Graffiti People Populating the Prospect Expressway

Some new people are moving into the neighborhood, but they're not too sociable, and they can be a little hard to track down.

Neighbor Ariella noticed photos by Angeliki Jackson, aka astrodub, of some painted people along the side of the Prospect Expressway. To photograph the ones seen from the road, she pulled to the side briefly and jumped out of the car, well worth it for the lovely shots.

But there are another few on Prospect Expressway-adjacent walls that you don't have to be in a car to see. Walking along the western side of the expressway, you'll bump into the green one above, and the family pictured to the right, where the figure on the far right is reaching out for a balloon. There could be more out there, so if you keep your eyes out while walking or while in a car, you might see a few more.

On the eastern side of the expressway, however, there are several figures painted along barrier walls that look similar, but are sketches compared to the ones on the west side. And while the figures have the same shape--round head, bug eyes, and bell body--the signatures are different.



Comparing the two brings up an interesting question: Are they both just graffiti, or is one (or both) art?

A neighbor who lives near the painting of the group of characters said he thinks they're cute, and that he'd always wished someone would have (or will still) paint a full mural along that particular wall. And though we have a few of those--including the newly painted barrier along Fort Hamilton Parkway--most of the Prospect Expressway barrier walls are empty except for flaking paint.

While murals are sanctioned, graffiti, even that which you might like, is illegal, and likely to be painted over--an effort that costs time and money. (At least the knit version can be easily removed.) You might remember a few years ago when the Windsor Terrace Alliance worked with the 72nd Precinct to combat a rash of graffiti in the area, though that included a racist incident and the "Back Fat" tagger, who was arrested.

So what do you think? Are there varying levels of graffiti, or is it all just vandalism?

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