Fag Tag and Occupy will rise again

While Occupy has booted from many parks Occupy actions continue in many place, including several sets of port closing in this week. Closer to home there was a flap about the tagging of the statue in Lee Park.  While i did not think much of the handwriting, i thought the slogan (mimicking Lee’s own “The South will rise again”) was clever.

Within 24 hours of it being discovered by the authorities (and what regular park attendees think is about 48 hours of the actual tagging) it was mostly erased using powerful solvents.  See below.

What was pointed out to me was that a far more offensive tag, in the same park on a nearby tree was left standing and will continue to be (and removing tags from trees is admittedly much harder).  The image below is not 40 feet from the offending Lee statue.  Were i a better photgrapher you could read the word “fag” more clearly in the tag.

There is quite a little hub-ub both in the media and within the Occupy Cville community about this tagging.  Many people are disturbed by it.  One Occupier even went as far as saying it was sullying the “pure movement”.  But it is to be expected from a group which has no leader and many anarchists involved.  Part of the issue here is how the movement relates to property destruction (or in this case, temporary property defacement).  Some advocates of non-violence believe that property destruction is a form of violence.  Certainly, this view is widely held by capitalists and property owners who wish the treatment of their assets to be viewed with the same attention and care as is given to human beings.

I have to say i dont worry so much about property rights, but perhaps this is easier for me because i dont have much personally, but have a lot held in a collective fashion.    I will get back to property rights and violence, but tonight i will leave this here.