Ban The Buff
Grey blocks painted on every available surface, including street signs (which we have few of these days), is an unappealing sight. Not only is it grafitti, but it is ugly, Orwellian looking and unwelcome. The idea that rolling grey paint over any grafitti is an improvement is one lacking in taste as well as sense.
Such is the Legacy of Fred Radtke, also known to locals as the Grey Ghost. I don’t care how you try to rationalize it, he is doing exactly what he rails against: tagging. Anyone here seen street signs that have been painted over with a nice block of grey, rendering them unreadable? That is him.
I have been fed up with this nimrod for quite some time, and it seems that lately I am not the only one.
Comments are accruing on the New Orleans LiveJournal Community, and a new photo group on Flickr exists to document the ugliness he is creating by “cleaning up.” Rumor has it that he has some funding from the city. Any leads on that would be greatly appreciated.
(NOTE: My actual 9-11 post is forthcoming later this evening. Just had to get that off my chest - Loki)
September 11th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Well said. I am currently debating figuring a way to meet this cat to see exactly why he’s so intent on this. Of the interviews I have read, it seems like he likes the notoriety. Why else would he paint grey over paper signs and stickers that so easily pull off.
September 12th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
His address and contact info seem to have been added in a comment on one of the pictures in the Flickr group. Keep me posted and take pics if you catch up to him, or contact me. I would love to do an interview and see what his rationale is for being such a lackwit.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:51 am
I have a feeling this is gonna get interesting. And I’m lovin it.
September 13th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I’m going to put together a series on this in conjunction with the Flickr group. Keep your eyes peeled at the start of next month.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:01 am
C’mon…said group welcomes it.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
The grey is unappealing, but the graffiti is worse. A huge chunk of the graffiti is made by gangs marking their territory, which needs to be marked out.
I agree that Fred goes too far at times, painting grey over graffiti on street signs (graffiti that doesn’t make the sign difficult to see) and in so doing obscuring the sign. He should also simply tear down the badit signs; although I don’t think he’s really making anything worse by painting them over, he’s not really making it much better, either.
On the other hand, most of the graffiti he covers up is on derelict properties and streetlights and the like. Moreover, left to their own devices most property owners don’t take care of this quickly enough on their own, and if Fred gets to it it’s usually the case that somebody has been lax in removing the graffiti — and it is *legally required* that you remove grafitti from your property in a timely fashion.
Moreover, all people need to do if Fred gets to it first is use some liquid sandpaper and add their own paint. There was already a mess; the grey paint doesn’t add to it much.
Even if you think he’s overzealous, though, he simply isn’t tagging. He’s not trying to leave his name or mark territory. He just really hates graffiti, like most people. For the most part, he does a valuable public service.
September 20th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Facts:
First there is very little gang graffiti in town at this moment, they are to busy shooting each other.
REAL graffiti artists have a code, no homes, churches, historic sites.
Europe EMBRACES their street artists.
Fred has been BANNED from the French Quarter.
Where are the public records of Freds buffing since he uses public money?
Where is the phone log of complaints? Why are these things not made public?
Some people get BUFFED even when they don’t want to. Ever pay to have your business REPAINTED because of Fred.
Wouldn’t Fred better serve the community by taking DOWN the ad signs or helping a family paint their home?
As far as the legally having to remove in timely manner, oh pooh, I think the city has better things to spend their money and time on. I for one would rather have a colored HARSH than a BLOCK of gray on my buisness.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:19 am
I might point out that a lot of things are legally required in this city, like bringing murderers to justice, doesn’t mean its even on the priority list.
Sherry and I concur here.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Sherry Snyder,
“First there is very little gang graffiti in town at this moment, they are to busy shooting each other.”
Um, yeah… Sure. Keep thinking that. You know how good those gangs are at resource allocation.
“REAL graffiti artists have a code, no homes, churches, historic sites.”
They’re still criminals who damage public and private property alike. It’s like a psycho killer who promises to lay off women and children. What, am I supposed to feel like they’re moral now, or even considerably less despicable? Please.
“Europe EMBRACES their street artists.”
Nope. They have as much a problem with it as we do, and there are substantial eradication efforts. You think Paris wants graffiti everywhere?
“Fred has been BANNED from the French Quarter.”
A lie. He hasn’t been banned; the Vieux Carre Commission just entered into an agreement with his group to use matching colors. Google it.
“Where are the public records of Freds buffing since he uses public money?”
I don’t think he does use public money.
“As far as the legally having to remove in timely manner, oh pooh, I think the city has better things to spend their money and time on.”
It doesn’t work out that way, “broken windows” theory and all. Countless cities have tried shifting resources away from quality of life issues and towards violent crime, only to find that their cities look like garbage and violent crime, if anything, tends to increase.
“I for one would rather have a colored HARSH than a BLOCK of gray on my buisness.”
Well, our elected representatives disagree. They, along with most other people, consider the graffiti an eyesore and consider the gray at least tolerable. Tough for you.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Stay white, Courreges.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Courreges, you’ve actually been to Jackson and Daneel?! Dayum you brave!
January 14th, 2008 at 5:55 am
I can understand some graffiti being considered art but tagging rarely improves the aesthetics of a area. Its vandalism. Would it be cool for me to right my name in shit on your mothers home or office because I think its art or whatever rationale that could be conjured up? If you think its art and you really believe that then go get some canvas and try and make a living off your “art”. Why do I need to see HARSH written fucking everywhere. With the amount of time this ass clown spends on tagging he maybe could have invested time cultivating skills that will actually mean something. tagging is scribble scratch. My 5 year old daughter can do that.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
So, Highdrent, now that we have established your thoughts on the artistic angle of argumentation how about sparing us a moment more of your time?
I, for one, would like to know where you come down on these issues:
1)Radtke has become the most famous and notorious “tagger” of them all.
2)Radtke’s “buffing” of businesses and public areas without permisssion (and in some cases from what I gather, against ther wishes)
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I look forward to your response.
February 7th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I suppose Ratke’s “buff” jobs make me less upset then the original tag. I support his effort if it removes any gratification the tags existence gave to the person whom painted it. Tagging simply is not art or anything that contributes positive energy to the community.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Highdrent: It is all tagging. While some may be pleasing to the eye and some is not all the graffitti is tagging. Take not, I do not include the temporary and removable art pieces produced by NOLA Rising to be graffitti.
Fred’s stuff is tagging, pure and simple. And it is a matter of choice whether you would rather look at spray paint or grey latex. For myself I am fed up with the grey. I am also fed up with a tagger who is able to evade prosecution because our legal system claims to be too bogged down to enforce the relevant laws in his case.
I constantly hear stories of people he has harassed and physically threatened which separates him even further from most of the taggers out there. For my part the issue is not “is it art,” but rather “why have we allowed him to go this far?”
Your thoughts?
February 13th, 2008 at 4:52 am
I am sure Fred is abrasive and probably a real butthole, but what the real issue at hand hear is what eye sore came first. for me he is a check to a sub culture of taggers (not artists) that have no clue how to self regulate there scribbling. When a tagger vandalizes someone’s property the collateral damage from that act could result in labor to remove it or possibly grey paint, neither of which is deserved. Scribbling your alter ego is bad for business and dumb on many levels. Bottom line is if there were no tagging then there would be no grey ghost.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Long live the Grey Ghost!
I would rather see ugly grey blotches than the uglier, liquored up ramblings of street thugs.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hey Big Tom, I suppose if your daughter were one of the people who had suffered direct verbal abuse and threats you would find that acceptable as well?