Graffiti gone wild

Papineau bridge is probably the best place to admire, decry or just observe 'tags' of all kinds criss-crossing the bridge's supports. Even if this wall isn't maintained by the borough, it is still legal for 'taggers' to spray-paint there.

"We don't have a lot of graffiti in the borough, so we really don't see the pertinence of creating legal walls for spray-painting. If you start allowing people to spray on one wall, they're going to start doing it elsewhere," said borough spokesman Aude Clotteau.

Montreal police Station 10 community-relations agent Stéphane Eid echoed that sentiment, saying he couldn't think such a wall would be very useful, because graffiti implies defying the law.

"We've had a number of mural projects, where the kids could express themselves, alongside educators, but the majority of graffiti artists do it elsewhere, away from authority, as a means of testing the limits of the system and want to keep doing it where it's forbidden," he said.

It's important to properly differentiate between graffiti and art projects on the walls of buildings, Doyle said.

"Certainly, some youngsters 'tag' things just to be rebellious, but I think there's a way to prove, by inspiring them to participate in neighbourhood projects, that it's possible to use cans of spray paint for things other than vandalism," she added.

The Rap jeunesse organization, whose mandate is to work with at-risk youth on the borough's streets, no longer has the funds to maintain its graffiti prevention and sensitization programs, so that job falls to local police. A tour of local high schools in coming weeks is planned, in order to explain all these programs to students there and to explain to them the consequences of destructive behaviour.

"About two years ago, we had three people whose job it was to maintain the prevention program and sensitize young people not only to the consequences of vandalism, but to the good use art can be put to," said Rap jeunesse director Louise Giguère. If the project is terminated for financing reasons, Giguère believes one wall devoted to graffiti could prevent other walls from being tagged.

"There are teens out there who will always spray-paint graffiti no matter where they are. But if we don't give them the opportunity and the space to do it legally, it's certain that they will continue to act illegally," she said.

In terms of education and sensitization, one wall in the borough devoted to graffiti can be very beneficial.

"It's easier to convince a young person not to do graffiti if we have an alternative to offer them, like a place where they can go to express themselves and act properly," she added.

For the moment, the relatively low popularity of graffiti and 'tagging' in Bordeaux-Cartierville means there is little demand for a new graffiti wall. The mural located behind the l'Acadie community centre depends largely on the initiative of organizations charged with keeping kids out of trouble on the street and promotion of street art.

(Translated by Marc Lalonde)