Parents: Save the sidewalk chalk grafitti for the park.

Puck-

You are showing yourself to be a bored, board genius. I like it.

ringrunner said:

I am so glad you did did not scold my child for using sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk. It would have ended in me being arrested.

Yeah, great example for your kids.

Why is it too much to ask to have your child do this kind of stuff on your OWN property?! Why is it that the people in this neighborhood have no common sense or common courtesy? And don't give me this bull that the rain will wash it away. Maybe I should squirt mustard all over your car and say don't worry the rain will wash it away!

This thread is a prime candidate for White Whine

Alana said:

Mustard would stain the car ruining the paint job the sidewalk will recover on its own. A car is property and the sidewalk is not

Exactly.

Have you tried to draw anything legible with sidewalk chalk lately? It's really hard. The colors are all too similar to get any kind of contrast so there goes any kind of shading/shadows. Depending on the grade of the sidewalk/street it's often too bumpy to get a clear line.

Sure it is removable with a hose and water but why should I clean up this mess?

You shouldn't. After a few days and the first moderately heavy rain the chalk is gone. Today's drizzle should handle the erasing duties.

I hope no other blogs pick on this thread because not matter which side you fall on you all sound like douchecocks. Big, idiot, douchecocks.

I could be mistaken but I thought that you owned the property to the curb, but that there is a right of way from the curb to the front fence/stoop line. That's why the city makes you clear the snow and repair the sidewalk.

QuantumSilence said:

I figured I weigh onto this topic especially since it hits home on so many fronts. I am a home owner and I am of the sort that justifably believes that the sidewalk in front of my home belongs to me. Sure the sidewalk in front of my home technically does not belong to me. Hell, I have no bill of sale for that patch of ground but the city sure as hell believes it does belong to me especially when they fine me for any little piece of refuse found on that patch of ground.Year in and year out the weather gets warm and the children from neighboring homes come out and play on the sidewalk. Hell, I used to do it back when I was a child. i engaged in skellies and marbles on the street and sidewalk but my parents always taught me to clean up after myself. Fast forward to today and you have a different sort of child rearing technique being used. Some of these children find it within their hearts to use those chalks and draw enormous portraits of gibberish. Yes I said gibberish. Some go beyond their designated canvass area and even have decided to paint on my stoop and my patch of ground. Sure it is removable with a hose and water but why should I clean up this mess? Why are the parents of these children not stepping up to clean after the messes created by their spawn? As you can tell from my diatribe I am not a champion of the sidewalk chalk artist and if matter were left to me I would hose the very children into teh gutter along with the colorful stains they leave behind.

This is my 2 cents.

Dance Rehearsal said:

DR-

I think this is the first time I have heard you use the word drizzle in a way that is not necessarily sexual.

Sorry... all this talk just made me drizzle in my pants a little bit.

It is rare when such things get easier with age.

Stretchy-

It sounds as if you have created a lovely showcase for their art.

Maybe you should stop taking care of your property, and see if they move on to a nicer gallery.

OMG, this is one huge troll party. :eyeroll:

AW-

Any idea where the zoo was able to get that bear size rocking horse?

That looks awesome.

I am not a fan of people who are over zealous about the space in front of their homes. I am also not a fan of hyper children who are allowed to run amok with pieces of chalk in hand either. I am hoping that the information I am providing will finally put this topic to rest once and for all.

According to the city council there is a law on the books which classifies the behavior of the children in question to be against the law. According to Local Law 111 the child armed with the hefty piece of chalk is in the wrong and the property owner is within his/her right to have the child's parent summonsed/arrested for said act. I know it sounds absurd but the below article basically points this out and simultaneously resolves the senseless bickering on this forum.

http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/40/30_40graffitigirl.html

So to recap:

PARENTS-

If you think your child's Picasso like attributes can continue without consequences then think again. You might just find yourself paying a $300 dollar fine or being arrested for the actions of your child. It might be prudent to take the little rascals to the park or perhaps let them chalk up the floor in your apartment instead.

PROPERTY OWNERS-

If you find yourself the victim of vandalism via a child armed with a huge piece of chalk then call 311. Physical confrontation is not recommended. The police will respond and deal with the child's parent via a summons or an arrest. It is not fair that property owners should be given summonses by Sanitation for having the sidewalk in front of their homes marked up by someone else's child.

ANARCHISTS-

Scolding another person's child is not recommended. Scolding the parent of the graffiti child is also not recommended. Hosing the offending children into the gutter or into traffic is extremely not recommended unless you want your face pummeled. We live in a civilized society where upon the aforementioned acts will resolve nothing and yet escalate everything. Think prudently before you act.

The defenders of each side of the argument now have their options. I pray they take my advice and finally squash this most frivolous matter.

Read the article again, SoldierSanta:

the statute defined “graffiti” as “any letter, word, name, number, symbol, slogan, message, drawing, picture, writing … that is drawn, painted, chiseled, scratched, or etched on a commercial building or residential building.”

A sidewalk is not a "building".

The summons may be issued, but it cannot be enforced.

Chalk on a sidewalk does not meet the definition of graffiti, and thus does not violate the statute.