By Murals in Long Beach have been subject to defacement through graffiti art, but on Jan. 23, a public mural graffitied over prompted a discussion about public art on the Long Beach subreddit.
Mural artist Dragon76 participated in the 2015 POW WOW Long Beach event. Since then the mural has been covered by local graffiti artist signatures. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
Mural artist “Dragon76” participated in the 2015 POW WOW Long Beach event. Since then the mural has been covered by local graffiti artist signatures. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
A user by the name u/Localrecordsoffice posted an image of a mural off of First Street and Long Beach Boulevard that had graffiti over the middle lower half of the original image.
Users commented, expressing disappointment at seeing public art defaced and how public art brings character to buildings.
Only five days later, a user by the name u/DoctorTrash posted an image of another mural that had graffiti on it on the Long Beach subreddit, the style of the graffiti appearing to be the same as the graffiti shown in the first post, prompting users to suspect it was done by the same graffiti artist.
The mural that u/DoctorTrash posted an image of was in Cambodia Town on the side of a dentist office off of East Anaheim Street.
“Golden Boy” is a mural created by Long Beach artist Bodeck Luna Hernandez in 2017 in Cambodia Town. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
Artist Bodeck Luna Hernandez, a Long Beach-based illustrator, painter and muralist, created the piece in 2017 titled “Golden Boy.”
“It is my love letter to Cambodia Town which is the neighborhood I grew up in Long Beach. It should serve as a monument to young Asian-American men to fight mass media and cultural emasculation,” Hernandez wrote on his website.
Mural done by Tatiana Velazquez for 2018’s POW WOW in Long Beach, has been covered by graffiti signature for Pound Dogg. Velazquez’s mural can be found on the side of Ashley on Fourth Street. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
Pound Dogg, a signature of local graffiti artist, can be found on multiple murals that were originally created as a part of Long Beach POW WOW event. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
Graffiti is viewed by some as a form of public art and a way of self-expression. A graffiti artist’s tags, almost like a signature, are individualized through stylized letters or designs integrated into the graffitied words and show originality. It has prompted discussions about whether to view graffiti as art or vandalism.
Graffiti signature covering POW WOW mural art is by Pound Dogg, a local Long Beach graffiti artist. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
On the side of La Vista Market on Fourth Street in Long Beach, a mural is covered by graffiti art. One of many POW WOW murals defaced in the area. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
For some of the users commenting on the posts made in the Long Beach subreddit, the problem was not the graffiti itself, but that people were graffitiing over preexisting murals instead of finding blank spaces.
Mural artist “Koz Dos” participated in 2017’s Long Beach POW WOW event, which can be found on 4th street. Since then it has collected a variety of graffiti signatures that have covered most of the mural. Photo credit: Andrea Ramos
The City of Long Beach offers two programs for residents interested in removing graffiti. The Free Paint Program provides owners and occupants of private property free paint to cover up graffiti on their property.
The Graffiti Removal Program is a city-operated program that will remove graffiti from private property at no cost to the owners or the tenants, according to the City of Long Beach’s website.
Members of the Long Beach community can call the 24-hour Graffiti Hotline at (562) 570-2773 to report graffiti, request free paint to cover up graffiti or request the services of the Graffiti Removal Program.
