Banksy Update: NYC Mayor Attacks Street Artist

day 17 -3

With a front page headline screaming “Get Banksy!” the New York Post reports that police are on the lookout for the world famous graffiti artist.

“Law enforcement sources have told The Post Banksy will be charged with vandalism if he’s found scribbling his stencils on city walls,” The Post reports.

But the Daily News in New York reports that police are not actively looking for Banksy.

“It is graffiti, so if someone complained about it, members of the Vandals Unit would investigate,” a police source told the Daily New. “I haven’t heard of anyone complaining.”

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls Banksy a vandal, not an artist.

“Graffiti does ruin people’s property and is a sign of decay and a loss of control,” Bloomberg said yesterday (Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2013).

“Art is art, and nobody’s a bigger supporter of the arts than I am,” he continued. “I just think there are some places for art, and there are some places [for] no art. You running up to someone’s property or public property and defacing it is not my definition of art.”

Now if I was Banksy, I’d be quite happy to have the Mayor of New York talking about me. How cool is that. Banksy as Batman?

About Michael Goldberg

Michael Goldberg is a distinguished pioneer in the online music space; Newsweek magazine called him an ‘Internet visionary.’ In 1994 he founded Addicted To Noise (ATN), the highly influential music web site. He was a senior vice-president and editor in chief at SonicNet from March 1997 through May 2000. In 1997, Addicted To Noise won Webby awards for best music site in 1998 and 1999, and also won Yahoo Internet Life! awards for three years running as best music site in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Prior to starting Addicted To Noise, Goldberg was an editor and senior writer at Rolling Stone magazine for 10 years. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Esquire, Vibe, Details, Downbeat, NME and numerous other publications. Michael has had three novels published that comprise the "Freak Scene Dream trilogy": "True Love Scars," "The Flowers Lied" and "Untitled" which can be ordered here. His new book, "Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey," can be pre-ordered from HoZac Books. In November Backbeat Books will publish "Addicted To Noise: The Music Writings of Michael Goldberg," which can be be pre-ordered here.

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