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> Council rules graffiti "not offensive enough" to remove, What is and what isnt "too offensive"?
Mark NWN
post Jun 17 2010, 12:25 PM
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http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=13634

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WEST Berkshire Council left a piece of graffiti depicting male genitalia up for three months after officers deemed it not offensive enough to remove.
After making several pleas to the district council to clean up a defaced bus shelter on School Hill, in Chaddleworth, which had been daubed with vulgar artwork in March, Chaddleworth Parish Council this week received a written response from the district council which said: “Unfortunately, as it is not classed as 'offensive' it does not take priority and is removed by the Probation Service as and when they carry out work in the area.
“They have a significant amount of non offensive graffiti to remove in the district and it was unfortunate that they did not get out to your village to remove the small amount you have on the last couple of occasions they have worked in West Berkshire.”
The district council finally relented after repeated requests from the parish council, and sent a private contractor to paint over the scene yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
Spokesman for West Berkshire Council Keith Ulyatt said: “There is no sliding scale of what is deemed offensive and what is not, but something that is racially offensive or sexually offensive does get prioritised and removed immediately.
“The incident in question was not seen as offensive at the time and was not prioritised.”



What do you make of this?

Pictures fine but words not allowed?

Where do you draw the line (excuse the pun)?



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user23
post Jun 17 2010, 12:28 PM
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How big was the picture of the genitalia?

No exaggerating, please. wink.gif
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Bloggo
post Jun 17 2010, 12:58 PM
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QUOTE (Mark NWN @ Jun 17 2010, 01:25 PM) *
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=13634




What do you make of this?

Pictures fine but words not allowed?

Where do you draw the line (excuse the pun)?

The councils statement does sort of contradict itself but there are stacks of images of male and female genitalia in every art gallery around the world so arguably it could be classed as primitive art. wink.gif


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JeffG
post Jun 17 2010, 02:53 PM
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It's hard for us non-Chaddleworthians to make a judgment whether it's offensive or not when the NWN doesn't publish a picture.
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Mark NWN
post Jun 17 2010, 03:18 PM
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QUOTE (user23 @ Jun 17 2010, 01:28 PM) *
How big was the picture of the genitalia?

No exaggerating, please. wink.gif



According to the person who reported it, it was a fairly prominent image smile.gif


QUOTE (JeffG @ Jun 17 2010, 03:53 PM) *
It's hard for us non-Chaddleworthians to make a judgment whether it's offensive or not when the NWN doesn't publish a picture.



We are the eyes and ears of the public in certain situations but we rely on you guys to come to us with stuff like this too, a picture would have been helpful obviously but I was only informed of it the day it was cleared up.
Which leads me to my next question, what is the situation like in your area? If graffiti appears does it get cleared up fairly quickly? Do you have any examples of "offensive" graffiti near you? If so take a pic and send it to me mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk
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misc
post Jun 17 2010, 03:47 PM
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QUOTE (Mark NWN @ Jun 17 2010, 03:18 PM) *
If graffiti appears does it get cleared up fairly quickly? Do you have any examples of "offensive" graffiti near you? If so take a pic and send it to me mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk

I've phoned the council twice to report the same piece of graffiti. On both occasions I was told that it "should be dealt with within a couple of weeks". Which it wasn't. Eventually I gave up (just like I gave up trying to get the council/Veolia to collect my recycling). This was around two years ago and the graffiti is still there.
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Mark NWN
post Jun 17 2010, 04:08 PM
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QUOTE (misc @ Jun 17 2010, 04:47 PM) *
I've phoned the council twice to report the same piece of graffiti. On both occasions I was told that it "should be dealt with within a couple of weeks". Which it wasn't. Eventually I gave up (just like I gave up trying to get the council/Veolia to collect my recycling). This was around two years ago and the graffiti is still there.



You can PM me the details anonymously if you like smile.gif
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Guest_Newburymafia_*
post Jun 17 2010, 04:37 PM
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Come on people....what bloke HASN'T drawn a **** and balls on something at some point in his life?!

Lets face it, even a throbbing 6ft **** ejaculating profanity scrawled in hot pink isn't going to kill anyone - particularly if painted on the side of a bus shelter in the ****hole of nowehere.

Anyone who finds scribblings on walls offensive hasn't got enough to worry about.

Personally, I'd rather the council were fixing potholes in roads and collecting our bins on time as priority.
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Strafin
post Jun 17 2010, 04:49 PM
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QUOTE (Newburymafia @ Jun 17 2010, 05:37 PM) *
Come on people....what bloke HASN'T drawn a **** and balls on something at some point in his life?!

Lets face it, even a throbbing 6ft **** ejaculating profanity scrawled in hot pink isn't going to kill anyone - particularly if painted on the side of a bus shelter in the ****hole of nowehere.

Anyone who finds scribblings on walls offensive hasn't got enough to worry about.

Personally, I'd rather the council were fixing potholes in roads and collecting our bins on time as priority.

OK, everyone round to Mafia's house then....
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GMR
post Jun 17 2010, 05:04 PM
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QUOTE (Mark NWN @ Jun 17 2010, 01:25 PM) *
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=13634




What do you make of this?

Pictures fine but words not allowed?

Where do you draw the line (excuse the pun)?



What is all the fuss about? We've got the famous chalk man with a huge erection engraved on a hillside. We've got classical art nudes; male and females on open exhibition. We've got nude art by some of Earth's greatest painters. We've got statues of young boys peeing into fountains. The contents isn't or shouldn't be a problem, but the graffiti itself is another matter.
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Exhausted
post Jun 17 2010, 05:16 PM
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QUOTE (user23 @ Jun 17 2010, 01:28 PM) *
How big was the picture of the genitalia?

No exaggerating, please. wink.gif



Was it as big as this.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...?articleID=9606

offended loads of helicopter and small aircraft pilots I believe.
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Iommi
post Jun 17 2010, 05:18 PM
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Like with everything, it starts off with simple doodles that get ignored. This sends out a message that people don't care, which then provokes anti social behaviour.
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GMR
post Jun 17 2010, 05:22 PM
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QUOTE (Iommi @ Jun 17 2010, 06:18 PM) *
Like with everything, it starts off with simple doodles that get ignored. This sends out a message that people don't care, which then provokes anti social behaviour.


I agree. The problem wasn’t what was drawn, but the graffiti itself. Isn’t there a law about graffiti, and I am not talking about the contents?

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JeffG
post Jun 17 2010, 06:26 PM
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QUOTE (GMR @ Jun 17 2010, 06:22 PM) *
Isn’t there a law about graffiti?

Isn't it just called "criminal damage"?
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GMR
post Jun 17 2010, 06:34 PM
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QUOTE (JeffG @ Jun 17 2010, 07:26 PM) *
Isn't it just called "criminal damage"?


The trouble is the police didn’t think so as they left part of the graffiti there.

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user23
post Jun 17 2010, 06:47 PM
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QUOTE (misc @ Jun 17 2010, 04:47 PM) *
I've phoned the council twice to report the same piece of graffiti. On both occasions I was told that it "should be dealt with within a couple of weeks". Which it wasn't. Eventually I gave up (just like I gave up trying to get the council/Veolia to collect my recycling). This was around two years ago and the graffiti is still there.
Hang on. It's been there two years and no one from the community has bothered to do anything about it bar phone the council? In fairness the council shouldn't have said they'd clean it up if what this person claims they said is correct but still. Two years and not one local person has taken a cloth and a bit of solvent to it.

In the brave new world of the Coalition I can see tasks like this being handed over to volunteer neighbourhood action groups and the like to save a few pennies. After all, cleaning off a willy, drawn on a bus shelter is hardly up there with safeguarding children and caring for the elderly.
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GMR
post Jun 17 2010, 07:21 PM
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QUOTE (user23 @ Jun 17 2010, 07:47 PM) *
Hang on. It's been there two years and no one from the community has bothered to do anything about it bar phone the council? In fairness the council shouldn't have said they'd clean it up if what this person claims they said is correct but still. Two years and not one local person has taken a cloth and a bit of solvent to it.

In the brave new world of the Coalition I can see tasks like this being handed over to volunteer neighbourhood action groups and the like to save a few pennies. After all, cleaning off a willy, drawn on a bus shelter is hardly up there with safeguarding children and caring for the elderly.



It is not the responsibility of the citizen to clean up after yobs. That is down to the council. Also; if such graffiti is found and reported then it is the duty of the police to find out who the culprits are and act; i.e. make them either clean it up, or get them or their parents to pay for the cleanup.

What good would it have done if such a person had cleaned it up? Another yob would come along and do the same. Then what?


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Bloggo
post Jun 18 2010, 07:40 AM
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QUOTE (GMR @ Jun 17 2010, 08:21 PM) *
It is not the responsibility of the citizen to clean up after yobs. That is down to the council. Also; if such graffiti is found and reported then it is the duty of the police to find out who the culprits are and act; i.e. make them either clean it up, or get them or their parents to pay for the cleanup.

What good would it have done if such a person had cleaned it up? Another yob would come along and do the same. Then what?

This is a great example of an opportunity to utilize the untapped labour of those relctant to work in the area.
Before collecting their benefits they could be asked to help clean up the town.
But no , it would violate their human right to be bone idle.


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Andy1
post Jun 18 2010, 09:05 AM
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It could be thousands of years before this graffiti is removed, I mean look at the Cerne Abbas Giant Chalk Man, not only did those Pagans deface the hill, the National Trust have been keeping it up.
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JeffG
post Jun 18 2010, 09:15 AM
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QUOTE (Andy1 @ Jun 18 2010, 10:05 AM) *
the national trust have been keeping it up.

What with? tongue.gif
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