[quote=VICE NEWS][thumb]http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/f097d011166cd891bbbb2971379028d9.jpg[/thumb]
[I]Darren spraying shit.[/I]
Have your Olympic dreams already been soured by the roof-mounted rockets, VIP traffic lanes and wandering gangs of "brand police"? Well yesterday, the British Transport Police raided a number of homes and made a bunch of arrests, seemingly as part of a pre-emptive operation to crack down on graffiti in the capital during the 2012 Olympic Games.
One of the people arrested was Darren Cullen. Darren, who is also known by his graffiti tag “Ser”, has been involved in the graffiti and street art scene since 1983. But in truth, he's kinda legit – over the past 20 years, he's worked with local councils, companies like Microsoft, Red Bull and Adidas, disadvantaged kids and, hilariously, Team fucking GB itself. He's also turned spraying paint on stuff into his own company, called Graffiti Kings.
I spoke to Darren about his arrest, and why he thinks the British Transport Police went after him.
[B]VICE: Hi Darren. So, you were arrested yesterday?[/B]
[B]Darren Cullen[/B]: Yeah, the British Transport Police knocked on the door of my mum's address, but of course I don't live there any more. She told them where I lived and they came to mine 20 minutes later, at about seven o'clock in the morning. They said they had a warrant for my arrest, which was a massive shock to me. I'm a law-abiding member of the community, a business owner – I wasn't expecting to see police at my front door!
They said that I was being charged with committing criminal damage between 1997 and the present day and they began to search my house. It was mad, there were five police officers going through my property. They started bagging up my graffiti magazines, photographs and spray paint as evidence. Everything I use in my job. They even took my phone and laptop.
[B]And you think this had something to do with the Olympics?[/B]
I asked one of the officers if it had something to do with the Olympics, because I'd noticed that a lot of the street art around the capital had been removed recently. It's all suddenly being cleaned off in the past few weeks, even stuff that no one had been bothered by for years. The officer didn't confirm that my arrest was to do with the Olympics, but he smiled. My partner asked another officer if it was to do with the Olympics, and he said it was.
It's ironic that they would arrest me of all people while trying to stop people painting graffiti during the Olympics – Graffiti Kings was actually approached by Team GB to paint part of the Athlete’s Village, and ITN news had us paint some art work on a black taxi for use in a programme where they interview people about the Olympics.
[thumb]http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/a2cc014b19ec17b6ae7838aafd82fc97.jpg[/thumb]
[I]Darren with a fish.[/I]
[B]Did the police say why they picked you, specifically?[/B]
Apparently they got my name from a web domain that I had registered some time ago. As part of my business, I help people set up websites which they use to share their creative work. I created a website for some young guys, and registered the domain for them. Apparently these guys posted photos of illegal graffiti, which the police said could entice people to go and do illegal graffiti themselves. Because I had registered the domain, the police came to me. Considering the amount of websites that post photos of graffiti and all of the videos on YouTube, I was surprised they bothered me over something as small as having registered a web domain.
[B]Sounds like they're being pretty thorough and dystopian about the whole thing. Posting photos online isn't even a crime, is it? So what happened when you got to the police station?[/B]
There were about 30 people there, all arrested in similar circumstances. I recognised a lot of faces from keeping up with the graffiti community, but no one that I knew personally. It was weird, I wondered what I was doing in a police station being questioned alongside these people I'd never met. People who I have no connection with.
That's when it became clear that the police were arresting people with some affiliation to the graffiti scene, wholesale. I'm sure it was all about keeping the city under control during the Olympics. I don't know, I guess they are trying to look like they are doing a lot in preparation for the Games. Making sure their arrest statistics in the run up to the events look impressive. All I could think was, “There is no reason why I'm here.”
Just before the police let me go, they told me what my bail conditions are. I'm not allowed to carry any spray paint or other graffiti tools, which obviously I need for my work. I'm not allowed to ride any railway service, the underground, the Tube or the DLR, and I'm not allowed within a mile of any Olympic venue. All of this, until November.
[B]What?! Where does all this leave you?[/B]
I'm astounded by the whole thing. I've spent 15 years building up Graffiti Kings to be a positive way to use my skills and make a career for myself, and now I can't even carry spray paint. How am I supposed to work for my clients if I can't even pick up a spray can?
It's going to cost me a fortune getting around town now that I can't ride the train. I'm going to have to drive to all my meetings and pay congestion charge each time. And of course, they have my laptop and phone, which contain everything I need to make a living.
It's just crazy. People from the graffiti community are encouraged to find legal and productive ways to use their skills, which is exactly what I've spent a decade and a half doing, but I'm still being harassed by the police in this way. It just isn't right.
[B]No, it certainly isn't. I'm sorry Darren.[/B]
[B]UPDATE:[/B] In light of an article posted by the New Statesman's legal correspondent David Allen Green, which suggests that the police station Darren was taken to can only hold five arrestees at any one time, I spoke to Darren to ask him if he was sure there were 30 people at the station. He said yes. He has also since confirmed this to some newspapers.
I wasn't there, so I can't say this is a fact, but it's his story and he is sticking to it. I looked at some private graffiti forums, and people were linking to this, which suggests there is in fact space for more than five arrestees. [/quote]
[quote=tl;dr]Have your Olympic dreams already been soured by the roof-mounted rockets, VIP traffic lanes and wandering gangs of "brand police"? Well yesterday, the British Transport Police raided a number of homes and made a bunch of arrests, seemingly as part of a pre-emptive operation to crack down on graffiti in the capital during the 2012 Olympic Games.[/quote]
[url]http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/graffiti-kings-british-transport-police-arrests-olympics-london-2012[/url]
No context for the fish picture whatsoever.
[editline]19th July 2012[/editline]
Darren! With a big ass fish!
I am beginning to think that London is being a little obsessive about the olympics.
[QUOTE=Reds;36848137]I am beginning to think that London is being a little obsessive about the olympics.[/QUOTE]
well it's only kind of the biggest international event
[QUOTE=Lambeth;36848055]No context for the fish picture whatsoever.
[editline]19th July 2012[/editline]
Darren! With a big ass fish![/QUOTE]
Reports say that as a result of the accident, 3 police officers lost their lives, and 4 more are in critical condition.
[t]http://www.rodsbot.com/images_maps_cache/4399-map-assoc.jpg[/t]
[I]Here is a picture of a clown.[/I]
"It is a tragedy," eye witnesses say. The funeral for the fallen officers will be held on 7/32/2012 in St. God's Cathedral.
VICE always makes initeresting and under the radar stuff and I love it.
And this olympic crackdown on graffiti is I can say as a semi-legal street artist utter bullshit.
[QUOTE=DudeGuyKT;36848166]well it's only kind of the biggest international event[/QUOTE]
Not even Canada went overboard with the Olympics. Shows that there's a problem with the UK.
the UK really is a police state.
They already got cameras everywhere.
I've met that guy
This is utter shit, especially the branding rules
Considering some of the work put into the London graffiti this should count as defacing art.
[QUOTE]It's ironic that they would arrest me of all people while trying to stop people painting graffiti during the Olympics – Graffiti Kings was actually approached by Team GB to paint part of the Athlete’s Village, and ITN news had us paint some art work on a black taxi for use in a programme where they interview people about the Olympics.[/QUOTE]
I hate this kind of hypocrisy in the graffiti and corporate marketing relationship. It happens a shitload too.
[QUOTE=wickedplayer494;36850417]Not even Canada went overboard with the Olympics. Shows that there's a problem with the UK.[/QUOTE]
It's just the government really, I haven't actually met anyone who cares about the Olympics in the slightest.
[QUOTE=WeekendWarrior;36851134]It's just the government really, I haven't actually met anyone who cares about the Olympics in the slightest.[/QUOTE]
We all know the Olympics are going to be a pile of wank.
[QUOTE=Ylsid;36850849]Considering some of the work put into the London graffiti this should count as defacing art.[/QUOTE]
The logo looks like it was designed by someone who only had access to stencils and a couple of spraycans.
Disgusting how much governments / countries whore themselves out for events like this. Really damn disgusting.
This county is turning even more shit than it already was. We had some kind of a 'protest march' (that being the codeword for 20 or so chavs getting pissed and walking about the place shouting apparently) and the police response was, in my area alone, a pair of police choppers, 5-6 mounted cops, 9 riot vans full of armed cops and road closures down the entire route. If that doesn't constitute ridiculous I don't know what does.
[QUOTE=Jackald;36851656]To be honest I don't see why everyone' getting so annoyed about the security measures. For all we know, MI5 could have lots of intel suggesting a terrorist attack might happen.
I mean next to America, we're pretty much the #1 target for terrorist attacks thanks to Tony Blair.
And I bet if an attack did happen and there weren't the security measures in place, you guys would be the first to go "Why the fuck wasn't there enough security?!"[/QUOTE]
What do the events in the OP have to do with preventing a terrorist attack?
[QUOTE=Jackald;36851656]To be honest I don't see why everyone' getting so annoyed about the security measures. For all we know, MI5 could have lots of intel suggesting a terrorist attack might happen.
I mean next to America, we're pretty much the #1 target for terrorist attacks thanks to Tony Blair.
And I bet if an attack did happen and there weren't the security measures in place, you guys would be the first to go "Why the fuck wasn't there enough security?!"[/QUOTE]
this just in, graffiti causes terrorism
ART IS AGAINST THE LAW
the olympics has been a display of how much the government doesn't care about us. in london especially, not a single resident that earns less than 100k a year is looking forward to it.
i'd be alright if it was just scrubbing off "DARREN IS WANK" from toilet cubicles but removing actual street art is tantamount to crime
[QUOTE=zombojoe;36850470]the UK really is a police state.
They already got cameras everywhere.[/QUOTE]
It's not even close to a police state.
ridiculous that they can stop him from using public transport for graffiti
[editline]21st July 2012[/editline]
people should graffiti huge cocks on any olympics related stuff in protest
[QUOTE=Lachz0r;36853732]
people should graffiti huge cocks on any olympics related stuff in protest[/QUOTE]
The government already took care of that themselves with those Olympic ''mascots'' and a poor excuse for a logo.
[QUOTE=SataniX;36851208]We all know the Olympics are going to be a pile of wank.[/QUOTE]
Escpeially the female gymnastics events.
Your country is just grossly paranoid. You have been throwing stones at your own shadows for a long time.
[QUOTE=Bobie;36852385]the olympics has been a display of how much the government doesn't care about us. in london especially, not a single resident that earns less than 100k a year is looking forward to it.[/QUOTE]
I am unfortunate enough to live half a km away from the Olympic Stadium. It has gotten SOO bad that I am temporarily moving to Poland until the Olympics is over.
'They' have closed down the off-licences, family run buisinesses and moved a lot of people out of the area. I have been stopped and searched 7 times the last 4 weeks... I do not look suspicious, I have a respectable job and have never broken the law.
I'm tired of it to be honest and can't wait to go.
It'll be nice when they're over, I couldn't care less about the olympics and the coverage building to a fever pitch is just annoying
[QUOTE=Chaoss86;36856907]I am unfortunate enough to live half a km away from the Olympic Stadium. It has gotten SOO bad that I am temporarily moving to Poland until the Olympics is over.
'They' have closed down the off-licences, family run buisinesses and moved a lot of people out of the area. I have been stopped and searched 7 times the last 4 weeks... I do not look suspicious, I have a respectable job and have never broken the law.
I'm tired of it to be honest and can't wait to go.[/QUOTE]
wow that's sad that you have to leave you'r home just to get a break :(
[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;36857620]wow that's sad that you have to leave you'r home just to get break :([/QUOTE]
What's even worse is IF anything does happen (and it's highly likely that it will) I won't be able to return as the area will be under lockdown. I will be taking my hard drive with me just in case!
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