Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
Syntax: 97 Green St.
Filed under: (s)Hit Parade, Dog Shit, Dog Shit Signage, Dung of the Day, Greenpoint Magic
You know you have either hit a very high or a very low point in life when you ask yourself: where’s a pile of canine diarrhea when I need one?
I have been asking myself this very question for the last month. Sure, I have found dog shit. (Lots of it.) I have even found homemade pornography right outside the front door of my building recently. But diarrhea was not to be had. That changed today.
After getting a sandwich at the Franklin Corner Store (and waiting behind a dude who was so drunk he didn’t even remember the cashier giving him back change for the beer he bought at 1:20 p.m.), I walked by 97 Green Street.
I have featured this location a number of times in the past, and once again, it didn’t disappoint.
And “dog bombs” were indeed to be found, along with some diarrhea…
…and some edgy ‘street art’ made by our local (and ever increasing) corps of artsy hipster types….
This kind of shit never ceases to amaze me. Seriously.
Was this to be found in East New York? No.
Bedford Stuyvesant?? No.
East Flatbush??? Once again, no.
I found this missive in front of an artist’s loft in a rapidly gentrifying section of Greenpoint (a redundant phrase, I admit). In what manner has this person been oppressed by “the man”? Did he (or she) get admonished by the police for playing music too loud? Drinking beer out of an open container? Not cleaning up their dog shit??? I’d really like to know.
I do not always agree with the tactics or mentality employed by some of New York’s Finest. That said, in a civil society, the job of the law enforcement is probably the hardest to be had (I couldn’t/wouldn’t stomach it). And we are (still) a civil society, despite the efforts of some of our leadership, but I digress…
I would not bite the hand of an organization which is saddled with responsibilties as various and sundry as defending public safety and personal property (the latter of which includes keeping a registry of i-pods so they can be returned if/when reported stolen). Such protestations by people who (for all intensive purposes) have the world on a string mock the very real and aggregious problems had by those who are not equally served by law enforcement.
‘Nuff said…
Hmm. I am guessing the message here is “Texas Sucks”. While hardly original, I imagine very few people (hereabouts, especially) are likely to disagree. It’s sort of like saying “I hate people who burn puppies, what about you?” No sir. No disagreement here.
I do wonder, however, about the motivation which underlies the creation of such a work. Has this person been so scarred by Texas that he (or she) had to make it known via a sidewalk chalk drawing… 1,377 miles away? That’s some serious shit. And I thought being born in Waco sucked. (It does— especially since that whole Branch Davidian thing.*).
In closing, I would like to say this post was long, long overdue. And I would like to thank BARC for featuring my blog on their blog. I strongly support their cause and encourage you to do the same (I am anti-dog shit but 100% pro-dog). I am so inspired by what I have seen today (and want to share the Greenpoint love), I will leave you with this…
*If you are wondering, and want to learn from somebody truly ‘in the know’: the worst thing about Texas are Texans.
Comments
NYS Flickr Pool
