View Full Version : Help Find Graffiti Artist "ZAR"



Pages : [1] 2 3

Watson410
02-25-2009, 08:03 PM
http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-city-police-looking-for-repeat-graffiti-tagger/article/3348540

Personally I think this is getting out of hand! I drive around OKC all day, everyday. Everyday I notice more and more property this guy is vandalizing... Billboards, New I-40 (under construction), multiple signs on the highway, multiple buildings, the list goes on and on!! I hope they catch this douche and do something harsh to the scumbag. If I'm not mistaking, didn't he use to be a member here?!? If he cared about OKC so much why the hell is he vandalizing it??? Help find this guy and get him off the streets. If the City of OKC would just make a specific area where "taggers" could tag, we may or may not be having this discussion...

CuatrodeMayo
02-25-2009, 09:58 PM
Cier was the guy who posted here.



I, for one, hope they don't catch him.

MadMonk
02-25-2009, 10:58 PM
Perhaps you could offer the use of your home for his art as an alternative then?

Midtowner
02-25-2009, 11:33 PM
I hope they catch him.

There's a special place in hell for vandals.

Jackasses....

sxl
02-26-2009, 07:17 AM
his art isnt even that good.

but im with mayo.

metro
02-26-2009, 08:10 AM
http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-city-police-looking-for-repeat-graffiti-tagger/article/3348540

Personally I think this is getting out of hand! I drive around OKC all day, everyday. Everyday I notice more and more property this guy is vandalizing... Billboards, New I-40 (under construction), multiple signs on the highway, multiple buildings, the list goes on and on!! I hope they catch this douche and do something harsh to the scumbag. If I'm not mistaking, didn't he use to be a member here?!? If he cared about OKC so much why the hell is he vandalizing it??? Help find this guy and get him off the streets. If the City of OKC would just make a specific area where "taggers" could tag, we may or may not be having this discussion...

Totally agree. I wish they would catch this clown. Just drive on I-40 from Downtown to about N. Rockwell and you'll see a good dozen or so billboards, highway concrete and signs, and buildings that he's tagged ZAR. They even had a segment on the news last night about this loser, he's cost taxpayers at least $26,000 since November so far that we know of, I'm sure there is way more out there, as most of it hasn't been cleaned up yet. Hope he gets caught and a long jail sentence (probably won't happen). Cier is back on the streets and back to his old ways again too. Morons. I too wish we would have a dedicated graffitti wall or something. The least the city could do is give it a test run and see if it helps the problem.

westsidesooner
02-26-2009, 08:11 AM
I hope they catch him. A crime is a crime whether you like it or not. I say make him and all those other thugs spend their time doing community service cleaning up graffiti until it's elimintaed. And pay the $26,000 in damages. Like others have said his tagging isn't even very good. I've seen more artistic expression in slug trails.

metro
02-26-2009, 08:13 AM
http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/544976/medium

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/544974/w280/

Anyone with information about the serial tagging is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 235-7300.

kevinpate
02-26-2009, 08:17 AM
Definitely not artistic. But a dedicated wall, street, etc. is not a solution. this type tag strikes me as being about risk, recognition and the reward that comes from pulling it off.
You won't find any of those desires met via a city sanctioned out of the general public view art board.

Perhaps if it included a live feed to all the digi billboards to enhance the exposure, but doubtful otherwise.

foodiefan
02-26-2009, 08:55 AM
concurr kp. . . the legality eliminates the thrill factor for these idiots.

mcgrawsdad
02-26-2009, 09:05 AM
The douchebag recently tagged some businesses on 23rd street. I have zero respect for taggers...imo it is the most useless crime. They should be publicly caned!

oneforone
02-26-2009, 09:34 AM
I am surprised the city or some of these sign companies do not invest in a camera or an alarm system that could be checked by a local security company. Sooner or later they would catch these guys.

I am also surprised that nobody reports these fools. Somebody has to have seen them at one time or another. Then again there are some people in this city that only know the path they drive they do not know the street names or the geographically area.

A police officer told he is amazed how people act when they have to close a street. One time he and some other police officers shut down Northbound Broadway Extension because of a bad wreck. People were coming up to him left and right asking "How do I get Edmond?" Very few people could comprehend the concept of driving to the first major street east or west and heading North.

bandnerd
02-26-2009, 09:47 AM
So, the video vigilante's on here now? Perhaps he can turn his focus from finding people having sex in vans with their secretaries or with hookers and start catching this guy.

Just a suggestion...

kevinpate
02-26-2009, 09:57 AM
Tonight, on TagTV, Senseless Painters Caught on Camera

circuitboard
02-26-2009, 12:10 PM
Hey guys, if the police used modern day techniques, they could probally catch him. If you goto myspace and search "zar" oklahoma city, only one person comes up, and guess what his picture is, its graffiti! LOL

FritterGirl
02-26-2009, 12:19 PM
Definitely not artistic. But a dedicated wall, street, etc. is not a solution. this type tag strikes me as being about risk, recognition and the reward that comes from pulling it off.
You won't find any of those desires met via a city sanctioned out of the general public view art board.

Perhaps if it included a live feed to all the digi billboards to enhance the exposure, but doubtful otherwise.

BINGO! Taggers don't care about their "art," they care about tagging as many places as they can in as hi-risk an environment as possible. It's all about the adrenaline rush and figuring out what they can get away with. If they could figure out a way to tag the top floors of skyscrapers for all the world to see, they would.

FFLady
02-26-2009, 12:23 PM
Hey guys, if the police used modern day techniques, they could probally catch him. If you goto myspace and search "zar" oklahoma city, only one person comes up, and guess what his picture is, its graffiti! LOL


Interesting............

hipsterdoofus
02-26-2009, 12:25 PM
Too bad the big brother cameras on the highway are no use for something like this...

gen70
02-26-2009, 12:28 PM
I can't believe anyone would stick up for people who paint on others property, state or other wise. I bet they would change their minds if it was done to their cars or homes.

CuatrodeMayo
02-26-2009, 12:45 PM
Artists rarely tag automobiles. The only "cars" that get tagged are train cars.

An interesting read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti

BailJumper
02-26-2009, 12:53 PM
I concur, catch him and prosecute him. Vandalism is vandalism.

Karried
02-26-2009, 01:06 PM
Why wouldn't anyone want to throw the book at these people?

Have you priced paint and labor to repaint a business??? ... It's an outrage.

I think they should give them months and months of community service.... painting, especially over Grafitti.

kevinpate
02-26-2009, 01:25 PM
I have little problem with street art, but street art is to tagging, in my opinion, what some dead cow house like Red Prime is to Mickey D's.

Both have meat, both have fans, but there are few other similarities in the two.

SOONER8693
02-26-2009, 03:10 PM
CuatrodeMayo, How about I come tag your house, your parents house, your church, your car, any of those would be Ok, I assume.

FritterGirl
02-26-2009, 03:20 PM
Grafitti art/artist is really an oxymoron (emphasis on the moron)!

While it is true that much grafitti, especially the large murals, can be seen as an artform, the bottom line is, when you cause destruction to other people's property, costing money to both private landowners and taxpayers, there is no art in that. It's a crime, period.

When taggers go and tag our parks, for instance, we have to send crews out to remove it. This costs the city money, the taxpayers money, and takes money away from other programs and activities that could better serve the children in this community. It is completely unproductive.

In addition, the places where tags have been removed always leave a scar, either in the way of more paint (which rarely matches exactly) or "scorch marks" from the sandblasters or high-powered washers. Go by any heavily-tagged building and you'll see nothing but splotches from where it's been removed. So, they are altering the community's aesthetic in a negative way. These guys take from the community, and give nothing back to it.

And I agree with Karried. Fining these guys ins't the answer. Throwing them out with a remediation crew to remove the stuff day-in, day-out for a few weeks or months might just stop them in their tracks.

DaveSkater
02-26-2009, 03:22 PM
I hate em, everytime some tool tags the skatepark, they close it down for a couple of days. So, not only are my tax dollars wasted, I don't get to use my facility until they get around to "fixing" it.

Idiots.

plmccordj
02-26-2009, 06:39 PM
This one guy is not the only one that is doing this. I posted about the Oklahoma City gang problem and their grafiti in South Oklahoma City. I included many photos in January. The funny thing is that these gang members have found my blog that has been putting them down and they have been using my blog and started bashing each other. They have not bashed me once even though I was being critical of them. I almost deleted their posts but as my cousin wrote, maybe they will get mad at each other and kill each other off :). You can read it here... Oklahoma City Gangs (http://paulmccord.net/2009/01/02/gangs-in-oklahoma-city/)

sgray
02-26-2009, 07:37 PM
Let's hire some old retired farts that just sit all night in a rockin chair with a big dog and a shotgun. Hey, it's just an idea!

:tiphat:

jstanthrnme
02-26-2009, 11:08 PM
I'm on the fence.

While I don't think its cool at all to tag some of the targets he's gotten..I think graffiti is a part of living in an urban area and really, should just kind of be accepted/ignored. The ODOT board he has got, and some of the other billboards could have been a little more discreet, so thats where I have the problems with this guy.

Let me explain.

I've traveled to Washington D.C. a lot, and if any of you have been there, I'd bet money that you have seen this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Cooldd.jpg

Now this guy is a pro. I used to go out of my way to look for these tags. Usually they were along the metro tracks or amtrack tracks, but occasionally you could find them other places. This never really bothered me, I just accepted it as part of the D.C. landscape just like the Washington Monument, or a large traffic circle.

venture
02-27-2009, 12:42 AM
Easy solution?

Take their hands, hold a 9MM to them, pull trigger. They probably can't do much "tagging" with a hole in both hands. Okay maybe a tad extreme. How about we following Indonesia. Cane them. A good 24 cracks on the bare skin back may help. If not...I always liked the idea of creating another man made lake, with an island. Razor wire all through the water and you just drop all these convicts on the island unsupervised. Then you put cameras up, put it on PPV, and balance the ******** budget. Okay...that last one is George Carlin's idea. *smile*

But i'm sorry. As a taxpayer it is costing me money for these morons to deface road and interstate signs. Even the digital sign boards? Those relay immediate information on serious road hazards...would hate for that message to get blocked and lead to a massive pileup. Granted, if anyone died in that...then we can charge the taggers with some form of murder or manslaughter and put them down.

I am somewhat concerned that a certain member of the board is defending these guys. Perhaps they have information that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of taggers. Obstruction of justice? Harboring? You legal types would know the phrasing better than me. : )

El Gato Pollo Loco!!!
02-27-2009, 08:02 AM
all I can think of is...

this right here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SI_ZgjcmPY)

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 08:29 AM
I am somewhat concerned that a certain member of the board is defending these guys. Perhaps they have information that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of taggers. Obstruction of justice? Harboring? You legal types would know the phrasing better than me. : )

What are they going to do? Waterboard me?

I like graffiti. I pretty much feel the same as what jstanthrnme wrote above. I'm no tagger (I wish I was that good) and the only artists know were in the Tulsa area...and they are long gone.

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 08:45 AM
Cier was the guy who posted here.



I, for one, hope they don't catch him.

Then you can find the other 100 people in town that agree with you and pay for it. :fighting2

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 08:57 AM
I'm on the fence.

While I don't think its cool at all to tag some of the targets he's gotten..I think graffiti is a part of living in an urban area and really, should just kind of be accepted/ignored. The ODOT board he has got, and some of the other billboards could have been a little more discreet, so thats where I have the problems with this guy.

Let me explain.

I've traveled to Washington D.C. a lot, and if any of you have been there, I'd bet money that you have seen this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Cooldd.jpg

Now this guy is a pro. I used to go out of my way to look for these tags. Usually they were along the metro tracks or amtrack tracks, but occasionally you could find them other places. This never really bothered me, I just accepted it as part of the D.C. landscape just like the Washington Monument, or a large traffic circle.


Some places they are relatively harmless, like a railroad car. No one really cares.

Some places they aren't harmless and hurt the aesthetic. I personally think that if someone went and tagged the relatively new Oklahoma! mural on Gaylord/Broadway downtown, they should get their ass beat.

Karried
02-27-2009, 09:19 AM
Freedom of speech in America, aint it great.


Yes, it is... but personal attacks and insults can not be tolerated on this board.

If you have any other questions or concern please send a Personal Message (PM) to the Administrators of this board.

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 10:23 AM
Some places they are relatively harmless, like a railroad car. No one really cares.

Some places they aren't harmless and hurt the aesthetic. I personally think that if someone went and tagged the relatively new Oklahoma! mural on Gaylord/Broadway downtown, they should get their ass beat.

I hope to God that gets covered with paint ala Berlin Wall style. That mural is kitch to the max.

Like this: http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/Photos/Russia/BerlinWall.jpg

angel27
02-27-2009, 10:44 AM
hmmm. Quatro opens my eyes a little on this subject. I have always hated graffiti, except for one here and there like in the eighties on an old gas station on Walker someone wrote "hard times." Tom photographed it and it was artistic. There was someone that used to draw on electric boxes and I used to want to stalk him and shoot.

stick47
02-27-2009, 11:07 AM
There's no gray area here. Defacing property that doesn't belong to you is a crime and those who do it should be punished.

westsidesooner
02-27-2009, 11:44 AM
I'm on the fence.

While I don't think its cool at all to tag some of the targets he's gotten..I think graffiti is a part of living in an urban area and really, should just kind of be accepted/ignored.

Littering and car-jacking are part of living in an urban area too, should they just be ignored also? I have no problem with a having a specific area for these guys to do their "art" ala the graffitti bridge. But that won't stop the taggers, they do it for their ego. Maybe they're trying to make up for having not been blessed in other areas.

FFLady
02-27-2009, 11:57 AM
Hey guys, if the police used modern day techniques, they could probally catch him. If you goto myspace and search "zar" oklahoma city, only one person comes up, and guess what his picture is, its graffiti! LOL



So - I'm wondering, has anyone called this info in?????

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 12:02 PM
I hope to God that gets covered with paint ala Berlin Wall style. That mural is kitch to the max.




I think I speak for everyone and all common sense when I say: who gives a crap about your opinion of it? I don't exactly think it's modern art either, but NO ONE should ruin it with graffiti.

Your opinion on this is awful, and it's unreasonable people with ludicrous opinions like you that make things harder for everyone, no matter what he subject matter might be. Jeez, you advocate someone breaking the law and defacing public property to waste taxpayer dollars. They should double your taxes and appropriate it to clean up to make up for such a ridiculous opinion.

I hope you're just stirring the pot and we bit on it and you get a minor chuckle from it. I hope this isn't your true, reasoned opinion.

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 01:08 PM
While I admit it is quite enjoyable to watch posters on the board stumble of non-conventional ideas, it is my true opinion. Maybe that is why graffiti appeals to me; it stirs the pot of conservative city like this one.

I will say I don't necessarily agree with all locations and this "Zar" fellow is amatuerish at best. But I suppose the same could be said for legal billboards.

Reasoned? It's art, therefore subjective. Is it art? Yes, IMO.
Deface? Ruin? Says you. You opinion. Maybe when I not at work, I will come up with a longer more thoughout post. Just let it suffice to say it is a street art thing.

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 01:19 PM
While I admit it is quite enjoyable to watch posters on the board stumble of non-conventional ideas, it is my true opinion. Maybe that is why graffiti appeals to me; it stirs the pot of conservative city like this one.

I will say I don't necessarily agree with all locations and this "Zar" fellow is amatuerish at best. But I suppose the same could be said for legal billboards.

Reasoned? It's art, therefore subjective. Is it art? Yes, IMO.
Deface? Ruin? Says you. You opinion. Maybe when I not at work, I will come up with a longer more thoughout post. Just let it suffice to say it is a street art thing.

Bubs, I live in non-conventional ideas, and I'm anything BUT a social conservative.

However, we don't live in a subjective world (and thank rational thought for that). You can't just point at something and go SUBJECTIVE! I think we can all agree that murder is wrong, no matter the cultural subjectivity arguments you choose to impose. Cultural relativism is not a philosophy by which we can operate. Their rights to tag END where everyone else's collective rights BEGIN: and that's public property we all "own."

Deface? Yes, by definition. Ruin? If you made a roadsign unreadable, then it's ruined. I'm not saying a real tagger doesn't have artistic merit. Clearly they do. But costing the public money over and over through vandalism isn't art: it's sheer jackassery.

If these guys are so noble, then they should either: a) ask permission from the city, or b) graffiti your own stuff. Until then, you don't have a RIGHT to do that. Just like I don't have a right to come key your car in artistic swirls or paint your house as I see fit.

If YOU think it's so grand, put your money where your mouth is and either: a) provide a place for taggers to do their work, or b) raise money to pay to clean up graffiti so it's not a burden on all of us.

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 01:55 PM
a) That rarely works.
b) If I like it, then why would I want to find ways to remove it?

I was speaking from artistic subjectivity (i.e. what constitues "art") not a cultural subjectivity (what is "right" and what is "wrong").

I guess I approach the property rights from more of a NYC attitude where the line between public and private is not very clear and instead built objects just become the public realm where life and art happens. You approach it from an OKC/Edmond perspective where what is mine is mine and yours is yours. I suppose that is where the difference lies.

Just to be clear: I like graffiti, but that doesn't mean I worship in the church of street art. I never said it was "grand", "noble", or high-art.

I have a feeling we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 02:41 PM
a) That rarely works.
b) If I like it, then why would I want to find ways to remove it?

I was speaking from artistic subjectivity (i.e. what constitues "art") not a cultural subjectivity (what is "right" and what is "wrong").

I guess I approach the property rights from more of a NYC attitude where the line between public and private is not very clear and instead built objects just become the public realm where life and art happens. You approach it from an OKC/Edmond perspective where what is mine is mine and yours is yours. I suppose that is where the difference lies.

Just to be clear: I like graffiti, but that doesn't mean I worship in the church of street art. I never said it was "grand", "noble", or high-art.

I have a feeling we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Oh, those rights are the same in both places, my friend. Go and try to tag an NYC brownstone in which someone lives AND owns and you'll see a VERY clear line between public and private. Go and tag a corporate building. You'll see the same lines we have here.

You just like to stir the pot. I think we, as the OKCTalk board, should all come and tag your house or car or whatever.

Of course, maybe we should all just not have any property rights. Everyone should be allowed to do anything they want, whenever they want, to whatever they want. All in the name of "art." :doh:

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 02:50 PM
You just like to stir the pot. I think we, as the OKCTalk board, should all come and tag your house or car or whatever.

Yes. I'm just screwing with you because NOBODY can possibly like graffiti.

Oh well...Looks like I'm getting threatened again for expressing my opinion. I better go put the car in the garage.

hipsterdoofus
02-27-2009, 03:28 PM
I don't know why you all even bother trying to argue with him.

gen70
02-27-2009, 03:44 PM
I don't know why you all even bother trying to argue with him.

I been checking in just to see who will argue with him, it just encourages him.

onthestrip
02-27-2009, 04:07 PM
As a property owner I cant stand the graffiti that shows up. And ususally its just terrible looking, pointless graffiti showing off a gang or something. Another argument against it is the "Broken Window Theory" which says that broken winows that go unrepaired will lead to more windows being broken and causing crime to snowball and the surrounding areas suffer because of it.

Having said that, I do admire good graffiti art, but it cant continue to go on every vertical wall. There needs to be some place for it, but Im not sure how to go about that and how to limit it to a designated area.

If only zar could do better work like this.

CuatrodeMayo
02-27-2009, 04:33 PM
I been checking in just to see who will argue with him, it just encourages him.

Now I'm a troll.

Sheesh.

sgray
02-27-2009, 05:59 PM
Sorry to throw a monkey wrench at such a high-quality debate, but I can't resist. Here's my stupid opinion.

Whether the matter at hand is "art" or not is irrelevant. Trespassing and/or altering property other than yours without the owner's permission is illegal. Altering city property without a permit is illegal...and the john doe in question clearly did not obtain a permit to do anything on these premises, therefore he/she has committed a crime.

Now that we're past all of that, any sane/normal person would agree that this individual must be brought to justice...BUT this is Oklahoma...and I, like a lot of other people, swore to uphold the understood laws of the land which clearly state that in all situations one must know what is right and righteous and take exactly the opposite stance! Therefore, I must do nothing, and offer my full support and congratulations to this individual for sharing such awesome work!

So HA! :fighting2

MadMonk
02-27-2009, 09:22 PM
Reasoned? It's art, therefore subjective. Is it art? Yes, IMO.
Deface? Ruin? Says you. You opinion. Maybe when I not at work, I will come up with a longer more thoughout post. Just let it suffice to say it is a street art thing.
No doubt art is a subjective thing, but defacing public or private property - at whatever artistic level - is wrong. Some people have used urine feces as an art medium. Would you mind that sort of thing applied to your personal property - say the side of a building you own? It's an extreme example, but the principle is the same.

OKCMallen
02-27-2009, 11:53 PM
Oh well...Looks like I'm getting threatened again for expressing my opinion.


Pobrecito. Say something ridiculously against the public good (finances) and you might get called out.


I better go put the car in the garage.

Well why would you do something like that...? IT'S ART!!!!! :welcome55

CuatrodeMayo
02-28-2009, 07:36 AM
Pobrecito. Say something ridiculously against the public good (finances) and you might get called out.

My feeling aren't hurt. It's not like I expect you sympathize. Not many in this part of the country do. I'm used to being freaked out on about this.



Well why would you do something like that...?IT'S ART!!!!! :welcome55


I don't trust vengeful artists, lol.

Dave Cook
02-28-2009, 08:10 AM
Yes...these folks truly have a creative gift.

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/127/l_13a84954e502d4bd811571186e9eb60c.jpg

workman45
02-28-2009, 05:36 PM
Why do I spend time here? Where else can you find such entertainment for the price?

bandnerd
02-28-2009, 05:50 PM
Cuatro--do you not find it hypocritical to say, sure, tag "artists" are fine...but then get all huffed up when someone says they should tag your stuff? Is your stuff better than everyone else's stuff? Or the city's stuff?

Whoever said this Zar guys is probably tagging things to make up for something else he's lacking, I think I have to agree.

The school where I work is occasionally tagged by either rival schoolkids or gangs. Having some message from a yahoo at NWC staring at me in my classroom from an outside wall across the parking lot is more than an eyesore--it's a distraction from my learning environment. And walking up to doors tagged with JRS (whatever/whoever that is) frankly, just pisses me off. It's a school. A house of learning, not some place to be "claimed."

Dumbasses.

wsucougz
02-28-2009, 06:19 PM
My feeling aren't hurt. It's not like I expect you sympathize. Not many in this part of the country do.

FACT: People in other parts of the country love getting their sh*t painted on.

CuatrodeMayo - I understand from previous posts that you're either involved with the flatiron, or just as excited about the prospect of it as many others on this forum. What if right after it was built, Cier came over and tagged his name all over the nice new brick with white spraypaint? While you may not admit it here, you know that would suck. My point is, where do you draw the line? You obviously have some nihilistic ideas about this topic as many of us surely do, but you can't live in both worlds. Either start a fight club or keep wearing that cornflower blue polo M-F.

gen70
02-28-2009, 09:02 PM
FACT: People in other parts of the country love getting their sh*t painted on.

CuatrodeMayo - I understand from previous posts that you're either involved with the flatiron, or just as excited about the prospect of it as many others on this forum. What if right after it was built, Cier came over and tagged his name all over the nice new brick with white spraypaint? While you may not admit it here, you know that would suck. My point is, where do you draw the line? You obviously have some nihilistic ideas about this topic as many of us surely do, but you can't live in both worlds. Either start a fight club or keep wearing that cornflower blue polo M-F.

Whoaaa... I got my post erased for less than that.

wsucougz
02-28-2009, 09:43 PM
Whoaaa... I got my post erased for less than that.

M-F, as in Monday thru Friday.