graffiti wouldnt be as fun if you were allowed to do it where you like... a few cities/states have tried to provide specific areas to paint to help curb the street lever illegal graff(much like how they provide skateparks to keep people out of business property).. these ideas look good on paper but fail miserably... where is the fun being told where you are allowed to do something..
dont get me wrong this shit is fun as hell but its about as artistic as throwing a rock through a window...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bv1sxsmln0

people will still probably disagree with me and im def not here to argue but hip hop graffiti in videos and cd covers and wild style is a little bit different from grimy ass street graffiti that is illegal and vandalism... its a broad idea/art style/concept but you wont convince me that illegal graff ISNT vandalism

if this has failed it's normal: graffiti art cames from the street, so before all it's to undestand this culture, for me it is a culture. solutions cames after.
the video you show, the destruction of paris, shows also the non-integration of certain part of immigrants with french culture and it's a way- good or bad- to express this...
solutions are far in my opinion...
peace

i think using the term writer is misleading... i thought they were imprisoning journalists!

but i think if you are going to go tagging, you know the risks so theres not much they can say in defense

but they should be hiring graffiti artists more often to do murals and just making buildings look sweet

but what do you expect from writing your name all over the place? theres artistic grafiti then there is lazy tagging.

i met a guy in boston who has shit up EVERYWHERE and he does not take it as a joke, if he is going to put a piece up its going to be serious not just typography. he then got hired by a cafe in Allston to do all the artwork on the tables and some on the walls. and free food/coffee for life.

...maybe he was sponsorized by a pencil/spray or whatever company to do that ...

haha nah it wasnt a sponsor so much as this cafe called Harold's that does coffee, breakfast, and ice cream

i like seeing tags and bombs as much as burners.

california = 3 strikes prison for life .

+1

there are some dumb ass dudes that fuk it up for all... by bombing churches and schools with a throwie... my peeps home was tagged by some toys who wanted to send a message. we found out they are all about 14 and 15. but the world thinks its all on the same level, graffiti, gang graffiti and str8 up tomfoolery

I don't think it can be called graffiti when it's legal. The nervosity and pressure on you when you go out writing just belongs to writing.