Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

The Writing On Our Walls: Finding Solutions Through Distinguishing Graffiti Art From Graffiti Vandalism, Marisa A. Gómez

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note argues that outlawing graffiti completely is not an effective solution. The only effective means of controlling graffiti is to develop laws and policies which accommodate graffiti art while discouraging graffiti vandalism and which attack the root causes of graffiti. Part I briefly outlines the origins of graffiti. Part II describes the different types of graffiti and the motivations of their respective creators. Part III analyzes the arguments for and against the legalization of certain types of graffiti and concludes that, because of the multitude of different types of graffiti, both graffiti proponents and opponents have meritorious arguments that …