Yeah, you painted over kids' art -- art that everyone who actually spends time in the park knew was painted mostly by kids. And you left a badly painted building and some shitty tags behind.

What did this prove? That you think you bring a lot to this community, but when it comes right down to it, you don't. Well done.

You say the park isn't private property, yet you seem to want to treat it like it is, with no respect for other park users. You're hypocrites.

"Old hag"

Seriously? Is this how you speak about your neighbours in such misogynistic terms? Do you really believe that speaking and acting in this way moves us forward to a better understanding of how our community needs to grow and change?

Since you seem to know absolutely nothing about how the mural that you destroyed was created, I'm posting an email I received from it's creator, Eileen Mosca. I've posted a shorter version of this msg on the People's Front of Grandview Facebook group as well. (Shorter because FB only allows for 1000 characters.)

Please read it, and think about whether or not you should maybe try engaging in discussion before acting in such a senseless and destructive manner:

"In April the back of the fieldhouse was covered with graffiti(wll send a photo of that too), including nasty content..."Twinkie makes the little girls scream" etc...The Community Policing Ctr where I volunteer got a number of complaints. We decided that the only way to stop the recurrent tagging was to do a mural.

I am a commercial artist and have been doing murals for over 20 years, so I was asked to put in my volunteering time doing scale drawings of a mural design that would cover the building. My idea was to do a very simple design that anyone could work on. The drawings were submitted and within a week were approved by Pk Bd.

We did up some posters inviting everyone in the community to come out and paint this on Mothers Day,May 9th. We also signed up people at Stone Soup. The building was painted to cover the graffiti and the night before I outlined the design on the fieldhouse with sharpies and gave each section a number. Sunday morning we set up a table with numbered cans of paint, provided old coverall shirts, brushes, rollers etc. About 20 CPC volunteers painted and were joined by about 45 other people from the community. Some had heard about it and some were just passing by and decided to help out. Our youngest volunteer was 18 months..assisted by his mom...the oldest was in her 70's.

It was a great atmosphere, full of fun and by the end an amazed feeling of pride among the participants that they had created this art.

Six days later it was trashed by participants at the 'Block Party' protest event but I went back the next day with 2 other volunteers and we repainted the whole thing...which survived unscathed til Sunday night.

That's probably more information than you wanted....
Cheers,
Eileen"

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=117685251602819&ref=ts

The park will not be closed for 1 year. Stop spreading misinformation. The project is expected to be completed by March of 2011... that is unless activists trash the project, and it takes longer than expected. (Yeah, that would really be serving the interests of the community... costing them another summer in the park. Way to teach the "pigs" a lesson.)

You say "the people" tried to do something in there, but the same could be said for the 60+ volunteers who painted the mural you destroyed. At least their mural looked like something, whereas yours is a mess, and they weren't painting over anything besides tags and whatnot.

As for the park board letting the park "Turn to shit", you are twisting the words of one individual at one meeting. When the city staffer said that they weren't planning on spending a lot of money on the park because they knew a reno was coming along. This isn't part of some grand conspiracy, it's actually wise management of resources. Anyone who looked at that park a decade ago could tell that it was run down, and a poor use of space. (Plus the park has seen many attempts at fixing if over the past 2 decades.)

As for knowing what the community wants... you guys live in a fantasy world where you believe you speak and act for the vast majority of the community, and the working class, but in fact you haven't the foggiest idea as to what they want. This is typical of any extremist group.

You may not like their process, but the city consulted with the neighbourhood, and they're making some simple improvements. Compared to your "we do what we wan because we know what's right" approach to park improvement, the city took great pains to make their process open to anyone who cared to get involved.

More green space, less asphalt, more seating, a new washroom, a skatepark, a multi-use court and a new playground/water feature are hardly signs of gentrification.

This said, I'd like to ask the author to tell us a bit about Cameron, Paul, and Ezekiel, the people you claim where chased off. What's their story?

Also, a bunch of us are wondering what's up with using terms like "old hag"?

Generally when you injure somebody, or destroy their art or property, it helps if you dehumanize them by writing them off as lesser beings by reason of race, gender, age, sexual orientation and what have you.

Was this your unconscious intent when using this term do you suppose? Or were you trying to be that vile on purpose?

I think your blog lost some of my comments, or hasn't published them.

I hope when you guys achieve your anarchist utopia you do a better job with running the water works and sewage treatment plants.

You guys moderate comments before they're posted? How do you reconcile that with your beliefs?

I can totally understand using re-captcha to sort out the humans from the bots, but I'd think you'd be into radical free speech. Ah well, just another confusing contradiction I guess.

So about those questions I've asked... anyone? Anyone?

Not sure I understand the difference. Seems like just a layer of bureaucracy to me, but hey, it's your site, so do as you please.

That said... still waiting for something in the way of a response from "neighbourhood artists". Anybody out there? Or do you prefer not to engage with the plebes? I know questions are inconvenient, but if you expect to win us over, you're going to have to actively engage with the public. That is unless this is all just a self indulgent wank, and you're not prepared to defend your position.

It's true that I shouldn't use language like that.  I feel bad.  It's true that that was pretty weak.  I was in a state of reaction.  It was an exciting project to me. and we got stopped.  It was natural that this lady would feel that we did something against her, I guess.  Not sure if we actually did, until my language. 

I felt like the effort is justified, to make art.  I feel like the original mural was kinda plain and boring, and what we wanted to do was potentially cool and fancy.  But we got stopped in the process, by someone who was harsh, and possessive, and angry and called the cops on us.

It was me, who wrote the blog above, and used some fowl language, not the others.   Harsh words for an older woman.  I guess there's reactionaries everywhere.  I've seen it in myself before,reactionism, not misogyny.  I don't think that the woman in my life think of me as misogynist, but this is a fucked up sexist world and I'm not the special exception.  I hope to deal with that, reactionism and sexism.

I hope also though that we stop calling the cops over paint.  And I hope that she and the CPC aren't the only ones with the right to paint in the world.  But I guess there's some proper processes to ask for permission.  Would that be the good way?

  It's important to know, that this project was the work of a small group, not some larger group, resposnsible for all plans and projects towrds stopping the park redevelopment.. As I understand it, each of the efforts in the park recently, have been autonomous efforts by individuals and small groups.  Not an all encompassing we, or they. I guess when I write in the "we" it gets confusing. I encouraged others to take part, saying it was a community project, and a bunch of individuals were excited and took part.

It's good that you all criticize me.  That we criticize eachother.  That we learn.  That we have dialogue.  How else can "we" (I mean me and my community) have that dialogue with "you" (I mean a diverse bunch of communities, and the writers above, who live in a general area).

Again, after some reflection, it's not a big bad wrong that we did.  Whatever, we painted a building.  It was wrong for me to speak harshly.  I don't hate women.  I love women.  I've asked some folks around me, and came up with that it was harsh, not hateful.  But I understand that others will think different, and that was not so cool or intelligent of me. Reactionary, to be questioned, isms to be attacked.  I accept that I was wrong in the way I wrote.

Interesting how a choice and action like this has caused reactions and dialogue.  I'm learning in life, and prefer this to nothing, no change, no movement.  A brazen plan and a brazen explanation, and we get to hear from people in response.  Sorry to those offended.  Though gentrification is real, and happening and some of us won't be able to afford the new neighbourhood down the line.  That, is our (a small group of friends from the neighbourhood,) motivation for trying to be included in the dialogue.

Sorry to be late on the response.