The Evolving -- And Possibly Permanent -- Face Of Graffiti

Acid and shoe polish have proved an indelible combination for New York's lone generation of relatively clean subway cars.

1 minute read

April 29, 2006, 1:00 PM PDT

By David Gest


"Of all the images from the 1970's and 1980's of a city out of control, perhaps none is etched more deeply into the public consciousness than that of the graffiti-covered subway train screeching into a station, every inch of its surface covered with a rich patina of spray-painted slashes and scrawls.

It took decades of work and millions of dollars to clean up the trains. But now officials are seeing a fresh surge of subway graffiti, in which windows are irreparably damaged with acid. Raising the specter of the bad old days, transit officials are vowing to fight a problem they say is even more menacing than the graffiti of decades past."

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 in The New York Times

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