Why is it that a number of the things politicians or corporate billionaires say, sounds so good, yet often works out so bad. It is like this “Quality of Life” idea. Hey! What could be better—we all want a good quality of life- Why not? "Are you stupid or what?" Yes more quality. But whose idea of quality? Who gets to say what is quality and what is not? Here is an example I would think is a no brainer.

First the background- imagine, it is the 70's, a black child growing up in a poor Brooklyn ghetto project. NYC is going down fast- even President Ford says Drop Dead to NYC- all essential services are being cut- hospitals shut down, firehouses are closing, drugs are everywhere, even cops are involved in the drug game, murder is just another crime and there is mucho crime- everywhere- not a lot of options- a kid has an artistic sensibility- so graffiti offers an artistic outlet, a chance to get some props, develop some fame and skills and get involved in a few adrenaline rush's. Beside, what's the big deal, the whole inner city is covered in graffiti- and as we inch into the 80's graf expands to the big time- the fame game- getting up on the bridges, murals on outside of trains, inside of trains covered with throw ups- the walls- covered and one can get all city fame.

So what is the big deal about painting your name on a wall? Other side of the coin- Koch the mayor is surrounded by criminals ripping off the city, there are gangs of criminal cops and police brutality is rampant, the city is deep in debt, garbage is piled up everywhere and the city, especially in the summer, stinks. City is sick of Koch and his wise cracks. Dinkins elected as Mayor. Dinkins comes in and starts the clean-up. A few of Kochs boys go to jail, one or two commit suicide, a few cops lose their job or go to jail, Koch is on easy street- no problem- full pension, becomes an expert talking head for TV news shows, becomes a TV judge, gets a job writing movie reviews- all gravy, and a lot of it at our expense. Flip the coin back over- the inner city youth has now grown up- typical of many in the area, got arrested a few times- nothing major- busted for graffiti- but the graf has entered him into a world of art- respect- status, shows in art museums. James Top has become legit- old enough not to want to do illegal graffiti. Too mature to be a vandal. James has done over 2000 hours of public community service- not from court cases, but from his own initiative.

Eventually James gets an art teaching job at Hostos College, a Bronx branch of New York University. The art class he is teaching deals with his specialty-- making mural using the tools of graffiti. This is teaching at the extension depart of a well known university- teaching people who have paid money to take this class. This is not some middle of the night outlaw adventure- this is an art class- The rich get the Picasso's and the Duchamp upside down urinals-- the poor has spray painted R.I.P. murals, murals on trains, and, if lucky enough to be in the East Village, street mosaics. It is not a problem for an art trained Keith Haring or the much loved modern art primitive, Jean-Michel Basquiat to do graffiti in the subways, then call it art, eventually moving the work into the expensive part of the art world. Or for Tony Shafrazi, art dealer, to spray paint graffiti on one of the most important paintings to the NYC establishment, that is bomb Picasso's Guernica, in the Museum of Modern Arts.

So Koch gets a free ride- like the captain of the ship shows up at port with all the goods stolen by his pirates- no problem for the captain- wasn't watching- no problem for the art dealer to graffiti a valuable painting, no problem selling Haring or Jean-Michel Basquiat to call it art- If this is all OK, then why is it that Peter Vellone jr- a City Council elected official, is trying to get James Top fired from his teaching job? James has paid his tickets- now has a respectable job- is working a legitimate job- is passing on knowledge”whose get to decide what is Quality of life? Whee is this prosecuting James Top justice or the quality of life or just some fascist trying to take over the world? Turn NYC into Singapore? I support James and his career. I think James should edit together a book on Blacks in NYC graffiti history. James is the BOMB the TOP.

by Clayton Patterson