-behaved way, then we would not have as many problems. If gang members and taggers wouldn’t go around crossing each other’s things out, then I don’t think it would be looking as messy. I also doubt that there would be as much violence if they didn’t cross stuff out. If the people who do tag did nice murals and didn’t make the city look as grungy, I think more people would not have a problem with people tagging.

            Graffiti is the most common type of vandalism in the U.S. If people were allowed to do it without getting into trouble, I doubt there would be an increase in graffiti. It costs America more than $8 billion per year just to clean up graffiti, so I think people should do it nicely. So, in my opinion, not all graffiti is wrong. People just have to know how to do things in a nice manner.