Banksy

As a former graffiti "artist", I'm with the authorities on this. Graffiti art is transient, and the most you can hope for is that a lot of people will see your stuff before it gets painted over. Banksy knows this, otherwise he would not have chosen the medium. I don't care if his piece is worth 30 grand - it has to go, along with all the other pieces by lesser known "bombers" (no idea if they still call them that - 20+ years ago that was the word).

What, Banksy's piece should stay because he's an important artist? Fuck that - he's a vandal, just like I was when I was 15 or so. Everyone knows the rules. You get notoriety on the street level and nothing beyond. A few fabled ones become famous on a wider scale due to books like Subway Art (ah, how many hours I spent poring over that book...) Some are embraced by the art world and take it from there. But it's still vandalism. That's the whole point.

Hang on a minute - why was Banksy not prosecuted for this? When I got caught I had to go to juvenile court. And did you hear me complaining? Ok, I did get a conditional discharge, but did you hear me complaining? Hmm, I dunno. Maybe you did.