Jeffery, are you trying to be a hero or is your goal to be a helpful neighbor?
People who want to be heroes do great stuff, but because it's often all about them, they don't tend to work well with others. They have a tendency to expect others to join their own independent projects.
Hey, join your block club and get them to work with you on this project. Just make sure you get the okay from the right authorities. It takes a little joy out of it because you won't be the hero, but you'll accomplish a lot more.
I personally think it should be fixed. If you hired a contractor for your personal property and this was the outcome, you would not accept it.
This work that is being done on these sidewalks appears pretty shoddy in places (granted they are not done...so perhaps I speak too soon).
I hope they inspect all the work that has been done and make sure it is done right.
There are places where the little red no-slip pads are barely attached.
This project is kinda a waste of money. I am all for accessible sidewalks, but they replaced one near the back of the uptown that I literally saw them redo earlier this year.
It's all an easy fix...for the tagging. Get some spray paint (from the burbs) take back your block by spraying over the graffiti on dumpsters, poles, mail boxes, etc. Cover it up as fast as they put it up.
Sure, I know it is illegal to do, but, this is what happens when you no longer give a damn. Time that everyone begins to stop talking and start doing something. Or, you can keep going to the CAPS meetings where NOTHING ever gets accomplished.
If we cover up all of their crap, maybe they will move onto another neighborhood. Time to make "Clam Chouder" and "Mad Money" move on. Do something!
At the very least, I hope our dear "Clam" is aware that every time he (or any of his tagger buddies) creates more work for the city to do, the money spent doing that work is taking away from social services.
Or, to put it more succinctly, this kid's ego is pulling food from the mouths of the needy.
Yo- No, "Clam" does not realize that "every time he (or any of his tagger buddies) creates more work for the city to do, the money spent doing that work is taking away from social services". Nor does he or would he care.
Clam Chouder has been on the sidewalk in front of Chava cafe (Leland & Clark) for a while now. He has expanded his territory!
To amswer your question Holey Moley I am trying to be a helpful neighbor.
If you know anyone in one of the block clubs interested in taking some initiative in regards to controlling grafitti please have them contact me.
The hero worship and all that narrative is in my opinion arbitrary and of your own construction. All I did was cover some tags on a basketball backboard. Busness owners do it all the time because they know that taggers are fine with the time it takes the city to cover it, they are not heros, just people taking care of business.
Granted I went about it in an unorthodox manner for sure.
To control this form of vandalism the tag has to be removed AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The business owners know this. That is the only proven way to control it. Grafitti blasters were never thet big of a slice of the city services pie to begin with so its not like Uptown loses out if a resident covers grafitti.
So if any organizers of the block clubs bounded by Sheridan to Clark, and Montrose to Lawerence would like to organize some action on this problem please feel free to contact me. To make an impact it will take more than one dude with a mini-roller and an extension pole.
I can live with silly suspicions as well as we can all live with the sillyness of Clam Chouder, and so we shall it kinda looks like.
Jeffrey, what is the product you can buy at Home Depot that would fix this and can any citizen fix a sidewalk with this type of blight on it or do you have to get permission? Anyone have any ideas about that?
Jeffrey, I’m delighted that you don’t work alone. You’ve been living in the neighborhood for years, so I’m assuming you’re already an active member of your block club and know how to reach them. I’m betting they’d be delighted to problem solve with you.
Towanda. At the Home Depot you can buy a product called "hydrolic cement" it's a very fine, very fast drying compound. I personally use it all the time at work to patch walls that have been drilled through. You will also need a cheap masonry trowel. A little bit of this product goes a long way.
There is already an oversight process in place before ADA ramps are accepted.
The Contractor is likely aware of this corner already, and waiting to grind out the graffiti and patch (if necessary) at the same time that the ramp is fixed.
Stash writes that the tiles are loose; if that's the case at this ramp, it will likely be broken out and re-poured, as I don't know how else a repair could be performed.
In many cases, a minor bit of grinding a lip on the gutter is necessary to bring the ramp within tolerance, and the Contractor is likely saving trying to save money by doing all their punchlist work at once.
By all means, if you see wet markings, and there is a concrete crew still there, point it out to them. They will appreciate it.
If the crew is gone, and you think it's safe (the graffiti author isn't around) find a clean smooth object, and try your hand at concrete finishing.
Putting a little thin set over it, or something similar, will hide the mark, but it will crack and break apart over a few winters. Really the part should be cut out and new concrete poured. Some "skim" would be a relatively short-term solution.
@Stash, this was not a failure in workmanship. This is vandalism. I am not sure how you make that the responsibility of the contractor.
I think we should all just stop the lip service and and let Jeffery the fixer buy a small container of quickdry plug hydraulic cement for about $10 and let him fix it up since he is the one with all the plans about fixing everything and he likes the attention to do it.
But it IS the Contractor's responsibility. It's part of an active project, one that hasn't been accepted yet. That's how it goes.
The idea that it would be broken out just due to graffiti) and replaced in the winter is unlikely, and probably not worth the trouble.
And yes, any patch job will look lousy, and not last very long. However, it's cheaper to grind and patch in these instances than to guard fresh concrete with laborers on OT, so that's what happens. A pound of prevention vs. an ounce of cure, so to speak.
Unless its particularly high profile, large, deep, or on the ramp, the Engineer is apt to accept a patch job. From the photo, 'Clam Chouder' did not go deep, and grinding will do it.
I'm not saying you can't call 311, or bug the Alderman, but this likely gets addressed in the normal course of things, if the inspector does his job.
I have a stone table that my landlord dumped in our buildings back yard. It has been there for a few years, odd thing is though that someone scribed "clam chouder 3/16/10" onto the top of it, relatively small, but its still there. There is a family on the bottom floor with 3 kids, one of which is approximately 16 and could almost resemble the "clam chouder" found on Myspace. I'm on Racine and have been trying to connect with this kids father to bring this to his attention but the guy works at Weiss and has odd hours.
Maybe we should all start tagging around Uptown, expect we'll put up nice things like 'Have a nice day!', 'Smile, your beautiful', or 'It's a great day to be alive!' I guess we'll have to come up with a cool name for our new gang. How about Noodle Supers?
Chitownphilly's comment reminded me of my area where unfortunately someone took to tagging everything (sidewalk, light poles, etc) with "forgive" and "forgive yourself"...which is guess is a positive expression in some sense of the word, but still an annoyance nonetheless.
I just had that same tag name "Clam Chowder" removed from our building at Dover/ Leland. I was told it stands for lesbian sex or a lesbian street gang. LOL!
A reader sends in the following upsetting pic and info:
Its not immortalized at all, easy to fix. Lets just say that Home Depot.....they have an app for that.
ReplyDeleteThe problem could be fixed today, starving the Clam of the pleasure of being "immortalized" for a while. The cost...maybe $10 and 15 minutes.
However, the last time I knocked off some grafitti the petulant tone of the feedback has left me under-motivated this time.
Still I am tempted to go out there and skim it out it would be so easy.....need not to worry.....I will kindly control myself.
We have to just let The Clam and 311 do there silly dance on the dime of the taxpayers.
He left a few other sidewalk tags as well. I predict this will cost the city at LEAST a $1000. And its going to take a while to happen.
Just sayin'.........
Jeffery, are you trying to be a hero or is your goal to be a helpful neighbor?
ReplyDeletePeople who want to be heroes do great stuff, but because it's often all about them, they don't tend to work well with others. They have a tendency to expect others to join their own independent projects.
Hey, join your block club and get them to work with you on this project. Just make sure you get the okay from the right authorities. It takes a little joy out of it because you won't be the hero, but you'll accomplish a lot more.
I personally think it should be fixed. If you hired a contractor for your personal property and this was the outcome, you would not accept it.
ReplyDeleteThis work that is being done on these sidewalks appears pretty shoddy in places (granted they are not done...so perhaps I speak too soon).
I hope they inspect all the work that has been done and make sure it is done right.
There are places where the little red no-slip pads are barely attached.
This project is kinda a waste of money. I am all for accessible sidewalks, but they replaced one near the back of the uptown that I literally saw them redo earlier this year.
It's all an easy fix...for the tagging. Get some spray paint (from the burbs) take back your block by spraying over the graffiti on dumpsters, poles, mail boxes, etc. Cover it up as fast as they put it up.
ReplyDeleteSure, I know it is illegal to do, but, this is what happens when you no longer give a damn. Time that everyone begins to stop talking and start doing something. Or, you can keep going to the CAPS meetings where NOTHING ever gets accomplished.
If we cover up all of their crap, maybe they will move onto another neighborhood. Time to make "Clam Chouder" and "Mad Money" move on. Do something!
At the very least, I hope our dear "Clam" is aware that every time he (or any of his tagger buddies) creates more work for the city to do, the money spent doing that work is taking away from social services.
ReplyDeleteOr, to put it more succinctly, this kid's ego is pulling food from the mouths of the needy.
Well done, Clam - well done, indeed.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI fully support you fixing it. Thanks.
Yo,
ReplyDeletethose people have no clue.
Yo- No, "Clam" does not realize that "every time he (or any of his tagger buddies) creates more work for the city to do, the money spent doing that work is taking away from social services". Nor does he or would he care.
ReplyDeleteClam Chouder has been on the sidewalk in front of Chava cafe (Leland & Clark) for a while now. He has expanded his territory!
Was able to wipe off "Clam's" venereal mark off our garage door a month or so ago.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing is incredibly stupid.....and I agree with 'Yo'....a total drain on 'social services'.
Tagging is no more noble than a poodle pissing on a stump.
To amswer your question Holey Moley I am trying to be a helpful neighbor.
ReplyDeleteIf you know anyone in one of the block clubs interested in taking some initiative in regards to controlling grafitti please have them contact me.
The hero worship and all that narrative is in my opinion arbitrary and of your own construction. All I did was cover some tags on a basketball backboard. Busness owners do it all the time because they know that taggers are fine with the time it takes the city to cover it, they are not heros, just people taking care of business.
Granted I went about it in an unorthodox manner for sure.
To control this form of vandalism the tag has to be removed AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The business owners know this.
That is the only proven way to control it. Grafitti blasters were never thet big of a slice of the city services pie to begin with so its not like Uptown loses out if a resident covers grafitti.
So if any organizers of the block clubs bounded by Sheridan to Clark, and Montrose to Lawerence would like to organize some action on this problem please feel free to contact me. To make an impact it will take more than one dude with a mini-roller and an extension pole.
I can live with silly suspicions as well as we can all live with the sillyness of Clam Chouder, and so we shall it kinda looks like.
Cheers, JL
Jeffrey, what is the product you can buy at Home Depot that would fix this and can any citizen fix a sidewalk with this type of blight on it or do you have to get permission? Anyone have any ideas about that?
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, I’m delighted that you don’t work alone. You’ve been living in the neighborhood for years, so I’m assuming you’re already an active member of your block club and know how to reach them. I’m betting they’d be delighted to problem solve with you.
ReplyDeleteCheers
HM
Towanda. At the Home Depot you can buy a product called "hydrolic cement" it's a very fine, very fast drying compound. I personally use it all the time at work to patch walls that have been drilled through. You will also need a cheap masonry trowel. A little bit of this product goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteHow recent is this tag?
ReplyDeleteThere is already an oversight process in place before ADA ramps are accepted.
The Contractor is likely aware of this corner already, and waiting to grind out the graffiti and patch (if necessary) at the same time that the ramp is fixed.
Stash writes that the tiles are loose; if that's the case at this ramp, it will likely be broken out and re-poured, as I don't know how else a repair could be performed.
In many cases, a minor bit of grinding a lip on the gutter is necessary to bring the ramp within tolerance, and the Contractor is likely saving trying to save money by doing all their punchlist work at once.
By all means, if you see wet markings, and there is a concrete crew still there, point it out to them. They will appreciate it.
If the crew is gone, and you think it's safe (the graffiti author isn't around) find a clean smooth object, and try your hand at concrete finishing.
Putting a little thin set over it, or something similar, will hide the mark, but it will crack and break apart over a few winters. Really the part should be cut out and new concrete poured. Some "skim" would be a relatively short-term solution.
ReplyDelete@Stash, this was not a failure in workmanship. This is vandalism. I am not sure how you make that the responsibility of the contractor.
Can we chisle in "is a loser." underneath it?
ReplyDeleteI think we should all just stop the lip service and and let Jeffery the fixer buy a small container of quickdry plug hydraulic cement for about $10 and let him fix it up since he is the one with all the plans about fixing everything and he likes the attention to do it.
ReplyDeleteBut it IS the Contractor's responsibility. It's part of an active project, one that hasn't been accepted yet. That's how it goes.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that it would be broken out just due to graffiti) and replaced in the winter is unlikely, and probably not worth the trouble.
And yes, any patch job will look lousy, and not last very long. However, it's cheaper to grind and patch in these instances than to guard fresh concrete with laborers on OT, so that's what happens. A pound of prevention vs. an ounce of cure, so to speak.
Unless its particularly high profile, large, deep, or on the ramp, the Engineer is apt to accept a patch job. From the photo, 'Clam Chouder' did not go deep, and grinding will do it.
I'm not saying you can't call 311, or bug the Alderman, but this likely gets addressed in the normal course of things, if the inspector does his job.
Anyone have a guess as to who Clam Chouder may be or approximately where they live?
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought the taggings started around Leland/ Malden/ Magnolia and spread from there.
@ Lunchbox
ReplyDeleteI have a stone table that my landlord dumped in our buildings back yard. It has been there for a few years, odd thing is though that someone scribed "clam chouder 3/16/10" onto the top of it, relatively small, but its still there. There is a family on the bottom floor with 3 kids, one of which is approximately 16 and could almost resemble the "clam chouder" found on Myspace. I'm on Racine and have been trying to connect with this kids father to bring this to his attention but the guy works at Weiss and has odd hours.
I say we set up a trap! Maybe some quick sand that looks like freshly poured concrete... then we'll catch our clam!
ReplyDeleteHere here to all advocating for DIY repair jobs. These taggers are DB's and I hope they go away. My beef is with the headline...
ReplyDeleteTwo desscribe someting as "Ignorent" jusst becuz its misspelld is werse then ignorent. Itz airogent.
Maybe we should all start tagging around Uptown, expect we'll put up nice things like 'Have a nice day!', 'Smile, your beautiful', or 'It's a great day to be alive!' I guess we'll have to come up with a cool name for our new gang. How about Noodle Supers?
ReplyDelete*except
ReplyDelete..and I propose a name change to the Chicken Noodle Supers!
Awesome ActionUptown - keep on working on it! It is a serious crime.
ReplyDeleteChitownphilly's comment reminded me of my area where unfortunately someone took to tagging everything (sidewalk, light poles, etc) with "forgive" and "forgive yourself"...which is guess is a positive expression in some sense of the word, but still an annoyance nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteLeave Clam Chouder alone!!
ReplyDeleteI just had that same tag name "Clam Chowder" removed from our building at Dover/ Leland. I was told it stands for lesbian sex or a lesbian street gang. LOL!
ReplyDelete