The AJC reports today on a man who hid in a tree near the Krog Street tunnel over the weekend and ambushed two young graffiti artists. The man, 43-year-old Rodney Bowman, apparently flipped out and punched one of the "vandals" twice in the face, a police report states.
One of the men, 21-year-old Jesse Jaeger, is an artist who's exhibited at Youngblood Gallery who participated in a group show curated by Travis Smith and hosted by Young Blood Gallery last year. Both Jaegar and Joshua Ward, 19, were ticketed for defacing a building. Bowman was ticketed for disorderly conduct.
According to the story:
When an officer arrived, Bowman told him that "he had been watching the area closely" and "jumped out of the tree" to confront the vandals, the report said.
The story's photo caption describes the Krog tunnel as the city's "scariest" free art gallery an alarmist characterization, to be sure, but not nearly so off-mark as calling Krog an "eyesore," which the AJC did last year.
(Photo courtesy "Shaft's bigscore" from CL's Flickr group)
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I am flattered that you used my image in this article.
What a wild night...he also broke in to my car but doesn't say that any where and this is why the cops where called.
Broke in to your car Dude it was a white pick up truck you forgot to lock the door ... And I was first to call the police not you two . That's why I didn't go to jail that night . LOL But like I said there is a right way of doing things .Last but not the least I live here not any of you so I do have a say so on what goes on here . I lived here half my life and I am not going any where . I know I went a little to far with what I did but I got my name and your two names in the news paper . So be happy . I'm not here to bash you two guys or slander any of you who may slander me . Who ever reads this please take note that the two young men Jaegar and Joshua aren't bad guys .
well if you dumb enough to come out at night to paint in the dark on a wall that dont belong to you then who is right or wrong ? You come to where I live not the other way around . I am not the 18 year old who is teaching 14 year olds to tag walls and trash cans and stop signs every thing that you can think of being sprayed painted here where I live . Bad part is the 14 year old is a cops son go look him up .
JOHN RENDER I WILL BE PAINTING OVER YOUR WORK VERY SOON TO MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT TAGGING SO I WILL START BY TAGGING A TAGGER LOL NOW WHATS YOU GONA DO ?
wow bowman , nice work . I would love to get up with you sometime and cover all this crappy graffiti around our neigborhood . lets buy some paint and buff all these lowlife toys . keep up the good work.
Mr. Bowman, you seems very hostile and boring, you should consider counsel. You can't paint over my work, because I am the photographer, that captured the artist work. That my photograph, that is being used in this article. So to answer your question, I'm not going to do anything. If you do a good job painting maybe I will come down again and take another photograph. LOL
Hostile and boring maybe But for a reason . Sorry that you feel that way about me being like you said . Sorry I said what I said towards you Sir. But it angers me deeply for some stupid tag that isn't art work . I do like the art work in the tunnel . I respect the people who do this stuff and would like it on the walls in Cabbagetown . I voted it in and wish to see it back on the wall . The last art work was tagged to hell and back and that's why we repainted it . It is unfair to the ones who gave there time to paint the art work and let some punk tag it over and over . John Render I don't tag but I have to deal with it here as well as others in my neighborhood as well as others out side my neighborhood I'm sure if I painted your house or street with f-ck you or something like that then you might feel as I do . I do welcome the art work once more and will protect it as I have done with the green wall . For every one person like your self there are ten like me to your one on the tags . But on the other hand the art work we all stand hand in hand as friends . I have proof of the ten to one .
mr bowman, go jump someone your own age, size.and get a therapist, maybe medication.Leave the art work to the artists, and you sleep in your bed.
Ellen they was my size and guess what they was tagging . So be it what is done is done and I hope I dont catch them . The shit they was doing was trash . Tell you what let me tag your drive way saying fuck you and see how you feel . But then again you might like it to much .
She is fat and ugly leave her alone . Poor thing cant get out of bed .
I actually somewhat agree with what (whether or not he be the real) Rodney Bowman says. Tags are not art. Tags are not pretty. It is nothing more than the human fault of control and selfishness. There is a difference between painting something that has meaning, and painting something so your name is seen all over town. This is the main dividing line between heroes such as Banksy and others. Spread your ideas, not your ego.