YouTube Graffiti Celeb Gets Jail Time for High-Wire Hijinx
Over 500,000 people have watched the YouTube clip of graffiti artist "Buket" tagging a Los Angeles freeway sign while perched, without a harness, 20 feet above flowing traffic (see video above). At least a few of those 500,000 viewers, though, happened to be cops who harbored a serious desire to put an end to the street artist's brazen attempts to bring color to a drab urban landscape.
According to the LA Times, police identified Buket, aka Cyrus Yazdani, arrested him in May, and then sentenced him on Thursday to almost 4 years in prison, ordering him to pay over $100,000 in restitution for damaging public property. While Yazdani was obviously breaking the law, the sentence does seem somewhat harsh, particularly considering other YouTube related arrests that involved (alleged) budding serial killers, farting-on-food, and even rape.
In this instance, rather than documenting his outlandish act to gain some e-cred, Buket probably should have turned to the foremost graffiti artist in the world, Banksy, for guidance. It's definitely possible to be a highly successful and respected vandal, while still maintaining a closely-guarded sense of anonymity and mystery. [From: The Los Angeles Times via Mashable]
Anti-Corporate Protests and Boycotts
Motrin Ad Pulled Due to Online Protests
In November of last year, mothers took to the Twitter-streets in protest of a Motrin video advertisement that, they claimed, belittled young mothers. In no time, Johnson and Johnson took down the ad, posting a letter of apology.
Apple Pulls "You Can't Be Too Thin" Ads
In 2007, after airing an ill-advised ad campaign for their new line of iMacs that featured the tag line "You Can't Be Too Thin," Apple received innumerable complaints, including one from the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness. The ads were promptly pulled.
Boycotting Sellers Dent eBay's Business
In February of last year, eBay sellers banded in a boycott after the Web site laid claim to higher commissions on sold goods and eliminated sellers' ability to give negative feedback to buyers. In just one week, eBay's listings dropped by 13 percent.
Students Stage Virtual Protest on Facebook
Disturbed by HSBC's suspension of their free overdraft protection, collegiate customers of the bank launched a Facebook protest in 2007. Backed by the National Union of Students, the online protest won out as HSBC decided to maintain the policy.
Facebook Lactivists Take Protests to the Street Over Breastfeeding Pictures
Last month, self-described "lactivists" set up shop outside Facebook's headquarters to protest the site's removal of all images containing breastfeeding mothers.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Millerson said 10:44AM on 9-12-2009
Cheering your own goons on in typical LAPD style. Pathetic loser.
Reply
Millerson said 11:13AM on 9-12-2009
LAPD is just another rival gang. Just as pathetic.
Reply
theholokost said 6:26AM on 9-14-2009
Your an idiot.
Reply
theholokost said 6:35AM on 9-14-2009
The punishment doesnt fit the crime.Almost 4 years is too long.2 would be good.
Reply
lhgraphics said 9:36AM on 9-14-2009
He'll probably get out in 2 for good behavior but he put lives at risk and not just his own. What if he had fallen and caused an accident in the traffic below?
DAVID said 1:37PM on 9-14-2009
MAYBE YOU SHOULD JOIN HIM IF YOU THINK WHAT THIS SCUMBAG DID WAS RIGHT
sstack said 6:37AM on 9-14-2009
Good, lock him up for good!!!
These people have no right to deface public or private property.
Art my A$$ !!!!!
Reply
Alex Smith said 6:52AM on 9-14-2009
I don't know why the article is so sympathetic to the guy. He should be locked up. These people who deface property, from stop signs to bridges and train cars, make me sick. Tell them to buy some poster board and paint in the the holes where they live! They should tattoo whatever grafitti they produce on their heads!!!
Reply
Don Oberloh said 7:00AM on 9-14-2009
Why does AOL report this as 'graffic artist' why dont they say Tagger gets four years in prison for defacing property and vandlism.
Reply
Huh said 7:17AM on 9-14-2009
"street artist's brazen attempts to bring color to a drab urban landscape."
HA HA HA HA HA!
He wrote his name in white spray paint. What he did isn't art, it's defacement.
While I think 4 years in prison is a little much, 4 years in the marines would of been better.
Reply
hotrodqd said 7:17AM on 9-14-2009
I think doing time for this is too....harsh.....he and his homies-crew or whatever obviously are concerned about drab landscape and obviously have no jobs and too much time on their hands ......I say get jobs.....or paint city dwellings everyday for the city per city ordinances ...and if employed well then hey 10 hours painting on the weekends for a couple of years eh ? sure could help ease the burden off city employees and free them up for other tasks ! by the time they get finished I wonder if they'll still like painting or putting up with the fumes......I cant stand it ....let em start in the subways and rail yards ! then finish on the freeways ? hey if he's got 2 or 3 homies who help him & film his escapades thats 1 or 2 less city employees on cal's budget woes !
Reply
Bezalel said 7:18AM on 9-14-2009
Police arrested him AND sentenced him? Wow, the police must have great powers in California; in other areas of the country a person would have to first be convicted at trial, and then a judge would sentence him.
Reply
yamihiro said 7:41AM on 9-14-2009
really???? are you guys that dumb? HE wasn't doing giant curse words like normal graffiti what he was doing WAS ART. He is not in a gang he is an artist.
Reply
WMoon518 said 1:40PM on 9-14-2009
Really, Really?????? I guess I'm an "artist" too. I write MY name all the time.
kunihm said 7:43AM on 9-14-2009
The saddest part is that his graffiti sucked. Beat style, amateur, lame-o, wack, wack, wack
Reply
chuckusaret said 8:05AM on 9-14-2009
Good, On the Palm Beach County Florida section of I-95 from Broward to Martin County the graffiti removal exceeds $1,000,000,000 per year. These scumbags should be given long jail terms and when released years of community service removing graffiti.
Reply
Geoffrey said 7:35PM on 10-10-2009
Ha ha idiot, no way florida spends a billion dollars a year to remove paint. I wouldnt even believe a million. Sorry buddy, you've been called out, check your facts and your zeros before you broadcast your ignorance.
brendakgreene said 8:08AM on 9-14-2009
all I can say, he wanted to paint really bad to stand on top of all that traffice, you should notic all the csx trains go pass with all this graftti, starting to front and back, oh well it takes all kind to make a world.
Reply
jltwombly2005 said 8:20AM on 9-14-2009
This idiot got what he deserved, 4 years is a good sentence think if he did his "art" on the side of your house or property. I would accept 4 years in the military that will build character he could use his whole life.
Reply
TAMI said 8:32AM on 9-14-2009
Pediphiles get 9 months sometimes...this 4 yr sentense is too harsh. The taxpayers money could be better spent. He should have been punished by making him work for the city (community service) and clean streats etc..But now he has free room and board for 4 years and a chance to learn a new SKILL>>>>
Reply