Josejuan Rodriguez Professor Wright ENC 3331-0001 October 23 2012 Pro!osa" #or the !roject $ !

"an to focus on the issue of %anda"is&- s!ecifica""' the harsh !ena"ties i&!osed u!on graffiti artists( )he !unish&ents that are gi%en to graffiti artists are incredib"' dis!ro!ortionate to the cri&e( Current"' in the state of #"orida it is i""ega" to %anda"ize *hich is ob%ious enough and the !ena"ties range fro& second degree &isde&eanors for da&ages under +200 resu"ting in ,0 da's i&!rison&ent first degree &isde&eanors for da&ages bet*een +200-+1000 resu"ting in u! to a 'ear in !rison and e%en a third degree fe"on' for da&ages o%er +1000 or if the da&ages *ere incurred to a !"ace of *orshi! *hich resu"ts in u! to - 'ears in !rison( .!ecifica""' for graffiti artists the !ena"t' a"so stac/s +2-0 for the first !ena"t' +-00 for the second and +1000 for the third !ena"t' or higher a"ong *ith a &ini&u& of 00-100 hours of co&&unit' ser%ice for each tier( 1htt!233***(cri&ina"!ro!ert'da&age(co&3f"orida3 4 5 cou!"e issues arise fro& this s!ecifica""' ho* the da&ages are assessed and is there an'thing being done other than jai" ti&e to curb the beha%ior( $ be"ie%e assessing the da&age done to a structure b' a graffiti artist to be %er' a&biguous( )here does not see& to e6ist a bench&ar/ b' *hich the !rosecutors judge ho* &uch da&age has been done to a bui"ding( )his !a%es the *a' to a""o* !rosecutors and those *ho are !ressing charges to gross"' o%erstate the charges and da&ages done *hich can drastica""' increase the !ena"t' i&!osed to the graffiti artist( $ find this issue to be i&!ortant for a nu&ber of reasons( Whi"e %anda"is& is i""ega" and in no *a' sha!e or for& a& $ ad%ocating %anda"is& in an' *a' it is an often non-%io"ent cri&e that arises fro& socia" factors usua""' be'ond the contro" of the !er!etrator( 7ost graffiti is done in areas of high cri&e and "o*er socioecono&ic status *here the !eo!"e of those co&&unities often fee"

disenfranchised as their neighborhoods are fi""ed *ith abandoned or di"a!idated bui"dings gangs and a genera" "ac/ of !o"ice !resence *hen it is &ost needed( $ fee" that graffiti is &ethod in *hich disenfranchised !eo!"es co&&unicate to the rest of societ' in a for& that *i"" actua""' get the attention of &ainstrea& societ'( )he' fi"" the *a""s of abandoned bui"dings *ith co"orfu" dis!"a's of their 8tag9 na&e &ura"s of %arious ite&s and the disdain for their current situation( $ a"so find it to be a "arge !rob"e& that there is being nothing done to curb the beha%ior other than a co&bination of jai" fines and co&&unit' ser%ice( )here shou"d be s'ste&s in !"ace that can he"! !eo!"e *ho are disenfranchised to be ab"e to e6!ress their fee"ings and their frustrations in a &anner that is &ore co&!"acent *ith the "a*( .i&!"' i&!risoning so&eone *ithout a *a' to he"! the& so the' do not co&&it the cri&es again *i"" on"' bring the !rob"e& bac/ fu"" circ"e( 5 great e6a&!"e of this is hea%' drug addicts: the' are often i&!risoned for using a certain drug and are gi%en no treat&ent o!tions other than &assi%e *ithdra*a"( ;rug addicts are then thro*n bac/ into societ' unaided uncared for and si&!"' re!eat their &ista/es unti" the' &a/e a "arger &ista/e that costs the& either their "ife or to be incarcerated for "ife( <raffiti artists *i"" fo""o* &uch of the sa&e !ath the' *i"" be arrested for %anda"is& be !ro%ided *ith no aid and sho*n no co&!assion b' a s'ste& that the' *i"" gro* to hate( $n their disdain for the s'ste& the' *i"" continue to do graffiti to 8*rite9 as &an' graffiti artists ca"" it arguing against the corru!tion of the s'ste& 8.tic/ing it to the &an9 if 'ou *i""( )he' get arrested and the c'c"e re!eats itse"f( <raffiti artists are rhetors in their o*n right( )he' uti"ize the a%ai"ab"e &eans of !ersuasion to send their &essage to the &asses: doing it in the on"' *a' the' /no* ho*( 5s for i&!"e&entation of addressing the issue $ !"an on &a/ing a series of !hotogra!hs that *i"" e6hibit a side b' side co&!arison of graffiti !ena"ties to other cri&es that get "esser !ena"ties in an atte&!t to sho* ho* dis!ro!ortionate the !unish&ent is to the cri&e *hich $ *ou"d cou!"e *ith a h'!er"in/ to a !etition to ha%e #"orida "egis"ators-or at the %er' "east Or"ando "egis"ators to re%isit the "a* and to e6!"ore a"ternati%es such as counse"ing or creating neighborhood centers *here the graffiti

artist can ta/e out his or her frustrations in a &ore "a*-abiding *a' *hich cou"d a"so in turn e&!o*er the co&&unit' as a *ho"e and decrease the "i/e"ihood of the graffiti occurring( $ *ou"d &ost "i/e"' uti"ize socia" &edia in order to distribute the series of !hotogra!hs( With #aceboo/ ha%ing o%er a bi""ion users it *ou"d be a great !"ace to tr' and raise a*areness( $ cou"d &a6i&ize the rate of distribution b' contacting *e""-/no*n !eo!"e on faceboo/ es!ecia""' artists and other !eo!"e *ho ha%e an interest in the "ibera" arts and as/ing the& if the' cou"d share the !hotogra!h as *e"" as sign the !etition to re%isit "a*s against graffiti artists( )his *ou"d sho* their fo""o*ers that the' are co&&itted to action *hich *ou"d ho!efu""' con%ince others to do the sa&e( )u&b"r another socia" &edia *ebsite *ou"d a"so be a great !"ace to distribute the !hotogra!h or a set of !hotogra!hs as )u&b"r has resources to &a/e a 8!hotoset9-*hich *ou"d a""o* &e to !ub"ish &u"ti!"e !hotogra!hs and !ro%ide &ore %isua" rhetoric( )u&b"r users !ri&ari"' !ost !ictures as their &ethod of co&&unication *hich *ou"d great"' increase the chances of &' !hotoset gaining %ie*s( =ecause )u&b"r>s user base genera""' consists of !eo!"e *ho ha%e a great interest in the "ibera" arts $ be"ie%e )u&b"r cou"d be the &ost effecti%e &eans b' *hich to con%e' &' &essage and s!ur others into action( $ *ou"d not uti"ize an' sort of !rint for& to con%e' &' &essage as genera" interest for "ibera" arts and the arts in genera" does not see& to ho"d an' fir& ground in &ost !arts of Or"ando *ith notab"e e6ce!tions being !oc/ets of do*nto*n and the ?C# area( 5s such $ be"ie%e &' &essage *ou"d fa"" u!on deaf and uninterested ears and &' success of addressing the !rob"e& of harsh graffiti "a*s *ou"d be incredib"' s&a"" if e%en e6istent( $n conc"usion $ find that graffiti artists are judged %er' dis!ro!ortionate"' to the cri&e that the' ha%e co&&itted and $ fee" that a change is necessar' to /ee! non-%io"ent graffiti artists out of jai" *hether it be b' &eans of counse"ing or i&!"e&entation of neighborhood centers( $ *ou"d "i/e to raise a*areness of this issue b' &eans of socia" &edia *here infor&ation can s!read easier and &a6i&ize the !otentia" %ie*s *hich cou"d he"! s!ur so&e action to he"! change this terrib"e !rob"e&(